Starting line up vs Perth

I'll post this again and hope it dosent get deleted this time

maybe it's just a wind up? anyone else think it's a wind up?

maybe nightz could do with  a week in the "ban bin"

He must have summoned up the courage to buy a Phoenix shirt to replace his Knightzz one - but then got Paston printed on the back of it

2 possibly 3 up front could mean we see George get a start... hopefully, I'm so keen to see what he can do, I'm gona put it out there and predict he is the man.

o and nightz, simply answer me this. Do u honestly believe we would not have let in goals if Paston was keeping?

whats your team pick Liverpoolfan?

now u've proved you havent watched the phoenix, and why u base so much opinion on stats. He played 10 minutes last game, made solid touches, helped in a goal..

Ricki may look at getting some game time for his players who will not be away on international duty in the coming weeks, so may be a different team?

I'll post this again and hope it dosent get deleted this time

                               Moss

Christie      Dodd     O'dor     Lockhead

*note: this is not a stab at you azyr05, just a handy example so advanced apologies and no offense intended*

Why do people persist with doing these lay outs and having people out of position? Richard Johnson is a holding midfielder, a ball winner, in the similar mold of Aloisi but time and time again, people list him on a right half or insist that he and Brown should be switched. They are completely different styled footballers. Brown is a distributer in the mold of Ferrante, not like Johnson who is a grunt man (which sparks another argument about people that don't understand football and think Johnson should be swapped for Brown, very irritating). Felipe is an attacking midfielder but people insist on listing him as a striker along side Smeltz.... Why???


A realistic assessment is that Ricki has stated possibly an extra striker and looking at the 18 I can deduce something similar like liverpoolfan1 did above. (Note there is some devils advocacy below but it just gives food for though and what Ricki might be thinking.)

In a 4-4-2 formation,:
*the back 5 will stay the same. Aloisi and Johnson will be your ball winners, Smeltz will play up front. Thus you need 2 ball players and another striker. Now while Daniel and Felipe are ball playing midfielders, their style is more ball-at-feet run at the opposition rather than the passing game (Felipe runs more so than Daniel). I'm not suggesting that Daniel or Felipe be dropped but does their style of football fit in with a 4-4-2 formation with 2 ball winning midfielders? You would then have no distributers in the team or midfield which would lead to be the ball being run not passed from the midfield. Is this Rickis style of football?? Elrich, Ferrante, and Brown are passing midfielders and I would suggest that the reason that Ferrante has held his spot in the starting line up is because A: he is fit and available and B: he is an opposite style of footballer to Daniel and Felipe and thus gives balance to the playing XI. He brings the distribution skills in the form of a passing game that maybe the others aren't as strong at. (see the ball that Ferrante laid off that led to Daniels penalty against Sydney)

*If you drop Johnson and play your two Brazilians and either Ferrante of Brown in the middle 4 alongside Aloisi, then you have one less ball winner (which has been the Phoenix's strength this year, possession in the middle of the pitch) Risking the loss of possession and dominance through the middle of the pitch would allow teams to run down the middle, because they haven't gotten past Lockhead or Christie out wide thus far. Do you allow teams to run directly at Dodd and O'Dor? They have played very well, but they have played well behind Aloisi and Johnson who have won possession and dominated the middle of the park not allowing oppositions to run at the back 2 through the middle. Leaving in Ferrante/Brown for Johnson does give you an added ball player from the middle of the park but at what cost to possession?

*Who do you play off Smeltz? Smeltz is a back to goal striker and holds the ball up for someone to run off him so you have to pick a striker that has a strength in running off a partner all day. Vaughan Coveny? Brownlie runs at the defense ala Felipe, haven't seen enough of George to be objective sorry

I don't have an answer or propose one but if Ricki picks the people for the formation, there might be a surprise. Food for thought above, I welcome objective criticism.

Lochhead is close to a cert as we don't have many other options for left back unless Ivan plays there

On what exactly are you basing this assertion?

     Nightz, Have you ever watched the Nix play? It's not looking good for a positive answer on that question...