The 2016 season on-going discussion thread

Discussion in 'New York Red Bulls' started by Deadtigers, Apr 3, 2016.

  1. Deadtigers

    Deadtigers Member+

    Jul 23, 2015
    Independent Republic of the Bronx, NY
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Ghana
    Not liking the start to the season. Team struggling for identity and and the backline iss a serious weakpoint.
     
  2. Woodrow

    Woodrow Member+

    Dec 7, 2001
    Brick City
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Slow starts are not unusual for teams that fly high. If the signs of improvement don't show up within the next few weeks, I'll start worrying, but for now they just need to get healthy.
     
  3. iced1776

    iced1776 Member+

    Dec 4, 2009
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Some things I think will get better soon, some things may be rough for awhile.

    The attacking spine is playing OK. BWP is catching a lot of flak for not scoring yet, but he's still putting himself in a lot of great positions to do so. Its a miracle he didn't score against NE, he put a lot of one touch finishes on frame. The central midfield trio are doing their part as well.

    The two spots that have me worried are the wings, and obviously central defense. Sam and Grella look like shadows of their peak selves, Sam especially hasn't looked good in a long, long time. Veron getting health will help, but with the way things are going I wouldn't be surprised to see kids like Muyl or Ettiene start to fight for some minutes. Maybe even a summer signing?

    I can't see the defense doing anything worthwhile until both Baah and Perrinelle are healthy, and that could potentially be months away. Depending on how Perrinelle responds to training, this might be an area for a summer signing as well, assuming we don't end up with Okugo.
     
  4. jeremydneezy

    jeremydneezy Member

    Dec 12, 2011
    Greenville, SC
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm not worried yet, but I am concerned about BWP's form (he's getting older) and the back line. I think Veron's absence has been especially painful, but I still think there is an overall dearth of creativity in the attacking third.
    I hope we start seeing some of the younger guys. I think they might help lift this thing a bit, particularly Abang, Etienne and Davis.
     
  5. kokoplus10

    kokoplus10 Moderator
    Staff Member

    Feb 5, 2008
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    IMO we shouldn't expect anything from Perri or Zubar for the rest of their Red Bull careers and management shouldn't have expected anything in the off season either. Now we're stuck with this mess in defense. Make no mistake about it, the defense is the problem. The goals will come. We've been extremely unlucky on a number of fronts and that luck WILL change at some point. Every season has a stretch like this where injuries/calls/bounces of the ball just don't go your way.

    We need another blue chip CB and even after acquiring that piece it's going to take him time to learn the system.

    Nobody freak out. If management does the following we'll be fine:

    1. Add another starting CB by this summer.
    2. Add another attacking wing option (either from within or outside the club). IMO Grella is a striker and Sam is slowing down. Both are good options, but we could use some more competition here.
    3. Be EXTREMELY cautious with injuries.
    4. ACTUALLY use their depth even if it means sacrificing results in the short term.

    This is not a tall order for management. Items 3 and 4 are very much within their control. Items 1 and 2 will be tricky because you want to evaluate what you have in terms of youth while also scouting the globe for potential signings. But hey, that's the job.

    If come playoff push time we are healthy, have some new blood at CB and winger, and have gotten the young guys experience we will be in a good position for MLS Cup.
     
  6. Woodrow

    Woodrow Member+

    Dec 7, 2001
    Brick City
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Well, I'm not going to start a gameday thread after the game has already been lost. But that was So Metro.
     
  7. Deadtigers

    Deadtigers Member+

    Jul 23, 2015
    Independent Republic of the Bronx, NY
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Ghana
    Disappointed no SKC match thread. Sucks to lose at home again especially on a promo night for Autism. Is it ok to start worrying. We were good last season and had a decent pre-season, but this is getting crazy. Wife decided she want to go shopping right at kickoff so again I haven't seen the match. I will try and watch a full this week so I can better tell what is happening but this defense situation is hitting code red.
     
  8. defendyourself

    Jul 13, 2008
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I've officially hit the panic button. I still think we can end up having a good season, but I am concerned and feel justified for being concerned. We are a Felipe free kick away from being winless.

    Though the MLS is hilarious, in the sense that Columbus, Toronto and RBNY are the bottom three in the East after being 3 of the 4 favorites.
     
  9. Woodrow

    Woodrow Member+

    Dec 7, 2001
    Brick City
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Robles made 1 save last night and that was an easy straight on shot from about 30 yards out, late in the game. Neither of the goals were his fault and one of them came as a direct result of the inexperienced defense getting pushed completely out of shape when Lade decided to become an attacking midfielder.

    Our goal scorers can't score and our midfield got out-hustled. This team is going to have to compete a lot harder if they want to win games this year. There were times when they out-paced KC, but they weren't often.
     
  10. iced1776

    iced1776 Member+

    Dec 4, 2009
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    I haven't hit the panic button but my fingers moving closer.

    We're obviously not shield contenders this season, but if BWP picks up his form like we all know he's capable of and the defense gets healthy, there's no reason at all we can't be a solid playoff contender.
     
  11. jeremydneezy

    jeremydneezy Member

    Dec 12, 2011
    Greenville, SC
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Obviously the health of the back line is a concern, albeit one that was easy to predict. I question starting Duvall at CB over a guy like Carroll. It would be one thing if Duvall had been playing week in and week out but he is also coming off an extended injury absence and nothing about his skill set leads me to believe he would thrive in a central defensive position. He was physically dominated.
    I like what we're seeing from some of the young guys, particularly Etienne, in the USL. I think it's time to start sprinkling these guys in to see if they can help jump start our team.
     
