Lineups, Formations, Tactics, Stats, etc.

They will win a few games between now and the end of the season.

In the off season CL will meet with Fisher and say "Ian is our guy, and if we open up the check book just a little and provide him some reinforcements, we will be a playoff team in 2025".

Fisher's response "No need to sign new players, we improved a bit at the end of the season, we'll be fine next year".

 

Good question. Where will be at the start of next season? Let's assume that the team continues to play better and Ian gets the job. So at least we know we have a competent coach. Could we get a better one? Maybe, but then they you're rolling the dice again and you could wind up with another Stahre. Remember, we've already done that. Dumped the internal interim guy who was doing pretty well (Leitch) for a new guy who turns out to be much worse. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, and a bird in hand, and all that kinda stuff.

Now looking at the roster, we're going to get some improvement "for free" assuming Daniel and Wilson are healthy for most of the year (and maybe even JT can be available as a 2nd guy). As for upgrades, we'll still have all of our DP slots taken unless we can transfer Gruezo (yes, please). And we have all of our U22 slots available. I think if we can find a way to dump Gruezo and sign a DP forward + a couple U22 players who are good, we could be improved enough to sneak into the playoffs next year. Not expecting a juggernaut but at least a team that is competing for playoff spots.

 

that's surprisingly low.

 

So ...

If Ian Russell remains the coach next season, what sort of strategies and tactics do we expect from him? On the one hand, we know that he likes the 4-4-2. On the other hand, he tends to use the players he has to what he thinks is best effect.

We have some speedy players, so I expect more counter attacking. It has looked good the few times we've tried it. (Which begs the question why don't we use it more often?!)

Of course, he's going to change the roster around as much as he can. Will he go 3-5-2? or will he go 4-4-2. But I don't expect him to carry on with the 4-3-3 (4-5-1) that we play now.

What do you all think? What do you hope for? Including a new coach.

Go Quakesfans!!

 

I think there's a pretty good chance that Ian is not coach next year. Why? 1) There's probably a 50-50 or so chance that CL is gone at the end of the year, and that means new GM and probably new coach. 2) time is running out for Ian to show that he's really getting better results from the team - to a significant degree. I thought he might be getting there but the last 2 games have been quite poor. So let's say 50-50 chance that CL is GM, and 50-50 chance that CL, if GM, retains Ian. That's a 25% chance that he's the coach next year.

Anyway, if he is coach, I think he'll want to play a 4-4-2 and play a relatively direct style. He's not a possession guy. More of a press / counter press quick attack kind of guy. He's not super different to Luchi I don't think except Luchi really emphasized shape a lot whereas I think Ian emphasizes pressure more.

 

Who are our speedy players? Bouda and ?. We are not a slow team, but Vancouver made us look like one last week.

Sorry, it's pretty obvious that formation changes by Ian won't change the outcome much. We don't have the players. For next year, if we keep Ian, we need to get more players who fit his pressing approach earlier in games and defenders who can handle teams in transition.

We are going to have to make a lot of changes and it will be difficult for any coach to get them to come together at the start of the season. The best that we can hope is to find some of the right players, right the ship soon enough in the season, and be competitive for the remainder. Anything beyond that is a pipe dream from my perspective.

 

I'm not sure that Bouda is even that fast. I would say Benji, Espinoza, Pelligrino (once he gets into a spring), Bouda, and Jebo is eh, moderately fast. Ricketts, but he's been out injured most of the season.

 

Hernán is not slow. Not a speedster, but OK.
Marie has wheels.

My point about counterattacking is that we’ve been successful when we’ve done it. Draw the other guys out, then hit Espinosa, Benji, Pelle, or Bouda with a long ball. We have enough speed in those guys to play that way.

Also it let’s us keep more guys back on defense, which we need.

We keep sending too many guys on offense and getting caught out on the counter. I don’t like it.

Go Quakesfans!!

 

Yeah, we can't be a team that controls possession and scores off of brilliant movement and incisive passing. Won't work. We don't have the players for that. So we have to be a ball-winning / counterattack team. That doesn't necessarily mean long ball, but winning the ball in good positions, and quick attacks.

I think we need to put a premium on playing ball-winning guys. Most of our forwards and mids are mediocre ball winners. Gruezo, Yueill, Niko, Pellegrino, Jebo - all mediocre ball winners. Hernan is not great at it but occasionally does it. Bouda fouls a lot but sometimes wins it. Espinoza wins it sometimes. But none of the mids are good ball winners. Morales will try and sometimes win it, even if he's a bit slow at this point in his career.

 

Who says we had a weak bench!! Second highest in the league. Who was scoring those? I guess Jebo had one or two, Benji a couple probably, not sure who else.

 

Pelle scored from the bench too.

 

I like the name Pelle. Kind of like that Pele with an extra L. L for loss.

 

I wonder if il Bruce will have us play a 4-4-2 or maybe a 3-5-2? I don’t expect us to play with a lone striker this coming season.

Go Quakesfans!!

 

Well OTOH we don’t have a (starting quality) striker right now, so there is that.

 

Does anyone play a 4-4-2 today (MLS otherwise)? It's either a 4-3-3 or 5-4-1 with different variations.

 

Bruce explicitly said we’ll play with either 3 or 4 in the back. But that says nothing about the rest of the formation.

I dislike the 4-5-1.

The way that we have been playing the 4-3-3 it looks and plays like a 4-5-1. I’d be OK with us playing an actual 4-3-3 with three forwards, but we don’t play that way. We play with a lone striker, and that lone striker isn’t good enough.

Does anyone still play a 4-4-2? I don’t know.

Part of what drives my question is that we keep talking about replacements for specific players as though we will play the same formation in the same way. I’m hoping like hell that we don’t. We have sucked the last several years playing a 4-5-1. I want us to play with two strikers, because we have been toothless of late.

So I hope that il Bruce changes the way we play fundamentally, and I don’t mean new strategies and tactics and attitudes laid on top of our failed 4-5-1.

Go Quakesfans!!

 

Yeah, I guess some teams play a 3-5-2. I should have included that as an option and is more likely than a 4-4-2. Still, you need 3 good defenders and a quality central midfield (especially at DM).

Do you know what Bruce played at NE?

 

He said “we’ll either play 3 in the back or 4 in the back” as a kind of joke because everyone plays 3 or 4 in the back. He was basically saying I have no idea until I see what I have.

 

Some of the teams use 5 in the back with converted wingers and a Gap-CB.

 

Isn't that just a variation of 3-5-2 with 2 wingers who can play back or push up?

 

Bruce played a 4-3-1-2 at NER.

https://themastermindsite.com/2021/11/13/bruce-arena-new-england-revolution-tactical-analysis/#

Just found that site. Haven’t read it yet. But I will.

Go Quakesfans!!

 

Evidently.
https://tacticallyspeaking.co.uk/2023/01/04/why-has-the-4-4-2-formation-returned-and-whos-using-it/#

One assumes some modern updates. Again, I haven’t read this yet.

Go Quakesfans!!