Spain did it and it worked very well. The difference there was that their players were mostly on the same club team, playing that same way. Another thing to ask is why hasn't Spain continued to do well? The whole country plays that way now yet they couldn't get out of the group in 2014 or the R16 in 2018. Tactics at the club level are very sophisticated but constantly changing. The other piece has to be important. Playing a consistent way that gets your best players in their best positions to influence the game. Once certain Spain players aged out, the system was still sophisticated, they still have great players, but those great players were not optimized in the system? Isco is probably the best player for Spain currently, but he couldn't influence the game at the 2018 WC in the system. Pogba, Mbappe, Varane and Griezman were highly leveraged. Benzema was not and maybe you have to sacrifice some for others. We will see where the USMNT heads. I'm not sure where Pulisic is best, but we can find that out. I would expect the current system to be great for maximizing McKennie and Brooks. I won't discuss Adams anymore. It might be ideal for maximizing Bradley or Trapp too, but I don't feel they are our best players. But 3 of 4 is a start.
One thing about starting this way is that it is fairly easy to change. Maybe GB decides this is too complicated for sporadic camps and a constantly changing top 23 and 11. Or it doesn't get the most out of Adams or Pulisic or exposes Bradley too much. Installing a simpler system is easy. It is possible that the player pool changes things anyway. If Mendez, Pulisic, McKennie, or anyone emerges as a true #10, he might just shift to a straight 4-2-3-1. So far, he has been very stubborn. But it could be because he is taking six months out of 3.5 years to answer the questions, "can it be done and what does it take and is it worth it?" Hopefully, that is what he is doing. Otherwise, his talent evaluation is suspect...
Thats how it should be, right? Im going to be at the game vs Ecuador. I want GB to do well but i think hes over complicating the process.
very much agree. GB has been very upfront on asking players to adapt to a system often out of a comfort zone. this may well prove to be a great new beginning, but the jury is out how GB will react if things don't go as planned.
if by over complicating you mean instilling a system while developing chemistry and confidence, then i'll agree.
https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/ada...ing-projecting-the/1xl3vksl29lws16v2p5w4591s1 ??? Does Adams have cloning powers?
I think part of the reason GB has been so stubborn is because this tactic may have been group assisted. I hope im wrong but something feels off when half the US media seems to know exactly what you're trying to do before a ball is kicked. Twellman was talking about it before kickoff in the January friendlies. I think TA playing so well, so early, complicated the whole issue. I was at the Colombia game in Tampa. Bringing back Bradley kind of suggested to me that they had a plan in place then. Another reason I feel this way is the fact that this formation isnt similar to the one I saw him use at Crew. I didnt watch very many Crew games but the ones I did ....usually saw some variation of a 4231. Im genuinely confused as to whether or not he has tried to implement this type of tactic, prior to now.
You brought up the 3-man backline as though it were somehow key to Pep's system. If that's not what you meant then write more clearly.
Im not suggesting hes not a good guy or a motivator. Its really simple. Move Puli to the position he plays at club. Now you can play with Bradley-Mckennie-TA centrally. TA to an inverted rb.....over complication. Do you think its good for TAs psyche and confidence? Thats not the tone I picked up from his interview. Players want to play where they are best at without overthinking. TA will not be playing his natural game.
I think the 3 man back line is not that important. Maybe if people called it the "Mendy" role instead of the "Lima" role, the outcry over Adams would be less. Not gone, because much of the fan bases problem is accurately seeing that Adams is there (instead of Roldan or such) because MB in being written into the midfield with a sharpie again. All that aside, playing like Manchester City is interesting for two reasons: 1. The team that consistently beats Man City plays an even more detailed pressing scheme that nobody in international football has even tried to implement, much less anyone in CONCACAF. Mexico and CR will never play like Liverpool. 2. As I said before, most NTs play consistent, basic tactics out of necessity. Non-aggressive or sporadic or poorly organized or executed pressing does not counter the Man City way of playing at all well. If the USMNT could play like Liverpool that would fit our currrent player pool very well. However, if you look at the U20 team, this system would fit them very well. Players like Dest (Mendy), Mendez (Debruyne), Llanez (Sterling), Pomykal (BSilva), Durkin (Gundogan), Gloster (Zinchenko) all fit this system. I do think Pulisic will be better wide and Adams eventually plays like Fernandinho. But baby steps.
I always worry when coaches are wedded to systems or even talk about systems. I think coaches should generally put people in position to play fast without a lot of thought and tailor to the available talent. . I suppose we shall see how this plays out. My favorite coach in any sport is Bill Belichick and I'm not a Patriots fan. The man has no favorite system and no preferred game plan. His plan is always to force the other team to get off its strength.
