4-4-2 at home please

[LuieJack]

The most important thing and our main priority for now should be safety before we start talking about playing attacking formations, are we forgeting currently we sit just THREE points above the drop zone with a pack of clubs on our tail. Like most I also would love to see us be brave and play expansive football, but our biggest issue and preventing us doing so is not having a goal scoring Centre Forward which would allow more flexibility to our formation, hopefully with Batshuayi he will now give us that option, but also allow Roy into playing a true Front Three with WZ and AT given more freedom to support Batshuayi.
But we need to keep the solidity in Midfield for now with a midfield Three of Luka, Kouyate and McArthur, and once safe bring Max Meyer into the fold to replace McArthur and give him a freedom midfield role where he can express himself to pick out passes for the Forwards.
For now lets get our priority right first which is safety and then plan ahead, which is what i feel Roy Hodgson is doing but is just not appreciated by some fans.

[salad fan club]

Originally Posted by glaziers fan

We created some real chances in the 2nd half vs West Ham. Whilst we have created some good chances in most games, this was for me one of the first home games when we've created so many clear cut opportunities. However the first half was poor. We put ourselves on the back foot with such a negative formation. The set-up is all wrong. We are at home, and it's winnable.

We should play with 2 strikers and Wilf wide midfield in the home games. Also we should play Max Meyer in the home games because we are going to have more possession and we need the extra passing and technical ability. He made a big difference in just 10 minutes against West Ham. I'm all for the solid defensive formation of 4-3-3 when we are away from home or playing the top sides at home. (In fact I'd go 4-4-2 with a target man and Zaha up front, but a defensively solid midfield of 4 in behind but that's for another thread.) Yes, we need to be organised away from home especially. But the mindset is wrong for home games. We are a very good side and we start the first half hoping to get in at half time 0-0. It's way too negative.

I'd rather lose the same number of games but at least give it a go. No coincidence that we won against Fulham with a more attacking 4-4-2 and scraped to a 1-1 draw against West Ham with the 4-3-3. Just saying.

I agree we should have 2 strikers against all the team
outside the top 6. We might lose a few but we would win lots more.

[Mr Palace]

Spot on GF. The reason we are so poor at home is Hodgson's negativity and some woeful finishing.

We need to play 4-4-2 with Benteke and Batshuayi up front, with Wilf and Townsend wide; or Batshuayi and Wilf up front, with Townsend and Meyer in the wide midfield positions (though I'd like to see Meyer in the middle).

The negative approach we see every week isn't working judging by the limited points and goals we get at home. I'd love to see Hodgson go for it more.

[red&blue_moomin]

Originally Posted by Mr Palace

Spot on GF. The reason we are so poor at home is Hodgson's negativity and some woeful finishing.

We need to play 4-4-2 with Benteke and Batshuayi up front, with Wilf and Townsend wide; or Batshuayi and Wilf up front, with Townsend and Meyer in the wide midfield positions (though I'd like to see Meyer in the middle).

The negative approach we see every week isn't working judging by the limited points and goals we get at home. I'd love to see Hodgson go for it more.

So negative that we now create 15+ chances a match. It's not negative tactics it's safety first or more accurately respect the point and yet we play much better football than under Pulis or BFS. We are averaging a point a match with not much in the way of composure in front of goal. If Batshuayi continues as he has started then I'm pretty sure that average will increase.

[stanmar]

4213 is a system that can work best for us if Meyer is the 1 with Luka and Kouyate the solid options behind him. From there, we can get between or around the lines

[Pete79]

Starting with Benteke, Batshuayi, Zaha and Townsend in the same team is nonsense. We would either rely on Luka + Kouyate/Meyer/McArthur to control the game in midfield by retaining possession and/or expect them to shield the defence and win posession against 3 midfielders on the opposing team. Alternatively we would need either Zaha and Townsend to play as midfielders rather than wingers which would be mad.

It only makes sense if you've decided that you're going to ask Benteke and Batshuayi to win you the game each week. I'd rather ask Zaha, Townsend and one of these forward's to do so.

