View Full Version : Will BA realize his mistake ?
GOOOOOLZ
11 Apr 2005, 01:45 PM
Donovan has been stunning play at forward position with Galaxy last week-end, while BA has always been playing him in the midfield with a little good result at the end of the game, if he happened to watch the match last saturday, will he put Donovan at forward in the future ?
Crew14
11 Apr 2005, 01:53 PM
First, you're basing this on one game. One game really doesn't tell too much. Second, it's not as if Donovon can't do the same from his midfield position. The Guatemala game he was getting into the action up front, assisted a goal, and with a ref crew that wasn't inept would've had a goal. Third, BA has used Donovon as a forward before, so it's not like it's something he hasn't thought of.
Bill Schmidt
11 Apr 2005, 02:02 PM
Donovan has been stunning play at forward position with Galaxy last week-end, while BA has always been playing him in the midfield with a little good result at the end of the game, if he happened to watch the match last saturday, will he put Donovan at forward in the future ?
Sure, as long as Arena also puts Pando behind him. :)
Donovan usually plays forward for his MLS club and midfield for the national team. The national team has good forwards who can at least compare to Donovan. It does not have a CAM (or any one player to fill a similar role) who can play as well as he can.
Caulfield
11 Apr 2005, 02:04 PM
I don't know about mistake, but I would not mind seeing a game with Donovan--GAM up front with Dempsey as an attacking mid.
DutchFootballRulez
11 Apr 2005, 02:13 PM
I'm still used to Donovan partnering Ching and/or DeRosario. And thinking back to WC2002. I don't like a passive Donovan. I'd rather him dribble forward at pace. I think putting Donovan in midfield helps elleviate the striker issue where we have TOO MANY good ones.
dfb547490
11 Apr 2005, 02:18 PM
Donovan has the speed to produce as a striker coming forward from a midfield position. MF is fine.
Adam Zebrowski
11 Apr 2005, 02:41 PM
other than left back, finding a partner to EJ is the most open competition on the usmnt....
donovan in a withdrawn role is fine with me, which opens up a slot for dempsey....
against really good sides, arena is more tempted to go double d-mid, so moving donovan forward opens up a slot for another attacker...
ej and donovan have more mobility than EJ and target forward du jour, so I think this approach will help usa against WC finalists level squads
um_chili
11 Apr 2005, 02:45 PM
LD is a good but not a great finisher. He can produce up front, but where he adds the most to the MNT is in the A-mid role. We have other folks who can serve as finishers (GAM and whoever is going to partner with him--Ching, Buddle, McBride, etc. etc.), but we don't have anyone who's on LD's level as an A-mid (Dempsey is promising but he's certainly not there yet).
mtr8967
11 Apr 2005, 02:50 PM
I don't like Donovan as a forward only because he doesn't seem to think like one. He looks to pass rather than shoot.
reddog694
11 Apr 2005, 03:51 PM
I always thought LD's best games/where he created the most havoc in the World Cup were against Portugal and Germany, where he played as a forward, running at people with the ball. He seems to get lost or become invisible in midfield too often.
Having said that, I think in the current National Team setup, he fits our midfield needs.
He'll play wherever The Bruce needs him in any given game.
denver_mugwamp
11 Apr 2005, 04:02 PM
Donovan has been stunning play at forward position with Galaxy last week-end, while BA has always been playing him in the midfield with a little good result at the end of the game, if he happened to watch the match last saturday, will he put Donovan at forward in the future ?
Well, considering the way that Bruce likes to move people around in his lineups, Donovan might turn out to be one of those players who moves back and forth between positions, sometimes in the middle of the game. I remember the 2002 WC where BA seemed to give each team he faced a different look. Flexibiity is good.
metro24freak
11 Apr 2005, 05:25 PM
Donovan has been stunning play at forward position with Galaxy last week-end, while BA has always been playing him in the midfield with a little good result at the end of the game, if he happened to watch the match last saturday, will he put Donovan at forward in the future ?
It's only one game and LA is much different from the national team. Anyway I'd rather see EJ up front if i had to pick one and I just don't see him and donovan up front, just one or the other.
drace768
11 Apr 2005, 05:39 PM
Well, considering the way that Bruce likes to move people around in his lineups, Donovan might turn out to be one of those players who moves back and forth between positions, sometimes in the middle of the game. I remember the 2002 WC where BA seemed to give each team he faced a different look. Flexibiity is good.
EXACTLY! Bruce can use Donovan in the best way to achieve the game plan he is using. Let's not forget how everyone labeled Bruce as a genius for moving Donovan to the midfield for the Mexico friendly in Dallas last year. Donovan had one of his best games for the Nats because the style of play was effective against Mexico and fit Landon's style in the midfield. By contrast the WCQ against Mexico this March was the wrong style of play and did not fit Landon's midfield style well.
This will be one of the areas where Bruce earns his money. Not only the strategy of how to play each game, but how to use his most versitile and talented players to their maximum potential within that strategy. (Donovan, Beasely, Dempsey,...etc.)
Namdynamo
11 Apr 2005, 06:10 PM
It is not where Landon play that's important, what's important is how Landon play. What I notice is that when he is playing passively (what he has been doing a lot lately), ie not running at defender, making back or square passes, avoiding physical contact, that is when he looks bad at both foward and attacking mid position.
When he is aggressive he looks good in any positions he plays, whether in attacking mid (the Texas game against Mexico), or as foward (WC game against Germany). So it doesn't matter where BA put him, what matter is if Landon has the guts to play aggressive, take control of the game and not play like a sissy girl.
SteveMcCartney
11 Apr 2005, 06:44 PM
Da Bruce should now decide where he wants to put Donovan at, time's running out, the WC is right on the corner and my advice is ditto with Goooolz, forward that is, he is too little to play in the middle.
Dr Jay
11 Apr 2005, 08:53 PM
I don't know about mistake, but I would not mind seeing a game with Donovan--GAM up front with Dempsey as an attacking mid.
Dempsey is not an attacking mid.
If you play him there, your forwards will never see the ball.
_Wheels_
12 Apr 2005, 11:51 AM
Dempsey is not an attacking mid.
If you play him there, your forwards will never see the ball.
He's a midfielder who's better at attacking than defending. I'd say that makes him an attacking mid.
Palmetto Soccer
12 Apr 2005, 12:09 PM
As far as Donovan playing forward, I trust in Bruce. The man is the best possible coach our national team could have. He will play our players in the best positions in 2006 and get the most out of them. Personally, I don't know if Landon Donovan would help us more at forward or attacking midfield. I don't really care. All I care about is the scoreboard. And lately (when outside of Mexico City) we have been performing quite well in the results column.
As far as Dempsey, he's just a soccer player. Put him on the field and he will perform. Go Paladins!
SteveMcCartney
12 Apr 2005, 04:24 PM
Dempsey is not an attacking mid.
If you play him there, your forwards will never see the ball.
what position he's good at ?
CCTX SoccerFreak
12 Apr 2005, 05:42 PM
I don't know about mistake, but I would not mind seeing a game with Donovan--GAM up front with Dempsey as an attacking mid.
That's what I'd like to see...also a little more Buddle and Ching....less McBride....