R1 vs Perth Glory | Sunday 12th Oct | 5pm | RoF

There's quite a bit of chat popping up around the place surrounding what our lineup should be etc etc, and with less than a month to go we may as well pop it all in a match thread.

Your lineup predictions/suggestions?

If Reira, Roly, Rodriguez and McGlinchey all start, I think the toughest choice will be picking 2 of Cunningham, Fenton, Burns, Boyd, Krishna and Brockie.

For a team with no strikers we really do have an embarrassment of riches up front.

looking at our squad we finally appear to have a good mix of width, pace and a balance of potential goal scorers as well as some depth in the squad.

Also thus far this pre-season all players appear to be either fully fit or not far off it. 

Looks like brockie is maybe over his goal troubles too

Who would be a definite starter out of that 6? I'm really not sure.

Boyd was the most impressive last season, Cunningham got the most goals, Burns and Brockie have the pedigree, Krishna has the form and Fenton has the potential...Very very tricky indeed...

4-3-3?

                        Moss
Muscat  Sigmund  Durante  Doyle
               Riera       Bonevacia
                     Rodriguez
         Burns   Brockie   McGlinchey

I know this is not how Ernie and most of you are seeing it, but this gets more of our best and strongest attacking players on the field and, given we have no out and out, consistent, proven, marquee level goal scorers, the more threats we have the better

and I expect this would give up very little in defense

Moss

Fenton Sig Dura Bonevacia

Riera

Gorrin McG

Boyd/Krishna/Brockie  Burns Kenny

there is a lot of jinxing going on in this thread (glares at C Diddy and Detoxin)

Rnd 1 is a FIFA window, is there any All Whites games scheduled?

NZF wouldn't do that to us now,surely?

Dont worry. I touched wood :-)

Hasn't Merrick indicated in the past that we won't see Bonevacia and Reira play together? I would have them next to each other in my best line up though.

                   Moss

Muscat-Sigmund-Durante-Doyle

           Riera-Rodriguez

Cunningham-Burns-McGlinchey

                  Krishna

I like that a lot

It only works if you touch it once.

Thats what she said!

*falls over in shock*

REALLY?

Manny Muscat would not make your starting 11? I respect your right to your opinion, but seriously, what are you smoking?

I have a LOT of time for Fenton, but come on. Manny was absolutely fantastic in the All Stars game against Juventus, not to mention last year... and any time he pulls on a stripey. He's our talisman... he lifts those around him... you can't possibly not have him in the starting 11 if you ask me.

More than 3 times and you're playing with it

I don't get why people would not have Roly starting. Why sign an import to be a bench warmer? I really really do not understand this in a league where imports and the signing of them, are a point of difference between you and the opposition. I would not have signed Krishna because I don't think he has the good for this league other than 'I can run fast' 

                      Moss

Muscat Sigmund Durante Doyle

          Bonevacia Reira

                      Gorrin

      Cunningham McGlinchey

                      Burns

I think if you don't start these players, why sign them? To be bench warmers? Not in this league...

I understand (a) what you are saying (and agree with it) and (b) that you don't rate Krishna and would not have signed him... but, they DID sign him, so this logic applies to him too... so surely he should start?

Ive seen Krishna a few times in ASB and would prefer him over some of the highly paid players we have had in the past. I wish him the best and hope he can prove his doubters wrong..

Merick said on the podcast (I think) that Roly was cover for Reira.

We have to see the bench not as second choice players, they come in and can change the dynamic of the game. The coach has more quality options for tactics. You may play a fast Krishna against a tired team, someone more defensive if you like to hold on to a result. Is that not the whole idea of a squad with more depth? Not just plain old  injury cover. It's also good for internal competition, everyone fighta for the starting spot.

It's an improvement on signing an import as a reserve keeper at least.

Warner actually played more games that year than Paston did (15 v 14)

I guess the question about whether or not to start Roly is what does he offer in an attacking sense? Someone with better football knowledge can correct but wouldn't most teams who play 4-2-3-1 have a more attacking type of player playing "in the hole." If we play that formation then we are selecting two defensive midfielders and on top of that we are picking Rodriquez who is more a box to box player. Do we really need two defensive midfielders and one box to box midfielder? Does any team do this? If Rodriquez is gong to track back and track back well then I don't think we need Bonevacia and Riera. Germany played a 4-2-3-1 in the World Cup and generally used Kroos (who seems more of a box to box player) in the hole but they also had Schweinsteiger behind who offers plenty going forward. So I think we need one of Reira or Bonevacia to be good going forward or there isn't much point in picking both of them. Reira scored just twice for Auckland City and Bonevacia also has scored just once in his career. I can see why Ernie would want to slip another attacker in.

I can see why some would say we should not have signed Bonevacia and instead gone for striker. However, that would leave us back to square one again if Riera went down. I'm sure over a long season Bonevacia would be used in some capacity. I think he is most likely to be seen at centre back. When he was signed Merrick said he wanted a potential replacement for Riera and cover at the back. With international duty Sigmund, Durante and Doyle could all be gone. Even if we didn't sign Bonevacia, we still probably needed another defender.

Does he need to offer anything in an attacking sense when the players in front of him CAN offer that?