Since opposing managers would control the game with 3 in midfield we risk going 0-1 down with our attacking line up already on the pitch and opposing a team playing 4-5-1 and who can sit back and catch us on the break. Alternatively we score first and subsequently take one of the forwards off to reinforce midfield, but if our opponents then score we've lost the option of playing an attacking team. Surely it makes more sense to play a solid team, see if its enough to get in front and then decide how to change it from there.

If we're losing, near the end of the game we can bring on the second forward. Zaha and Townsend can drift inside to occupy the space the forwards provide as PVA and AWB fill the space on the wings with Meyer in the middle. We'd be exposed with just Luka covering for Tomkins and Sakho but if we're already losing...

[Gregz41]

433 with Meyer and Batshuayi is the answer.

[Mad Raschic Ken]

Originally Posted by LuieJack

The most important thing and our main priority for now should be safety before we start talking about playing attacking formations, are we forgeting currently we sit just THREE points above the drop zone with a pack of clubs on our tail.

I certainly wouldn't advocate a more expansive style for entertainment purposes (although that is obviously a benefit). In my view, we are losing points at home by being too timid. It doesn't have to be any more risky. We can keep our shape and discipline whilst also attacking at speed and being brave around the opposition box.

If you take Saturday as an example, if anything we were more open to West Ham counter-attacks in the first half, when we were playing well within ourselves in an attacking sense, than we were in the second half when we were full of attacking intent.

Our biggest attribute offensively is the pace and skill of the front players, so we should give those players more freedom to express themselves in the right parts of the pitch.

[GrayP41ace]

Originally Posted by glaziers fan

I'd start with the 4-4-2 with Wilf and Andros wide midfield, but maybe also start with 2 defensive minded centre mids. Then bring on meyer after 60 mins if we are in control of the game.

The main thing is I would definitely play 2 strikers (Benteke and Batshuayi) together in every home game except vs Man City this season. Benteke needs the strike partner and Batshuayi probably needs Benteke also. Especially in games where there is limited space (at home).

You start the thread (post #1) saying we should play Meyer in home games and by this post (post #11) you are already taking Meyer out your team because it would completely unbalance us and leave us incredibly weak in midfield?

It's hardly surprising Roy struggles fitting all our players in a formation and shape that will appease every fan at every moment, you've changed your own bloody tune inside 1 hour and 17 minutes

[GrayP41ace]

Originally Posted by Mad Raschic Ken

I certainly wouldn't advocate a more expansive style for entertainment purposes (although that is obviously a benefit). In my view, we are losing points at home by being too timid. It doesn't have to be any more risky. We can keep our shape and discipline whilst also attacking at speed and being brave around the opposition box.

If you take Saturday as an example, if anything we were more open to West Ham counter-attacks in the first half, when we were playing well within ourselves in an attacking sense, than we were in the second half when we were full of attacking intent.

Our biggest attribute offensively is the pace and skill of the front players, so we should give those players more freedom to express themselves in the right parts of the pitch.

Alot of the play is dictated by the opposition as well. There is no way on this earth the second half performance could have been replicated in a first half performance. It doesn't work like that.

Palace pushed for an equaliser, whilst at the same time West Ham sat back looking to soak up pressure asking us to break them down, (something we notoriously struggle with) yet we created ample chances to bury them out of sight! West Ham had far more intent to attack in the first half, second half was as much about them not doing the same as the first half as well as it was us doing differently as well.

West Ham would never have started the first half like that, meaning we couldn't just go gung ho like we did.

[Mr Palace]

Originally Posted by red&blue_moomin

So negative that we now create 15+ chances a match. It's not negative tactics it's safety first or more accurately respect the point and yet we play much better football than under Pulis or BFS. We are averaging a point a match with not much in the way of composure in front of goal. If Batshuayi continues as he has started then I'm pretty sure that average will increase.

Don’t agree with that. We have been cautious - we always start by letting the opposition attack us. We tend to open up in the second half when we are usually chasing games.

Look at how many goals we have scored at home.

Let’s see what Hodgson does now. Hopefully he will open up a bit now we have quality strikers.

[bodger]

Guaita
AWB Tomkins Sakho PVA
AT McArthur Luka Meyer Wilf
MB

Thats our best team gives us a strong midfield a solid defense and a mobile striker that suits our style of play

[Cyneagle]

Try anything to alleviate the dreadful home form.

Can never understand why players can't play in front of their own supporters.