The Midfield is too slow

Discussion in 'San Jose Earthquakes' started by ruudboy, Apr 21, 2009.

  1. ruudboy

    ruudboy New Member

    Jul 6, 2000
    Sunnyvale
    We are getting killed there. Am I trippin, or do you see what I see? Lets talk about it. I'm not talking about the flanks, but keep Convey out wide.
     
  2. QuakeAttack

    QuakeAttack Member+

    Apr 10, 2002
    California - Bay Area
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Everyone here pretty much agrees with you. The lack of speed and movement in center mid is killing us. It exposes our center defenders, stops posession, and doesn't give us numbers in attack. Huge probelm.

    Either Corrales and Elliot need to play better, move back Convey, and/or pick up another player.
     
  3. DotMPP

    DotMPP 'Quakes fan in Stumptown

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Jun 29, 2004
    SE Portland, OR
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    But everyone typically conducts these discussions on a pre, during or post game thread.
     
  4. slapnut

    slapnut New Member

    Nov 16, 2005
    sunnyvale
    very well put and i couldn't agree with you more. lack of production from the central mid puts more pressure on our defense and as you said, does not give us decent number in the attack. we have scored some goals this year, but we have certainly given up a lot. i feel that a stronger mid offering support to the defense and the attack would bring more success this year. unfortunately FY gets married to players such as corrales and would never think to switch him out of his position. he has made some moves this year, but more moves especially in the center mid are a must.
     
  5. QuakeAttack

    QuakeAttack Member+

    Apr 10, 2002
    California - Bay Area
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Sorry, I'm old school. We used to have these type of discussions separately in this forum. I wish that we had more of these discussions outside of the game threads...
     
  6. Sactown Soccer

    Jul 29, 2007
    Redding
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I agree with everyone here about our central midfield. Elliot + Corrales is ok (not good) for 50-60 minutes, past that they're gassed. We should either give convey another chance, or put Bmac in there, the few times i saw him for LA last year he looked like they're only decent midfielder.

    Hucks---Corrales/Elliot----Bmac---AA

    Hucks-----Convey-----AA
    Bmac

    and there's always the possibility of Somma in there somewhere.
     
  7. Beerking

    Beerking Member+

    Nov 14, 2000
    Humboldt County
    The problem is that Corrales and Elliot look gassed by the 70th. minute. We need another iron man like Lima, a midfield general that can run all game long and then do wind sprints after the game just to relax. Think back to last year how our game improved when he joined us.
     
  8. RobsterCraw

    RobsterCraw Member

    Mar 28, 2008
    As a Milan fan I'll say it in a Milan way, but I think we need a pace-y, tenacious Defensive Midfielder like Gennaro Gattuso, who has the ability to link play between the defense and the midfield (obviously I mean someone with these traits but more at our competitive level, otherwise I'd be dreaming). Considering that Convey has played his best for us at left back, and Leitch has shown some promise going up the wing, I could imagine us adopting a style of play similar to how Milan plays, namely that the fullbacks have much more license to work the whole length of the pitch, going forward on offense (to put in crosses, etc.), while the center mids play a more defensive game, covering the defensive duties of the fullbacks when they move into the attack.

    Take also into consideration that Hucks and Alvarez normally play on the side of the field from which it is difficult for them to put in good crosses. Convey is our lefty on the left, and Leitch is our righty on the right, and both have a pretty good cross/longball (although we havent seen much of it from Convey yet)

    I think we could do a lot with a strategy that encourages overlapping runs from fullbacks to get released down the wings. So in that sense we don't necessarily need a CM who'll be running the whole length of the pitch all game, just someone with the speed and aggression to cover for our error prone defense, and who can distribute the ball around well while we're in possession. Elliot is already pretty decent at this, except that he doesn't have the pace nor the endurance we need. Unless Corrales shows me something in the next few games he plays, I would be in favor of replacing him with a CM who can be our own Rino Gattuso.
     
  9. QuakeAttack

    QuakeAttack Member+

    Apr 10, 2002
    California - Bay Area
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    ...which is pretty much how the Quakes played with Ekelund and Mulronney. To add to your comments, you really need good center defenders to cover the overlapping defenders. We dont' have them.

    LOL. Of course, part of Milan's recent problems has been their inconsistant defending in the middle...
     
  10. RFCFan

    RFCFan New Member

    Mar 10, 2009
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    [ame="http://s578.photobucket.com/albums/ss222/RFCFanCA/?action=view&current=2005_0813_Preston0_3Reading_short.flv"]Here's[/ame] a taste of what Convey can do when he's on. Watch at 3:10 (that should look really familiar) and 2:23 (now there's a totally sick longball).
     
  11. JazzyJ

    JazzyJ BigSoccer Supporter

    Jun 25, 2003
    That is a sick long ball - and a one-touch too. As for 3:10, we haven't seen enough of those slashing runs through the middle. That's what I would have liked to have seen when he was playing center mid for the Quakes, but it wasn't really happening, for a variety of reasons probably, not all of them having all to do with Convey.

    But we have seen the runs into space when it's there. But that's just it, he needs the space, and so a congested center of the pitch doesn't seem like the best place for him. He says that running into space is what he does best, and he seems to have the ability to run very well with the ball w/o really breaking stride.
     
