A very good point which I have also been noticing a lot since the day one of last season. It's really really obvious we can protect our low IQ backline much better in a 2 + 1 set-up than 1 + 2 since we don't have a natural pivot with legs. Coutinho can also do much better in the hole knowing he has two guys behind him to protect if he loses the ball. We need to give him a Gerrard like free role when Torres was here. It's so bloody obvious and I can't believe this has never been tried. I just don't understand Brendan's obsession with avoiding pairs, whether it is two up top or two in front of back line. I'm really confused and irritated due to his reluctant of trying the simple stuff that is so bloody obvious. He keeps trying unnecessarily complicated tactics.
It also seems O'Driscoll and McAllister don't have any major influence in the formation and tactics. Not yet anyway. I may be wrong here.
So our defence keeps messing up, with basic errors happening time and time again (Skrtel retreating, Lovren thinking he is Beckenbauer), and as a team we are struggling to create chances and score goals- and people think the solution is to provide yet more protection to a defence who are likely to make mistakes anyway? We were playing Lucas, Can and Milner on Saturday to give them protection- and two forwards playing as effective wingbacks.
Surely we need to get back to what we are good at, no go to many people's comfort blanket of 4231 with a double pivot. I think we need to get an extra attacker on high up the pitch (either Ings, Firmino or Sturrdige if available), drop Coutinho deeper to play as the link and look to play front foot quick transition football, not low block reactive and safe football. If the manager is going to be on his last legs, I hope he goes out swinging rather than drifts away into nothingness.
On the questions:
1/ Our new strikers, all 3 on the pitch today. How did you rate their performances?
Hard to judge, Benteke with little support has 2 in 5 with a few chances he should have buried, but I've been impressed with his all round game. He is crying out for both support close to him when he brings the ball down plus multiple runners beyond him to stretch the opposition.
I thought Ings played quite well, unfortunately he was stuck in the graveyard shift of LWB. He looked a threat when he was central- good run, chest and volley well saved by De Gea, a couple of good passes and some decent movement. Hard to judge with Origi due to how the game had gone before- I would like both of them to start in the Europa League on Thursday though.
2/ With the market closed. How do we improve our ability to play out from the back this season?
I think getting Sakho in will be an improvement with his ability to pass through the midfield, plus moving the team further up the pitch to create more support and compact passing angles for each other. At the moment it seems very disjointed as there is three distinct units on the pitch with little inter-connectivity- four at the back, more often five in midfield and then Benteke isolated upfront.
As explained above I'd like to see, if we are to persist with 4-3-3 something more like (fitness dependent):
Benteke Ings
Firmino
Milner Coutinho
Henderson
Moreno Sakho Lovren Clyne
Allow Firmino to drift inside, less tracking back for Ings as Clyne seems to have less attacking responsibility and Moreno can provide the width on the left. Two centre backs who can at least play a similar style front foot aggressive game (Sktrel is the opposite, no matter if he is paired with either Lovren or Sakho). Can be 4-3-3, diamond, whatever you want to call it but most importantly play at a higher tempo and more compact further up the pitch then we have been. Also, if fit Sturridge can directly replace Ings from the right.
3/ How much of a loss was Coutinho?
Massive, his ability to break through the oppositions press and get us up the pitch was hugely missed. We didn't have anyone centrally who could break their press so we became so slow and turgid through the middle, resulting in poor passing or just recycling the ball backwards or side to side with no penetration. Although most would agree Carrick and Schweinsteiger had a good game, they had very little to deal with defensively and so much time to play in front of us, that may have been different with Coutinho playing.
4/ Left back. Moreno or Gomez?
Gomez has played very well for such an inexperienced young player, but I think it would be time to take him out of the spotlight for now and maybe play him in the EL and League Cup. For the attacking reasons above I would also bring Moreno back in.
5/ Would you have been happy/content with 7pts from those opening 5 fixtures before a ball was kicked.
Difficult to say with hindsight. Maybe if the performances would have been better and I could clearly see we were working towards something, but its been dire these last two games. I was delighted with 7 after 3 games, not so much now.
