News/Rumor: 2023 Chicago Fire Roster Speculation

Hello #CF97 friends, apologies I don’t bring great news. Spoke with Jairo Torres and he said that hoping to be ready for this weekend he tweaked his hamstring during today’s training & doesn’t expect to be available for Saturday. Also, thinks he will play mostly as 8 this season.

— Michele Giannone (@MicheleG3) March 21, 2023

 

Can Torres defend?

 

Have we seen him play enough to know?

 

From what I can see from looking at FBref, Whoscored, and Sofascore, the majority of his time at Atlas was as Rcam in a 3-M-2.
.............Striker..Striker
...........Lcam...........Rcam
...LDM..........CDM............RDM
..........LCB.....CB......RCB

 

That might indicate a good fit for him with Fede and Gutierrez in midfield in a 4-3-3
setup. This would require two quality wide wings and a striker who can score.

 

Not sure where Shaqiri fits.

 

If he can cover box to box, then a 4-3-3 (4-V-1) that has Fede as a stopper/CDM might be interesting.

.....MHS......DP9.....Shaqiri
............Guti....Torres
..................Fede
DAA...Czichos...Teran...Dean

With the expectation that Guti stays somewhat up & central, MHS runs box to endline on the left, and Torres fills right midfield box to box...keeping Shaqiri up top.

 

Do not think this would work at all! Shaqiri would be camped on top of Torres on offense and is not capable of good defensive effort for more than about 5 minutes.
Still not sure where Shaqiri fits. Maybe on a different team.

 

No

 

That team would probably make the playoffs and a run to MLS Cup.

 

That was my thought.

 

The suggested formation and players have potential. The problem is that Shaqiri does not fit the RAM profile or the RW profile. He just does not fit this formation.

 

Well, he is a RAM. What makes him "not fit", since in that formation defense is limited?

 

Somehow Shaqiri works in this formation for Switzerland.

 

A) I am not saying Shaqiri has no skills, but that he does not fit well in typical 4-3-3.
B) The Swiss formation has the RAM halfway between center and side. The typical 4-3-3 has the AM close to center and the RW close to edge.
C) Discussion started by proposing Torres as RCAM, followed by lineup showing Shaqiri at RW. He has shown no propensity to patrol the edge of the pitch.
D) He apparently needs a special “Shaqiri” formation (see Liverpool, Lyons, Swiss)

 

Somehow Shaqiri works in this formation for Switzerland...

 

https://www.sofascore.com/player/xherdan-shaqiri/65953

 

why does switzerland do their lineup graphics upside down??

is it a neutrality thing?

 

That is a 4-2-3-1, not 4-3-3 and Freuler is covering the edge. “ Shaqiri” formation

not a 4-3-3

 

You're saying that somehow the planet's currently most used formation is a special "Shaqiri" formation. Somehow I doubt it.

I also don't think there's some exact textbook 4-3-3 formation that all teams adhere to when they use it. When Napoli use it, it's like a 2-8 (slight exaggeration there). If we used it, it would probably float between a 4-3-3, a 4-3-1-2 and a 4-3-2-1as Shaqiri moved about and there's not anything wrong with that.

I also don't think Ezra would commit that much attack forward.

 

I almost thought it was the Socceroos.

 

I agree with most of what you say. On the Swiss team, Freuler plays wider than typical to allow Shaqiri more positional latitude. This meets my definition of a “Shaqiri” formation.

 

And what I described above with a CM filling under him on the right, but in the left the LW would be expected to cover box to box.

asymmetrical tactics is fairly common

 

You gotta play the hand you’re dealt, right?