  12. ant0n

    ant0n Member+

    Jun 12, 2007
    San Jose, Ca
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Same sort of trouble we had last year. We have no creative player to partner either Corrales or Elliott that has the vision to distribute the ball quickly and get us moving.
     
  13. OffMyLine

    OffMyLine Member

    Nov 30, 2007
    San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I wonder what Campos would look like as an a-mid.
    Has shown potential for great vision, distribution and creativity.
    He's also shown to be a lazy and clueless slug but we'll pretend that didn't happen.

    Could he be the equivalent to an '05 DeRo?
     
  14. RFCFan

    RFCFan New Member

    Mar 10, 2009
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    To me 3:10 looks almost exactly like Bobby's score for the Quakes... reacting fast to cut out a pass, then working through a player or two. For SJ, he took it all the way, in the Reading clip he made a nice pass to Lita for the score.

    I agree that SJ hasn't seen enough from BC. I don't think we will if he's playing a center mid role with strong defensive responsibilities - which, seems to be how FY defines the position to allow the wings to be the attacking players. But I think he'll be more effective along the left or as a roaming, attacking midfielder/withdrawn forward. He does tend to pass back to hold on to possession, which to me isn't bad as long as it one strategy, not the only strategy, and as long as the player receiving the pass can one- or two-touch it forward.
     
  15. JazzyJ

    JazzyJ BigSoccer Supporter

    Jun 25, 2003
    I actually think ball-winning and the ability to hold possession through the midfield is more of an issue than creativity. Quakes can't even ball win and posses through the midfield, let alone think about being creative. IOW first let's actually be able to play through the middle. Then we'll worry about being creative with it. That was the great thing about DeRo. He could do both.

    I don't think he's strong enough with the ball in traffic. He seems to be a good passer from the forward position though. Also, I don't know what kind of short burst speed he has. He can definitely run when he gets going, but I don't know if has the short burst quickness that would work best in central midfield.
     
  16. ant0n

    ant0n Member+

    Jun 12, 2007
    San Jose, Ca
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Did you see the the match versus Seattle? Did you see that whenever we had the ball neither Convey nor Corrales knew what to do with it. The only guy that showed any vision in the middle was Elliott when he came on. Elliott and Alvarez were the only players that do not deserve to be dropped after that game.
     
  17. QuakeAttack

    QuakeAttack Member+

    Apr 10, 2002
    California - Bay Area
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Elliot played better, but how many dangerous passes did he make? Of course, he didn't have anyone to pass to...
     
  18. Via_Chicago

    Via_Chicago Member

    Apr 1, 2004
    Bay Area, California
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I agree with this (rep coming your way). The problem is that I don't think we have the personnel to execute this at this point in time. Unless this team turns it around, our number one priority this summer should be acquiring a quality defensive midfielder. It's a shame that Aki didn't work out.

    Convey: I think Convey could conceivably work in the middle, but only if we acquire a defensive midfielder who can control central midfield, maintain possession, and feed him the ball. Since this is extremely unlikely, Frank must start Convey on the left wing - either at left back or at left mid. But so far, Convey has shown absolutely nothing from the central position, nor do I expect him to do so at any time in the future.

    Midfield: Yes, we're slow, but we're damningly slow of thought. That's our biggest problem. Yes, physically, we lumber in the middle (and Elliot is just horrifyingly slow), but it's our ability to spread the ball around on the ground that is most frustrating. Often, our players either try to take the ball upfield and run at defenders when they get the ball in midfield, or they just play hopeful longballs over the top that have rarely connected. We're getting overrun by high-pressure midfields.

    Solutions? I don't know, but I really can't imagine that Brandon McDonald could be much worse than either Elliot or Corrales. I'm also of the belief that we need to be getting all of our best talent on the field at once. And would it be possible to put Arturo in a position where he doesn't always have to cut back to his left? Nathan Sturgis made him (and by extension, Yallop) look like an idiot Saturday night. He knew exactly what Arturo was going to do with the ball every time he attacked from the right.

    My preferred line-up:

    Alvarez---------------Johnson

    Huckerby--------------Salinas

    -----McDonald-----Elliot------

    Convey--Garcia---Gray--Leitch

    ------------Cannon-----------

    Is McDonald any good? I don't know, but I'd sure like to find out. Corrales's drop in form has been stunning. If you don't like Elliot in there next to McDonald, put in Ramiro, but there's no way those two (Elliot-Ramiro) should be playing next to each other the rest of the season barring injuries. I didn't think I'd miss Lima, but wow, this team is pathetically soft in the middle. And where the hell is the heart? Can we please make Joe the captain of this team?
     
  19. ant0n

    ant0n Member+

    Jun 12, 2007
    San Jose, Ca
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    He made more in than Convey and Corrales put together which is disgraceful.
     
  20. QuakeAttack

    QuakeAttack Member+

    Apr 10, 2002
    California - Bay Area
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Zero is still zero...
     
  21. ant0n

    ant0n Member+

    Jun 12, 2007
    San Jose, Ca
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    And when Huckerby comes back I thin it would be best to play him p top because the other options we got are crap.
     

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