Since RB Leipzig signed Tyler Adams this year:With Adams in the Lineup: 404 minutes, 12 Goals For, 1 Goal Against (+2.45 GD/90)W/o Adams in the Lineup: 136 minutes, 0 Goals For, 2 Goals Against (-1.32 GD/90)Its a small sample, but a 3.77 GD/90 swing with Adams in is crazy.— Tutul Rahman (@tutulismyname) February 26, 2019
Bob could be accused of doing stupid things, but I dont think anyone suggested he should build his team around Beckerman. It took a poor coach like Klinsmann to realize his son needed somebody to support him. Edu and Clark were set up to fail in a double pivot with MB90. Once Holden was hurt he should tried a different set up.
True. However, even the guy they are comparing as the modern Pirlo is way more mobile. Sandro Tonali at Brescia. His creativity is highlighted by his mobility. Tyler Adams isnt near as creative but he has enough to open lanes. An argument can be made that Italian tacticians have struggled as of late by being rigid. I think the mobility element at the 6 helps to break the press.
I dont understand having a role in which few in our pool fit. I think Durkin could be a prime candidate in time. However, most of our best cms are better in different roles.
Tyler forgot to mention the magical role that can only be played by 2 magical CMs: "There's Weston [McKennie], Christian [Pulisic], Josh [Sargent], Timothy Weah, John Brooks... The list goes on and on. That brings optimism," Adams said in an exclusive interview with ESPN FC. http://www.espn.com/soccer/united-s...ams-very-optimistic-about-future-of-us-soccer
Yeah, I'm still missing another MF that plays regularly with a top team in Mexico at a young age. Especially when we're trotting out MB/WT in 3 weeks.
It's not like Bradley never played with a dedicated DM before. It's also not like the empty bucket was all that great. In any case, have your own opinion but mine is that Beckerman would have allowed the midfield to play higher up and we would have felt the loss of Davies a lot less.In the end, Bob felt that Becekerman wasn't dynamic enough. I think that was disproven in 2014 when a past his prime Beckerman did quite enough defensively and was quality in linking to the midfield.
Bob won the A-team Gold Cup. Bob defeated Spain to reach Confederation's Cup final. He qualified for the WC and reached extra-time of the knockouts. Bob's pulley allowed midfielders, Dempsey and Donovan, to play further upfield in a 4222.The pulley also provided some cover for Dempsey who wasn't exactly a lock-down defender. Beckerman was never going to provide the kind of roving coverage needed from the CMs. By the time of JK's tenure, Dempsey had mainly transitioned to forward. JJ was in the team. Donovan was a waning force. CMs became more prominent. The pool was different.
It ended up being a 4-2-2-1.5 once Davies got hurt. Playing with a dmid wouldn't affected Dempsey and Donovan at all. It would have just meant Junior played a bit higher and the dmid covered him. It just might have been more effective than telling Clark/Edu they were in a pulley system but they needed cover MB90. The other alternative would have been make his usual substitution of Feilhaber for the failing forward at the start and push Dempsey and Donovan higher. Those two guys more connected to Altidore might have been more effective than Findlay dribbling over the endline.
Donovan and most especially, Dempsey, were not the type of shuttling CMs who could provide the needed support to a central midfield of Beckerman and Bradley. Nor would one them to.
BB could have used Beckerman in his empty bucket if he wanted. Dreds effectively manned the double pivot for JK in many matches including the B team GC2013 win where everyone praised LD. In the matchday 8 W2-0 over Mexico in HEX2014 that punched our ticket to WC2014 , our lineup was a 4-2-3-1 with Deuce at CAM and Jones and Dreds in a double pivot. It worked very well EJ Donovan Dempsey Bedoya Jones Beckerman Beasley Goodson Gonzo Fab Howard
In 4231, Donovan, Bedoya, and Jones could cover acres of space needed to defend. Dempsey could drop down to pitch in in central midfield. Beckerman could play his positional holding role. But Beckerman was never going to work in -----------------------Altidore---------Davies-------------- ----------Donovan------------------------------------Dempsey---- ------------------------Bradley-----Clark/Edu--------- that required box-to-box midfielders. The Slovenia match showed what would happen when a more positionally minded mid, Jose Torres, started in central midfield.
To bring this back to Adams, BB's scheme should remind us that it is most important that a coach identifies his core-spine of difference makers and builds a system that maximizes their synergy and effectiveness. Adams is currently our most in form player and has a skill set that can be a difference making platform for the US. It is folly to not leverage that platform by putting him in some weird role just to shout "Look how tactically smart I am. I am going to create a role that nobody else uses and will in real-time adjust multiple formations on the fly. Oh, I am going to do this "innovation" at the international level where we meet and practice for only a week every 2 months, this thing which goes against every principle a RB is taught"!
You're not seriously suggesting Berhalter will play Adams at rb, are you? People who think that should see a doctor and get some anxiety pills for whatever disorder they are suffering from.
Think it's more about working with his guys rather than trying to be clever. Only 3 American players--the NT-retired Beckerman, Bradley, and Trapp--play as solo deep-lying mids at club level. The first two play as dedicated specialists at the base of midfields. Trapp plays the role in the Crew's attacking transitions. It's probably not a coincidence that 3G would develop a system that relies on Bradley and Trapp's vaunted passing abilities from the regista position. There's nothing uniquely Illuminati of NJ and Columbus in this. JK moved Jermaine Jones to CB to try to prolong his NT career, after all. Bradley is probably through, though. Trapp, on the other hand, has been solid in the regista role. He was 'plausible' during last year's friendlies. But the rapid rise of Adams and McKennie in the B1 introduces some tactical questions. If an a-mid is wanted in that 433 is Adams really going to be moved to rightback? Trapp to the bench? Instead, just go with McK and Adams as dual 8s all the time?
Your statement that Bradley and Trapp are the only 2 American DMs is silly. Canouse, Durkin, Bedoya, Caldwell , ... all beg to differ. Your continued assertions that Trapp has been "solid" is laughable. Almost every knowledgeable USMNT watcher have concluded that Trapp is at best borderline international quality, only to be used against very weak teams. Jones himself said that JK tried him at CB for 3 caps of the first 5 matches post WC2014 in order to give other younger CM playing time and to play around with a 3CB setup. Not sure what your JJ comment has to do with Trapp but a 37 yo Jones could today walk into a match and still have twice the impact on both sides of the ball as WTF!