Altidore and Gomez as forwards. Dempsey and Donovan as attacking mids, one wide, the other pinching in. Mikey in front of Williams centrally. Bocanegra over Edu in defense. Chandler and 'Dolo can rotate on the right. I think I've seen this setup before.
What I'd want to see tried out some time during 2013...Going 4-3-3/4-3-2-1 -----------Altidore--------- Dempsey--------------Donovan ----Corona--------Bradley---- -----------Williams---------- Johnson--O.G--Cameron-Chandler ---------Howard------------------- I think this could work really well with Corona in the Torres role as an up grade with him and Bradley pushing the ball up in attack. And hopefully see Chandler and Gonzalez bolster the backline.
Dempsey's playing so well in his role for Spurs right now..............I'd consider having him play there for the USMNT. -------------Altigoal--------- Donovan--Dempsey--Gatt--- ---------Bradley--Jones------- Johnson-Boca-Cameron-Dolo ---------------Howard----------------- I really want to get some speed on the wing, so I'm gonna keep throwing Gatt out there....................... Right now, Boca and Dolo are in the squad until somebody beats them out for the role. I'm rooting for Gonzo and Chandler to do it, but they haven't proven it yet. Until then, I go with the vets.
I agree this formation would get the most from the wings, however, you do loose your "6". Bradley is playing so well as a true "8" that I think he would be underutilized as a "6", Jones is not playing a "6" either and when you have Dempsey in the hole that is going to expose the team from being attacked right down the middle. Probably a Williams for Jones would be a better formation.
Watched Gatt in Europa league and watched him against Russia. Promising player but nothing more, certainly not someone to thrown out in a Qualifier. Dempsey can play across the positions of the '3' in 4231 depending on the opposition. Other than the disastrous christmas tree used at Jamaica, JK went with 4231 on the road. If Donovan is out 4231 looks to be the best formation for a team heavy on non-attacking cms and non-wingers. 433 is more suited to emerging talent that will be there for the 2018 cycle.
Demps can play the wide position but not his best position, see today's game for proof, he was gassed at minute '80.
And today, he was actually playing in "Bale's" spot in 4-4-2, albeit cutting inside a lot more often. They were all gassed. A tough Europa league match on Thursday, which they needed to win. Plus, Everton is a fast tempo squad too (Spurs did try to let the air out of the ball a little) AVB made changes but there's only so much one can do with 3 subs.
my 1st team, if we had a big game tomorrow, is still -----------------Gomez----------------- Donovan-------Dempsey-----------Zusi -----------------Bradley------------------ -----------------Williams----------------- Fabian---Boca---------Cameron-----Dolo -----------------Howard----------------- subs: Guzan, Eddie Johnson, Kljestan, Jones, Gonzalez, Chandler, Jozy something I hope we try: ----------------------Jozy----------------------- Fabian-------------Dempsey----------Donovan ---------------------Bradley--------------------- ---------------------Williams-------------------- Chandler----Cameron---Gonzo-------Dolo ---------------------Howard---------------------
Jones is a better DM than Williams. JK's own stubbornness just prevents us from seeing our best XI out there. Plus, we are weak on the wings and up top. 4-4-2/4-5-1. ------------------Guzan----------------- Cherundolo--Cameron---Boca---Fabian -------------------Jones------------------ Donovan-------Bradley---------Eddie -----------------Dempsey--------------- ------------------Gomez---------------- Bench: Howard; Chandler, Goodson; Williams, Zusi, Beasley; Altidore Hopefully soon, we'll have another CB step up (Gonzalez, Whitbread, etc), Altidore will push the smart, hard working Gomez to the bench, and we'll have an attacking mid not named Dempsey or Donovan step up.
I think this might actually be the best. Gets all our best players out there and they're in good roles that suit them in my mind. We've looked good in a diamond when we've used it under JK. One key area here is where Donovan and Dempsey are. Dempsey's job is to draw the attention of the defensive midfielder and allow Donovan to drift around the space between the opponent's defense and midfield. That's pretty indicative of those two's nature - Dempsey is a naturally combative player that thrives on pressure and attention, while Donovan doesn't like being tracked and has to have the spaces shown for him. I would love to see Fabian Johnson where Jermaine Jones is and Castillo at left back as an experiment. We saw a very similar lineup against Slovenia and it worked well for a good 45 minutes.
Of course Jones is a better player than Williams, problem is that Jones don't want to play the "6", that is according to many post here, hence why JK hasn't tried him at the position.
If we had to win a hypothetical game tomorrow I'd go with this: -------------Altidore------------- --Dempsey----------Donovan-- ----------Jones--Bradley-------- -------------Williams------------- Johnson-Boca-Cameron-Dolo -------------Howard-------------- But what is exciting to me is that we have so many guys pushing for spots... just to name a few: D: Gonzo, Brooks, Besler, Castillo, Chandler M: Corona, Zusi, Kjlestan, Gatt F: Gomez, Agudelo, Boyd, EJ
That's his usual style. Now however that he's a 'big player' more teams will start game planning to attack his side with the fullback to take advantage of his lack of pace and stamina.
