FAN ARTICLES

Tactics my arse

By Jim Hourigan :  08/01/2011 :  Comments (17) :

At the start of the season, I like many others, felt we had a squad that could do something this season, in fact for the first time ever I had a flutter on us to win a trophy, but where we are now leaves many of us scratching our heads to explain how it can be so poor. Wednesday was a breath of fresh air and raised hopes and spirits but why?

On other threads many have suggested that the change was down to playing 4-4-2, however I noticed others saying we played the same formation as usual with Saha taking on the Cahill roll and that we play 4-4-2 with Cahill anyway !! For those who long for the 4-4-2 system I think that it really depends on how you define the role of the 2 forwards. If people believe that it should be a throwback to ?a Sharp and Inchy? type system then I think you are living in the past. Playing 2 forwards is in my view essential but they have to perform in very different ways form the 80?s and 90?s. The second forward has to be prepared to drop off and link up play whilst always seeing themselves as a forward when attacking. Look at the most successful recent models ? Rooney and Ronaldo /Berbatov ? Crouch/Defoe/ Pav with Van Der Vart / Keane? Drogba and Anelka. Looking at the so called top teams who have won little recently (Arsenal, Liverpool and most recently City) all play with 1 forward and an attacking midfield player and all struggle to score regularly.

Against Spurs I would argue that we played with 2 recognised forwards and that in doing so we looked far more balanced and capable of winning ? which we obviously did. Down to Moyes?s tactics then you shout. Superficially that may look like a sound argument but dig a little deeper and I think the answer is far more fundamental. I am reminded of a quote by Cloughie along the lines that football is a vey simple game made complicated by coaches. Why were so many of us looking forward to the season and quietly confident that good things might happen?

If you?re like me it was probably down to the quality of players and the potential they had to do something. But why has it been going so horribly wrong and why was Spurs so different? Did anyone notice that after the Spurs goal we kicked off and passed the ball back, sideways, inside and then forward ? where was the ball played to the full back and hoofed forward to allow us to push up to the half way line and in doing so giving them the possession?

Suddenly the players did what they felt comfortable with ? passing the ball to each other rather than hoofing it forward. Along the same lines we had players playing in their right positions but far more fundamentally doing what they are most confident about ? passing the ball forward and looking to win a game. Defenders willing to pass to midfield, midfield passing into forwards feet, wide players looking to get beyond full backs etc etc The most significant change for me was a state of mind ? we went out to win a game because Moyes knew if we sat back we would get mullered and the players played that way ? not tactics but man management.

As I write this I am listening to the breaking news about Liverpool and start to look forward to next Sunday. Should we be worried about their players? No ? but should we be worried about the attitude that Dalglish will engender ? well that really depends upon our attitude and the man management of Moyes. Does he go there with the ?tactic? of not getting beat, playing 1 forward and 5 in midfield or alternatively does he go there to win a game, does he put his faith in the players and more importantly the way they played against Spurs.

Tactics my arse - put the right players in the right positions and much more fundamentally have faith in them and their abilities to win a game. Have faith in Fellaini and Arteta to dominate, believe that Coleman and Pienaar can get beyond and behind them, support Saha and Beckford to cause and create them problems but send them out without fear, tell them how good they are how they CAN win the game ? and heaven forbid it doesn?t work, please don?t go back to the ?tactics? of yester year.

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