I agree those are great questions. As a soccer geek, I can't wait to see it play out. It should be some very interesting and entertaining things to watch develop. It should opportunity for interesting discussions and analyses. Overall, for me, its pretty exciting- to be honest. I know that's not the same as getting excited about playing in and winning an important tournament but its still fun for me. Other questions that I have is - after he has set a base foundation and after he slowing integrates a full starting squad (we know he had to have come camp cupcake hold overs to help him implement these concepts). - What's next? Is the idea to implement this hybrd 3223/ 4222/433 system and - just keep playing in it? Get really good over the next 4 years in that base? I could see that. Or is it to take this is a base and adapt to different teams. Against those we expect to possess, Adams cuts in and plays as that second dm. Against teams that we expect to spend a lot of time without the ball, doe the wingers play more like wingbacks- putting 5 in the back? This seems to have a lot of different possibilities. I look forward to seeing how it develops.
I explained why I started with the 3 man backline. Most of your tactical complaints have been directed at it. Maybe when referring to "playing like Pep" you could write more clearly so that one is not guessing which part of Pep's systems you are referring to.
This is the obvious danger. Without the constant reps one gets at the club level, will the players always be thinking and not doing. This is hopefully what GB is looking to find out. We saw against CR, that just a little pressure and the team was lost as to how to play through it. Once GB told them, they were better. But all those players thought at MLS or USL speed. I fully expect at some point, McKennie or Pulisic to get the ball, play a quick pass, and the MLS forward to not run until the ball has been played and not be able to get there.
I there may be two reasons we are not adapting the Liverpool heavy press systems. One, GB has stated. The US often has to play in very hot conditions and it may not be sustainable there. (Qatar being the WC destination could also be a factor there). Second, to qualify we mostly need to beat teams that we out possess. A system built around a heavy pressing system would be mostly useless against those teams.
Yes, Qatar is probably not optimal for high energy pressing! Plus the Summer in most Gold Cup locations and Copa America locations is not ideal for pressing. NYRB usually plays more passive in the Summer for this reason. The flip side, if high energy pressing is the best way to counteract the USMNT, we should be in good shape in Qatar, Central America, and the Caribbean. I also think what Klopp is doing is harder to teach and execute than what Pep is doing. It is hard to quantify, Pep might just be a better teacher, but it seemed to take Klopp three years before Liverpool, with constant practices, games, and limitless player pool, to get it right. The same length of time for the USMNT would be what, 20 years? Real Madrid the last three years played like France did in 2018. RM beat Pep and Liverpool. Overwhelming talent in a defensively stout counter-attacking set up might also be a way to beat us. But that is a good way to beat anyone.
could be right. on the other hand, the kid is 20 and i'd argue he or we really know what his best, natural position is w/in this system.
Cool. I simply addressed your statement. If you offered 'clarifications' then, cool. Not really. I wasn't the one who brought it up. You quoted an article, which I then commented on.
It takes time to gel. Pep developed his Barca team over the years from youth level. He walked into UCL champions at Bayern. At Man City, it's taken some time to turn a team of world class players into consistent performers in UCL, the only realistic measuring stick. In his 3rd year, Klopp reached UCL finals with a Liverpool that had still been making huge investments in assembling the squad. That's impressive. 3G's system has been pretty heavy in the press. So far. The team's rate of recoveries in the opposition half has been excellent.
Europhile/anti-MLS posters, if something like this happens, will always say the MLS guy didn't make the run because he plays in MLS. If a guy who plays in Europe fails to make the same run, no comment or it's just a communication mistake, no big deal.
i didn't pick up anything that suggested TA wasn't game for the experiment, tho of course he's not going to express that outwardly. suggest waiting at least a couple games for an educated reading.
Whatever. Europhile = Actually understands how world soccer ecosystem works. More productive than name calling is to watch for those MLS players that do make the run before the ball is played. This might actually be what Baird is good at from what I've seen. The rest of a winger's job, not so much. Zardes himself is very good at give and go, but that is not the same scenario. Zardes is also good at staying level with the ball and being ready for a cross. Heading not so much, but he can finish with his feet ok. As a NYRB fan, I can't tell you how many times Muyl will stand there then run after the ball is played. You see it at all levels as there are all levels of players until you get near the top. In Couva, guys like Pulisic and Arriola actually made nice runs, were open, and Omar and Nagbe repeatedly failed to play them the ball. That is a different problem. I haven't seen that from Trapp. Trapp might not even be aware of space behind him to take or guys open if he makes a half turn. But, generally, if he is facing a player he does attempt the pass.