Dempsey isn't a winger. Playing him there in 433 is only asking to get his flank caved in as he doesn't have the pace and stamina to defend from a high position. Likewise the diamond that was suggested. If on the other hand he's playing in one of the wide positions in a 4231 he'll at least get defensive cover from the deep mids.
First of all, Boca may not train for another month. Apart from that, your XI would breakdown during the match into Dempsey and Altidore up front, Donovan and Jones as the outside midfielders. Bradley and Williams behind them. Kljestan had an assist in the last CL match. Gonzo did score a goal in the MLS Cup.
We still need more wingers if we ever want to make some noise.. but it is pretty promising to see. I think by pre gold cup time next year our current 11 will be different with the guys pushing for spots right now hopefully claiming a starting spot.
Zonal Marking has a very nice write-up on the Roma-Fiorentina match. Zeman's use of Bradley's indefatigable running as a transitional element is similar to what had in mind with the above, earlier post. http://www.zonalmarking.net/2012/12/11/roma-4-2-fiorentina-roma-attack-three-v-three/
How do you just assume this? You don't think our best players can accurately play a 4-3-3/4-5-1 if instructed to do so. Pretty bizarre assumption. Good for Kljestan. I still rate Jones, Bradley and Williams above him for various reasons. And also good for Gonzo. I see him as our best prospect to replace Boca, but still currently would start Boca in an important game largely due to his experience.
In a 4-3-3 he'd get defensive cover from the LCM or the LB. Also how can you say Dempsey isn't a winger when he scored at least many, if not the majority of his goals last year at fulham from that position? Not to mention all the goals he's scored for the U.S. at LM.
Dempsey isn't a winger but he should be able to play the inside left in 4-3-3. Vs. Everton, David Moyes clearly tried to force him up and down the flank, fully knowing that this was both his best defense (Coleman is a Fabian Johnson type tweener) and best attack. With Defoe and Adebayor as two forwards, wide mids have to defend their fullbacks all the way to their own goal line and Dempsey was struggling to do that against Everton's pace and ball movement. It's unlikely that anyone in the Hex, with the exception of Mexico at altitude, would be able to repeat the same game plan.
Please show me a video where Dempsey is scoring from the left flank. He may have played LM/LW for us under BB but he has never scored from there, he has always pinched inside to do his damage. Maybe I shouldn't say "never" but I can't remember him doing his damge from the left flank, he once took a long shot from the RW position but I think that wasn't in M.O.
The big problem with Besler is that he has never been capped. He does pretty darn well against the standard MLS straight attack, but that's not saying how he would fare against a more dynamic and dangerous Mexican side, for example. As much as it would stunt our club in the summer, Besler and a few other of our players really need to get the chance to stretch their international legs in the Gold Cup or some other friendlies. Hard to really rate American defenses against other nations necessarily, but Sporting had by far the strongest defense in the league and 3/4 of our back line is born-and-bred.
Firstly, very few wingers actually score from the flanks. They usually have to make inside runs or pinch in to score. Secondly, modern wingers frequently pinch in, so Dempsey playing as a nominal outside midfielder, as he has much of his career, but often pinching inside, is a very normal part of playing that role in modern soccer. Thirdly, while I cannot think of any goals CD scored while specifically playing left midfield for the USA, I know he has scored some crucial goals while playing right midfield for the USA -- Ghana goal in 2006 WC, Egypt goal in 2009 CC, Brazil goal in 2009 CC, England goal in 2010 WC are some key examples. And yes, he pinched inside to score those goals, because that's what outside midfielders typically do when they score. Dempsey did play a lot of left midfield for Fulham, and I know he scored plenty of goals in that role. I'm sure he pinched inside for those as well, because as I noted at the top of my reply, very few goals are actually scored from the flanks -- the angles from the flank make it very difficult against any competant professional keeper. Now, this doesn't mean I think Dempsey is a "classic" winger who dribbles or streaks past opponents up the flank and sends in crosses. That's not CD's game. But he has proven for years that he is a capable, dangerous outside midfielder in the way that role is played in the modern game by pinching inside and being mobile.
Thanks for clarifying your position, as you stated a true winger will use his speed to either make a run to go around the fullback or to supply a cross, a true winger is also assigned the task of defending the flank. In my book a true winger when pinching will usually do it at a 45% degree (diagonal) run that way he can take advantage of his speed as well. In Dempsey's case he doesn't do none of the above, his game is always to pinch at a 90% run and usually outside of the 18 yard box, because he is always tucked inside his defensive responsibilities as a true winger is changed probably by design. Any label of him being a winger is just on paper.
The midfield shifts left to cover for Dempsey, then the right wing has to cover weak side. If that right wing is Donovan I don't think it's realistic he'll be running up down the right flank effectively for a tournament. He had a hard enough time of it during the Gold Cup. That's the problem of Dempsey not being a winger in the formation; someone will have to provide extra cover for him. Heck, now he's 'big player' teams will be game planning for him so even in 442 he'll need extra coverage as Tottenham found out.