Chandler shut down Valencia it was kinda amazing since he had no experience whatsoever at LB. But I hope be never plays LB because it would be a waste of his talent putting him at LB, he needs to play RM and move to RB once Dolo has nothing left on the tank.
Umm NO! Johnson has looked like one of our best LB's in a long time or maybe ever, and he actually plays LB at his club unlike Chandler who only has played RB and RM. Chandler has no business playing LB because it would be a waste of his talent he needs to play at RB or at RM.
Alternatively he could be at right midfield with Lichaj at right back. We'll have to see where Chandler's career goes from here. Whether Nurnberg (or Stuttgart, who knows) keep him in which position.
He does play LB for a living. It has exclusively been his position since Hoffenheim's new coach took over, 7 straight games. Also, on the topic of Johnson being a "defensive liability" In the Bundesliga this year... Hoffenheim with Johnson at LB: 11 goals conceded in 10 games, 3 wins, 1 loss, 6 ties Hoffenheim without Johnson at LB: 29 goals conceded in 19 games, 6 wins, 9 losses, 4 ties Yeah, I know...correlation doesn't imply causation. But still, Hoffenheim giving up a lot fewer goals with him at LB doesn't lend itself to the idea that he's a liability defensively. I think Johnson should get more looks there. But I also wouldn't mind seeing Chandler and Lichaj there as well. For once it seems like we have real options at LB!
Johnson sure has a lot of fans as left back. I'd be happy to see him play there if he is actually playing there for his team regularly rather than as a stopgap just because he is Hoffenheim's most versatile player. I haven't seen his games. Does anybody know if he actually WANTS to play at that position regularly? I wonder where Chandler plays if Johnson plays LB, since Dolo hasn't retired yet.
Not to disparage Chandler's great effort but Valencia was coming off serious injury. Not Chandler's fault. Just sayin'. People who call for chandler to be taken out of LB position don't say where he should play as long as Dolo is around. I heard right mid/fwd which is where we expect Donovan to play. I didn't like LD's game the few times I saw him playing left mid. Bradley seems a lock for RDM. I don't see whom he displaces.
Don't know about what Johnson wants, but in his career, he's tended to bounce around, playing every outfield position but CB. Settling in on one position I think will only help him develop. For now, that seems like LB. As for Chandler, I believe he'd start at RM since I think he's superior to the other wing options (i.e. Shea, Beasley, Williams, and Rogers). The only players I can see starting over him on the wing would be Johnson (who would be at LB in this scenario), Donovan, and Dempsey. Lately Dempsey has been playing inside as 2nd striker/attacking mid/whatever you want to call it, which is good since we lack striker options and he's not good at crossing anyway. Of course who knows, maybe another striker (like Gomez, who is on a tear) will make the starting XI alongside Jozy and we'll revert to a 4-4-2 with Dempsey on the wing. Or maybe a young player like Shea will step up and earn a wing spot. Or maybe Lichaj will win the LB spot and push Johnson into the midfield. In that case, Chandler would be a great sub off the bench, at either RM or either outside back position. Edit: I think Donovan does fine on the left.
I see now you have Donovan as "fine" on the left. Have to disagree there. He's fine sweeping left from the right mid position on fwd runs but LD starting left hasn't worked for me.
Well then we disagree. Regardless, there are ways to make it work. Dempsey could play on the left, with Donovan as a striker. Both have plenty of experience in those roles, both for club and country. Or if we play with only one defensive midfield, one could be an attacking central mid and the other one a striker. Point is, I think it's quite possible to envision a full strength lineup with Chandler at RM at Johnson at LB. If you don't, alright, we can agree to disagree.
Dempsey just scored his 23rd goal in the EPL yesterday becoming one of the most prolific goal scorers in the league playing from a central position so your solution is to move him back out to the touch line. Yes, we disagree. Donovan has been tried on the left side and it just doesn't produce. All this shuffling, weakening the very positions we know are strong, all to get Fabian playing at left back. I wonder if anybody has ever considered Jermaine Jones at LB. Does he have a left foot ?
More to the point, you object to Fabian at left back all because you don't like Donovan at LM. Well, Donovan likes Donovan at left mid. Before the WC he and Demps were both wanting the LM spot. And, he slotted in at LM w/ Everton at times and did fine.
Subject to changing circumstances, I'd select the following for May/June. This is not a projection for 2013 or 2014, which could be very different. 4-4-1-1 Starting XI: ------------------Altidore---------------- --------------Dempsey------------------ Donovan------------------------Chandler ------------Bradley----Jones------------ Johnson----Boca---Onyewu----Cherundolo ----------------Howard----------------- Backups: ------------------Buddle---------------- --------------Adu---------------------- Shea----------------------------Gomez ------------Edu----Torres-------------- Lichaj------Ream----Goodson---Williams* ----------------Guzan----------------- * Williams is really another DM, but who can fill in as a back in a pinch. Chandler can also fill in as a back. I don't really care who the 3d keeper is. I'd probably take Rimando. Alternates: Cooper, Wondo, Beasley, Beckerman, Whitbread, Cameron, Parkhurst. EDIT, also Kljestan and Spector. I would save youngsters like Agudelo, Sapong, Boyd, Diskerud, Corona, Morales, Gatt, Hamid, Johnson, etc for the October Qualifiers, if advancement has been assured.
