The US will not be the first team to play in a 3 man back line. It’s quite possible to do so and not get killed in transition. Pretty sure it hasn’t gotten as popular as it has if all the teams that played it got killed in transition.
Thanks for the nuanced analysis. I think anyone who had 2nd viewings of the matches v Panama C and CR C and saw even at that low level of opponents the difference in impact should agree with your point about where the scheme would make sense. I did not see anything in the match v CR that suggested we were more effective attacking out of that scheme than others in the past. We did not produce any attacking possession chances and only created chances after panama used 6 subs and brought on a part time food delivery person!
It is important to note that Pep first created the pinched in FBs at Bayern (14-15) because he brought in Xabi Alonso to be a controlling midfielder (QB) and Alonso was unable to handle the defensive responsibilities during transition. Pep was forced to pinch in 1 and sometimes both FB to protect Alonso. Next season he brought Vidal from Juve fro >$40MM to play a double pivot with Alonso and stopped the pinch in FBs.
It should also be noted in the '14 WC, Germany used Lahm as a right back whose average position was where you'd expect a right back to be. The only wrinkle was he cut inside on the run-ups.* Also, Lahm, unlike Adams with the US, was not(and wasn't close to being) the best midfielder in those Bayern and Germany teams. * source = fifa.com
If Pulisic has a 'free role' wouldn't that conflict with the implementation of a counter-press, especially when using a 3-man backline?
Call me weird but I'd sorta like to see Alvarado in the RB role if it's gonna be like this. Maybe EPB if he doesn't eventually win a spot at CB?
Alvarado would be more of a CB/LB-style left back. We already have a solid pool of emerging fullbacks in Cannon, Lima(off to weak MLS season), Rosenberry, Duncan, and Dest. Why not simplify the 'hybrid-role' into that of an attacking fullback who cuts inside on the run-ups, then leave Adams in central midfield?
Alvarado would be fine as a CB-LB. I've always thought he would be best as dmid, though. If the role stays the same I don't really like any MLS options there.
Pep and his cadre of world class player aside, most teams that play 3 center backs mostly use wngbacks and more of a hybrid 3-5 back setup where the wing backs track back to help outside. Totally different..
https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/ada...ing-projecting-the/1xl3vksl29lws16v2p5w4591s1 This actually could make a ton of sense. There is a lot of Total Football flexability in a line up like that. With Arriola and Yedlin as the wings, they can play high as wingers or fall back as wingbacks. Adams can start as the right back, and tuck inside as a second dmid. Based on the opponent it can look like a 442, 343, 433, 442, or 451- all with the same personnel playing fluid roles.
Remember, this is just our second camp and only our first full camp. So it's just an initial experiment. The scheme is based off of Bayern Munich and Manchester City. They are dominant teams that are ceded the lion's share of possession and they are a good starting point to see how we do. Do we have the personnel for it? Maybe, maybe not. We'll find out. The first camp we at least found out that the team can grasp the basics of the scheme as laid out by Berhalter pretty quickly.
This is a good point. And when you look at Arriola and Yedlin as the wingers rather than seeing Weah and guys like Lewis there- what strikes me is how flexible that system could be. They could easily shift that 343 system into other options with wingbacks if they need to. I could see them deploying the same personnel and the same concepts but living in more of a 541 rather than a 343. I think this is combination of developing a foundation and experimentation.
That's what experiments are for. To find out. The first camp was really only to see if the scheme could be communicated and implemented to the team in one camp. It was pretty successful in that respect. Now we find out how the A team responds.
Continue reading, then. I simply addressed this claim. Pep's system is about more than simply a 3-man backline. That is all.
The big philosophical question that we are starting the Berhalter era is this: Can a National Team play a sophisticated tactical system Most NTs do not, they prefer to keep the tactics simple and consistent. I would say that consistent tactics are now preferred with most teams and the USMNT has never had consistent tactics. But consistent is one thing. England played consistent, almost too consistent, but it got them to the semi-finals. France was consistent and won. Neither system was particularly sophisticated. France won because their simple tactics put their best players in the best spots for them to succeed and the consistent tactics allowed the team to find the best supporting players. Maybe sophisticated can work with Skype calls and today's communication technology. We will find out. One worry if it does work, and we do get a team playing a sophisticated style usually only seen at club level, is that it might lock us into a group of players. Look at the effort it is taking to install this system. A whole three week camp to train a group. Then another camp to use those players to train a core group. Then a whole Summer tournament, supposedly, to then train the rest of the player pool. But what if it works, will the coaching staff want to bring in new players at all? We can't predict our players for the 2022 WC this far out. We can make good guesses, but nobody saw Pulisic leading the team in 2015. Will we be stuck with a roster of players that understand the tactics but superior players that emerge are frozen out? You get around that like all club teams do. You have all reserve and youth levels playing the same system. So, if GB proves this is viable, we will have to integrate the U14-U23 teams to this style as soon as possible. So, whatever this system is, and it goes beyond inverting a RB hopefully, it has to be flexible enough to adapt over three years.
Yeah- that is kind of a "duh" factor. I simply assumed it was the 3 man backline part that was still giving you trouble, since that has been the part you have been primarily complaining about. Pep has a lot to his systems. GB is obviously not endorsing all of them in this game.
He's also building the system over each camp. Keeping a degree of consistency. It could be pretty awesome if he can pull it off.
Good post! Summed up my fears. Who will be the next young player who doesnt fit the 'culture'? Will it be Canouse, Acosta, Holmes etc. What if a handful of the best players dont adapt well to GB ball? Do we just chuck them away?