Fabian is our LB and hopefully chandler ends up our RB. Lichaj needs to find some games at Aston Villa.
Klinsmann doesn't use a 'deep-lying destroyer'. The deep players are typically Michael Bradley or Beckerman neither of whom are destroyers. The central midfield is inverted with destroyers like Edu and Jones pushing further up the field as pressing mids. Jones plays his role too aggressively and too loosely imo exposing the team defensively. He also seems to tire more quickly than the others. I agree on Johnson. He clearly needs to be moved closer to goal.
I would disagree. I think the way he has used Beckerman, and to a lesser extent Bradley, he has them being an extra defender to keep things 'tight' on counter attacks, and to be the 'middleman' to transport the ball from defense up to our offense, connecting with short, tight, passes on the wings and down the middle. On the defensive side of things, Beckermann and Bradley are there to take a counter attack head on. Beckermann has shown he can 'foul' or 'tackle' hard when needed to slow things down. He also has some of the better 1v1 skills on the whole team IMO. Same goes with Bradley, who as we've seen can chase a guy down, and take him out with a clean, tackle (like at 4:37).
You have to understand that Johnson hasn't played in the final third all his career. He's played as a center forward and he's played as a defensive midfielder before. This season he was consistently used as a fullback. And I'm sorry, but if you can do this... Or this... ... you're not just some kid with 'flashes'. You're a legitimate offensive talent, no matter where you play.
The defining feature of a 4-3-3 is that the wingers stretch the field high and wide. From those wide and advanced starting positions they can cut inside but the entire raison d'etre of the 4-3-3 is to most efficiently use space, you don't do that by collapsing inside to help a 3 man cm. Another feature is, of course, the concept of total football so players can swap positions so there is flexibility. At Barca the first itteration of the 4-3-3 with a false nine would have Pedro and Villa as wing forwards and Messi floating (usually over to the right). The attack would normally come on the right so you would have Alves and Pedro wide of Messi and a deeper Xavi, on the other wing Villa would slide more central but in the manner of a weakside winger, not a player filling the CF position: ----------Villa---------------------------Pedro- -----------------------------------Messi-------- ----------------Iniesta-------------------Alves ----Abidal----------------------Xavi----------- -------------------------Busquets-------------- ---------------Puyol----------Pique----------- -----------------------Valdes------------------ When Alves goes further forward Pedro checks and comes inside or Dani makes a diagonal run to goal but the main point is that he's starting from the corner. If Pedro and Villa don't push the defenders high and wide early then they can play more compact and can apply more pressure in midfield. Personally I'm a 4-3-2-1 man, with our roster. In that system Johnson could play on every line other than the CF's (I'd want him at LCM). Even if you play in Philly???
Look, there are lots of outside backs that can do what FJ did in your two highlights. Having good offensive talent does not exclude left or right back as your best position. I see BolivianFuego is avoiding commenting on the appropriateness of his comment that FJ "scores like a forward" but the point remains that his goal scoring record is below what you would expect out of an outside back, much less an attacking player.
Wasn't Johnson one of the top assist men in the first half of last season before he was shifted to LB. That would seem like a good incentive to put him into the midfield. But i also think he is our best left back at the moment. I feel that if Shea gets back into good form those two could tear up the left side of the field. Either way we are a much better team when he is on the field.
IIRC he had 1 goal and 4 assists the first half when he played primarily as an attacker (AML, AMR, RM, RF, CAM) and 1 goal and 4 assists in the 2nd half when he played LB.
Great analysis of Barca's system. Pretty much spot on. As far as the 4-3-2-1, I agree for the most part. I actually think Dempsey should be in the false nine role that you described Messi in. Switch the shape to a 4-3-3. Move Altidore to a left-of-center forward, Donovan to the right, Johnson at LCM, Bradley as RCM, and Jones/Beckerman/Edu as the 6. I'm also fairly sure that Juergen has been using Clint Dempsey as a false nine the past few matches, with Gomez playing the Villa role (albeit on the opposite flank). As someone has stated, he had as many assists from an attacking position as he did when he was playing wing back. I think that if we continue to struggle offensively against smaller CONCACAF teams, then Johnson being in the midfield should be somewhere near the top on the list of possible solutions.
How am I avoiding it? It's obvious the kid has the chops to play as a supporting striker or a '10' behind two forwards, finish like a forwrd, set up like a classic '10', but if you're basing your opinion on cold, hard, numbers and statistics without looking at the players abilities/skills (and using that to see where he could play)... then you're probably right. Edit: After watching those clips, IMO he could be our next 'Dempsey' if played in similar positions.
How good is the USMNT? We take an outside back that didn't receive consideration for German National Team and look to make him our #10. I wonder if there are any CB's in Spain with US eligibility? Maybe our new #9!
Not disagreeing, or agreeing but 7 goals in 135 BL1/2 matches doesn't scream CAM or SS to me. I have only seen Johnson play outside back including in person at FedEx field and am definitely impressed. I know he is versatile and certainly exhibits good attacking instincts, but don't really have an opinion about CAM without having seen him in the middle. I'm sure he could do it but for me, it is a question of how effectively and if it would be a net gain moving him from outside back. In general, my preference would be to have someone who plays a little further forward for their club than outside back as the CAM or SS for USMNT.
I get it. Gotta see it to believe it. Until someone plays him there, you don't think he'd be successful there? Makes sense.
I just heard Brian Scriaretta say it in an article on the shin guardian. I guess he will produce wherever we put him though. Here is the article http://theshinguardian.com/2012/08/...with-the-hitman-brian-sciaretta-part-i-of-ii/
My definition of a destroyer is a player who has the positioning, lungs, and tackling ability to be paired with a 6 or an 8. Neither Bradley nor Beckerman are that type of player. The only game Klinsmann went without a 6 was the match against Slovenia which was only match besides Brasil that the team gave up more than 1 goal under Klinsmann. Each of the players has had his greatest success at club level in 3 or 4 man central midfields. Last cycle 1 of Mastroeni, Clark, or Edu each a 6 was almost always in central midfield.
Beckerman isn't a 6. He's an attacking mid by training and was paired with a 6 in Mastroeni at Colorado. He has found his nich as a deep-lying player at RSL.
Whether you like it or not, Klinsmann played someone on the six position against both Slovenia and Brazil.
Playing the 6 position and being a destroyer aren't the same. Pirlo isn't a 6 though he plays in that spot.
How did you derived at this, LD stand a lot during his 45 minutes of game. Reports says that he picked up an injury just 10 minutes in to the game.