Pretty similar to what I'd do. I'd replace Shea with Beasley, Buddle with Cooper, and Torres with Spector (no one will like that one, but I think Spector is better able to play that role in Klinsi's machine than Torres).
I was veeery close to swapping Beasley for Shea, too. Beasley's form is probably better right now, but I've never gotten the sense that JK rates him. Buddle is streaky, and by May will probably have had enough of an MLS run to keep his spot under JK. But who knows, and if Cooper keeps this current run going -- including working hard in the box -- he can force the issue. Against the CONCACAF opponents we are facing, Torres provides possession skills that would be very useful off the bench, whereas Spector is somewhat redundant as a backup fullback or CM, which we have plenty of in reserve with Lichaj, Williams, and Edu.
Fair enough, just for clarification sake, I included Specs as a CM only. (I realllly don't like Specs as a fullback, unless he's in that "I'm really a 3d CB" role. And, I don't like that role very much). But, you're right. W/ Bradley, Jones, Edu, Specs would be redundant. Paco would give us something different.
Torres has started and played in the CM for JK in every match he has been available. Spector has never played CM for JK!
I personally think it's a mistake to call in Onyewu...even if just a few months ago, he was unquestionably the best CB option we had. We simply don't know what kind of form he will return in and we have ample options right now. In short, we'll be ok to give him a break and he probably needs the rest too. Also, i think it's time to drop Shea for some time. Adu received high praise from Klinsi but i believe that we might need to wait on his debut under the JK era...I think that Klinsi will want some speedy wingers which gives Gatt and Beaz the call. Gomez better be on the roster. there is no reason for his omission. Boyd could easily be replaced by one of the other forwards. GK Howard, Guzan, Rimando alt: Hamid, Johnson FB Cherundolo, Lichaj, Johnson, Chandler alt: Spector, Castillo, Loyd CB Bocanegra, Goodson, Ream, Whitbread alt: Hines, Parkhurst, Cameron MF Bradley, Jones, Edu, Torres, Williams alt: Beckerman, Larentowicz, Clark, Diskerud, Morales AT Donovan, Dempsey, Gatt, Beasley alt: Kljestan, Shea, Adu, Zusi, Corona, Rogers, Gyau FW Altidore, Gomez, Boyd alt: Wondolowski, Buddle, Cooper, Sapong, Estrada, Wooten, Agudelo
"slotted in"....... That's a nice description. Donovan took corners/free kicks from the right side at Everton but not the left side. Dempsey and Donovan are in the mature years of their careers. We know what they do now. I'm happy to try Fabian at left back. He's young. I happen to like him a lot at left mid. Betcha two empty bottles of fine wine that he isn't playing LB when the WC starts. I'd love to be proved wrong. Go Fabian. Saw Lichaj playing left back today for Aston Villa instead of right. He didn't look as comfortable there as he had at right. So, sure, put Fabian at LB but now tell me who will play left fwd but please, no Donovan, Dempsey, Beasley, Shea.......been there done that. How about Adu? He played there for the philly union a few times.
I was saying what I would do, not what Klinsi will do (!). I think Spector is a better fit than JFT in Klinsi's cm spot. He's much more physical in the middle of the field, he's waaay more nimble on the dribble than he gets credit for. And way more willing to defend & get stuck in. And, he is more capable if dribbling into space at at speed. But, we won't see Spec's there, so no chance for him to prove me right or wrong.
A new idea would be to drop Boyd, whom you don't seem crazy about anyway, and slot Shea in behind Altidore and see what he does at CF from minute 70-90. He could play more defence, too. I think the problem with Gomez is that his style is somewhat like Dempsey's and Dempsey is a 90+ minute player - he tends to get better as the game wears on. So it doesn't make sense to put Gomez in as a sub for Dempsey. Saw Fullham v Chelsea today and Fullham players were giving the ball to Dempsey a bit too much in a kind of holding CF position which really isn't his bag. I like Gomez as a situational sub (like Adu). Bradley used him that way. So, drop Beasley and Boyd and add Shea and Adu, owise you get an A+ from the professor.
My understanding is that Spector is a good defender in the box, not so much in the open field which is why the fans hate him at left back. I think they are right and would guess he mite not fare so well at mid tho we'll never know til we try. Torres isn't a "possession" player. He gets pushed off the ball. Nothing against Torres as a league player, he has a hard time with the national team.
I like Gooch as well. I agree there are younger options and Gooch has been hurt for 5 weeks or so but he is on a team that is a semi-finalist in the Europa League. He helped that team go on a winning run that surpassed 8 games, I believe, scoring a few goals on the way before he was injured. He beat out Daniel Carrico, possible Portugal starting center back before the year started and Alberto Rodriguez, Peru's starting center back and a leader from last year's Braga, Europa League finalists.