Last year we leaked a shit load of goals which N-Bomb did a great piece on. The reality of that is that once Riera fell over, we had nothing in front of the CBs. Whats wrong with having two screeners in front of the back two? You can tell your wide men to charge forward (which Ernie has professed that he wants to do) and you tell you one of Riera or Roly to tuck in so that if there is a counter or our attack breaks down, we are not getting exposed. There is more than enough talent in Cunningham, Burns, McGlinchey and A-Rod to create havoc up front knowing that there is a solid defence behind them.

Are Muscat and Doyle going to be great going forward as wing backs? I'm not convinced about either of their crossing. There is nothing wrong with having two screeners. My point is you don't want two holding midfielders if you can do the job with one. It seems to me that most teams who play a 4-2-3-1 won't play two out and out defensive midfielders (happy to be corrected on this).  If Riera can do the job (and he could when he was fit last season) by himself then I don't see the need to have Bonevacia alongside him. Of course if our defence is leaky then you would have to try something else.

I don't think anyone doubts that those 4 names you mentioned can create havoc. The question is can they score goals? If Riera can do the job by himself then why not pick those 4 who can create havoc and one other player to finish them off?

There's a solution to how to get all our imports on the field at once - just go Barca style and play a defensive midfielder as a centreback:

                          Moss

  Muscat     Dura        Roly    Doyle

                  Riera       A-Rod

    Kenny           Burns         WeeMac

                         Krishna

Tough on Siggy but he's not getting any quicker, and every time we've tried to play a high line in the last few years him and Dura have been too slow and we've been torn apart by counterattacks. As Ryan54 pointed out, neither Manny or Doyle are the sort to bomb forward, so having Roly in the backline means that he can step up into midfield and the fullbacks can tuck in if A-Rod joins the attack. Most teams play with a sole striker so Dura can do a man-marking job on defence and Roly can cover the space/pick up any runners coming through. Having a defender who is comfortable on the ball and quick enough to play a high line means that playing possession football will be a lot easier too

6 Oct 2012

Muscat ---> Fenton's head = gooooooooooooooolololololol.

Doing some more reading about 4-2-3-1:

The "double six" is often interpreted in the following way as part of this system of play: one of the "sixes" is more offensively oriented, is often unmarked in the midfield and thus can be passed to, additionally takes care of the playmaking and secures the rear space behind number 10 if his team is in possession of the ball. The second "six" is mostly responsible for defensive tasks. Ideally, the two players swap their roles in the system of play time and time again, in order to become less predictable.

http://www.soccerpilot.com/tactic/articles/introdu...

I think that does a good job of describing Riera and Rodriquez. 

Basically, I don't think we will have enough attacking bodies if we are playing 4-2-3-1. You line up like that in defence but in attack you play 4-1-4-1 with one of your wing backs also pushing up.

yeh, fair enough 

I was thinking what we might be able to do with the squad, not what we might start the season like. And particularly after we reportedly failed to create many chances v 10 Jets.   But I would love to see Fenton develop into a very strong attacking FB option and push Manny out of the starting side.  And improve our attacking options doing so.

And I've since read Roly is a rightfooter, so despite Ernie saying he is a FB option, perhaps starting LB is not the place.

I'm not exactly ecstatically clear though on how we set up.  We either have two import non-starters*, or one import non-starter with a 4-2-3-1 and two more naturally deeper lying mids in that mix, as I understand their natural play (Roly-Riera), and a more box-box mid (Gorrin, again as I understand his natural positioning and style) in the forward playmaking role.  With a heck of a queue of McG, Kenny, Brockie, Krishna and Burns (and Boyd) for 3 spots.  And none of them recognised marquee level goal scorers in the front three. 

If Roly and Riera can be swinging playmakers and one is able to get further forward, maybe.  But I am more inclined to a 4-3-3 (4-1-2-3) with Riera as the deeper playmaker and Gorrin and McG as options further forward feeding the front three. Seems a more balanced midfield mix and avoids McG competing for the front three places?

Hopefully Gorrin makes a lot of difference to the team that started v Jets. But Kenny was missing too.

Anybody able to say how Fenton, McG, Roly and Riera set up in the midfield v Jets?  Brockie, Burns, Fenton up front?  McG playmaking?

And I gather from the twitter feed that Gorrin was being rested, but does anybody know the story with Cunningham not getting a run? 

*assuming Brockie remains preferred to Krishna

It was implied by whoever pushes the Nix's social media buttons that Merrick was just playing different combos and that he would try and get the whole squad serious game time in this "tour".

If that's true, it's great to see. We are actually going into a season with legitimate competition for starting spots. 

Cautiously optimistic.

Thanks.  Yeh, it puts the Jets result in more perspective to know we played without both Kenny and Gorrin/A-Rod/Alex - and with a presumably still underdone McG.  Plus in hindsight not sure how well prepared Roly is too?  

But it would have been good to pick up a win nevertheless.  Must help confidence and  you'd think that would help early season home crowd numbers also.  

So it's now just these two games this week and then the Canterbury game still to come, to get player combinations gelled?  Or am i missing anything?  And then we are into it.  COYN - looking forward to seeing our top side out there for that first A-League game.