Herc isn't a wing forward. Gatt is too green. Chandler isn't a starter in the team with Parkhurst and Cherundolo being better. Gatt improved in the attack as the game wore on but his defense was lacking. The quality of the passing in the attacking third was off. Too many miss-weighted balls, too many passes behind players. If I had to put a finger on it, I'd say the team was pressing too hard. The missed passes opened the team up to quick counters. The inability to switch the field of play was also palpable. The way Russia sliced through the midfield from deep positions demonstrated the utility of using a pressing midfielder in one of the 8 spots. Take someone like Williams, or Cameron(if we had other centerbacks), or Edu(if he were getting playing time at Stoke) and play them up the field to help break up some of the counters.
Well, JK and MV certainly gave the Russians a ton of respect on Wednesday ... and to be really attacking out of 4-3-3, one needs an Özil or a Kaka type. Otherwise, you stumble while advancing the ball into the final third.
Well, then you either play Double 8's and compress the field. Or switch to 4-4-2 and spread the field out.
Agreed. makes sense to me. donovan may be the only player that could kind of fit that role closst to a poor mans version....still...we shall see how it plays out. im more excited to see gonzo elevate his game some more. he has looked so good this year.