  12. iced1776

    iced1776 Member+

    Dec 4, 2009
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    The weird thing is that Marsch just said this week that he's looking for ways to get guys like Carroll integrated into the first team. I've never been a fan of playing young guys until they've proven in training or reserve games that they're at a pro level, but Duvall was so far from a pro level CB against KC that I think its worth the risk.
     
  13. kokoplus10

    kokoplus10 Moderator
    Staff Member

    Feb 5, 2008
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    We don't have much to go on with Carroll so we have to trust the staff.

    Duvall is a known quantity who has gotten the job done at this level. Carroll's chance will come. When it does he has to have the best game of his life....and then he'll have to do it again.
     
  14. Woodrow

    Woodrow Member+

    Dec 7, 2001
    Brick City
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Okugo is toast: Red Bulls Notebook: Okugo Update, Roster Rotation, and More

    I don't know how such a middling player ever got to $300K salary, but you have to assume that it started before he even got to Orlando. Chalk it up as one of many bad decisions made under the Sak's tenure in Philly.
     
  15. iced1776

    iced1776 Member+

    Dec 4, 2009
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    I think the story is that he played the "pay me or I'm going to Europe" card, which was one hell of a bluff by his agent.
     
  16. iced1776

    iced1776 Member+

    Dec 4, 2009
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    At right back 100%, but man he looked lost at CB. Watching him get turned so easily on that second goal was cringe-worthy.
     
  17. Woodrow

    Woodrow Member+

    Dec 7, 2001
    Brick City
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    That was just about the time I was thinking that Dom Dwyer was out of ideas he seemed to realize that posting up the guy with no MLS experience at CB was a good approach.
     
  18. jeremydneezy

    jeremydneezy Member

    Dec 12, 2011
    Greenville, SC
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No experience at any level at CB. Just a head-scratching decision by Jesse.
     
  19. kokoplus10

    kokoplus10 Moderator
    Staff Member

    Feb 5, 2008
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Our CB situation is destroying our season.
     
  20. iced1776

    iced1776 Member+

    Dec 4, 2009
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Its almost impressive how badly everyone across the team is playing right now. At least injuries help explain the defense, but what the hell has happened to the front six from last season? Felipe I think is the only one who looks like himself, the play of Dax, Sam, Grella, Kljestan, and BWP have dropped off a cliff.

    I'd like to see Muyl out there for a few games.
     
  21. defendyourself

    Jul 13, 2008
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The way we look on the wings, you would hope Jesse gives him a go again against Orlando. Its scary that out of the 5 out of form guys you mention imo BWP looks the second best even though he hasn't scored yet. I have more belief he is on the cusp of turning it around than Kljestan, Sam, Grella and Dax
     
  22. kokoplus10

    kokoplus10 Moderator
    Staff Member

    Feb 5, 2008
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    A $hit defense has a snowball effect on the rest of a team. If you know for a fact that you are going to give up goals it makes it that much more difficult to focus on your responsibilities because you are constantly thinking "how can I help out my defense"?

    Last year our entire midfield and forward line could bomb forward without thinking twice because our CB pairing (and our defensive line as a whole) was one of the best in the league.

    Also...we can't perform Marsch's preferred tactics right now because our CB's are incapable of keeping a balanced shape, holding a high line and/or making game saving defensive plays when the counter is on. If the D line can't perform the team's tactical game plan guess what happens to the rest of the team?

    Fix the defense and everything else falls nicely into place. This is why I was so up in arms about Curtis sitting on his hands during the transfer window. I was happy about the Baah signing and I do believe he'll come good, but I was ADAMANT about signing TWO high level CB's. March's preferred system doesn't require game changers in the midfield or at forward, but it DOES require all star caliber CB's and a GK that is lights out.
     
  23. Metrosuccess

    Metrosuccess Member

    Jan 6, 2000
    NJ
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    At This point we are last in whole MLS. We need changes and fast before season ends quickly for us. We need at least one CB and a true creative C mid. We gett hat and our defense looks good and BWP and our offense will again score.
     
  24. iced1776

    iced1776 Member+

    Dec 4, 2009
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    To an extent I'm with you, but there's a lot going on with the front guys that's completely beside the defense. BWP's finishing touch is missing, Grella has become hesitant on the ball taking too many touches, Sam looks to have seriously lost a step and can't take on defenders, Dax continues to cough up the ball in our own half...
     
  25. Woodrow

    Woodrow Member+

    Dec 7, 2001
    Brick City
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Everyone is under more pressure this year. A guy like Grella got a big raise and is in his 2nd year in the league, which means he's more of a known quantity. He's shown flashes but sometimes tries to do too much.

    I like the idea of rotating players. This team is going to struggle for a while anyway. Giving extended minutes to some youngsters is also a way of helping some of the vets get their fire back. It also would give opponents something more to think about. But I don't think it will lead to many wins, at least in the short term. The first priority is righting the ship and stopping the leaks. Once you're no longer sinking, then you can think about getting back under way and salvaging what's left of the season. It's going to take them a while to get everyone fully healthy, might as well do a little soul searching while given the opportunity?
     
    kokoplus10 repped this.

Share This Page