Why is Olsen in the middle?

This is a really interesting question, which has been virtually ignored by the cognescenti around here.

A lot of folks, myself included, thought that the "keys were being handed to Bobby" to run the offense. Yet he's been out on the left wing, pushed high, for most of his time on the field.

Is it that Olsen is considered too slow now for the wing? Is Bobby not ready/able to fill the AM/withdrawn FWD role?

I dunno, just seems like something folks would be talking about more... I know I was pretty surprised opening day when he was pushed out wide like that...

 

To be a little more accurate, Olsen is playing alongside Brian Carroll as a twin defensive midfielder, a role which I think he is doing very very well at so far.. Ben doesn't have the quickness or explosion he once had on the wing and a move to the middle for a player with good skill on the ball and a very good passer is a good move.. Additionally, his holding ability and fierceness compliments Carroll, Dema and Bobby as well..

This has been a very good move by Nowak IMHO..

 

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A lot of folks, myself included, thought that the "keys were being handed to Bobby" to run the offense. Yet he's been out on the left wing, pushed high, for most of his time on the field.

Is it that Olsen is considered too slow now for the wing? Is Bobby not reaA lot dy/able to fill the AM/withdrawn FWD role?

It seems to me that Dema has been mostly on the left and Stewart on the right with Bobby at AM. I think Peter has given them the ability to roam at will and you see alot of fluidity in where the midfielders are playing. This will continue to work as long as they cover for each other defensively.

 

hehehe, better vision?

 

I agree

 

If you think about Ben's current strengths - he is more of a D-mid than winger now. He lost that great speed burst - but he has always had a little Ritchie inside him. He fouls a lot - but not to the point of constantly being carded. And most of his fouls are smart fouls - break up a counter, let the defense recover type fouls.

His aggressive nature makes him perfect to step into the role of D-mid

 

But I see a problem when you have all three of Olsen, Kovalenko, and Carroll in the middle. So far the main offense is being generated by Dema, notwithstanding Olsen's tap-in goal. (Actually when Dema switches with Convey then it's Convey.) But Dema as the main offensive force in the middle is problematical because his passing isn't so hot and with Dema on the outside, well, he's slow.

Why not have Olsen back on the wing as he still is faster than Dema and he flat out knows how to play the wing better than Dema? Put Dema, Carroll and Convey in the middle. Given that Nowak gives his wing-backs much more license to go forward- in direct contrast to Hudson- I imagine that Benny would do well back outside.

 

It is hard to say who exactly playing where becuase the midfield is so fluid. It appears the midfield is something like this:

------------Olsen------------
-Kovalenko-Convey-Stewart-
-----------Carroll------------

It seems like Convey is getting plenty touches and is making some great runs from deep, but the midfield is so fluid it is hard to give it a true shape. When it was working well in the first half v. the Metros, it was one of the most impressive midfield shows I have seen in MLS. Kovalenko tends to pinch in alot and switch sides. Stewart does this too but to a lesser extent. For this reason they do not appear to have a great deal of width consistently, but if they can play like they did in the first half, who cares. When Gros comes in, IMO it gives them move of a wide left midfielder. I would not get hung up on who is playing where in the midfield, just that they are performing the way have with the exception of the second half v. the Metros.

 

I think the fluidity of the midfield to this point of the season is the key.. As far as I can tell, only Stewart (right mid) and Carroll (def mid) have played in set positions in the three matches with the other three players roaming the field.. Convey probably has been given the most freedom by Nowak at this point.. He has started all three matches as the de facto left mid but has ended up in the middle of the field in all three matches..

This tells me that Nowak isn't completely sold on Dema as our first attacking option out of midfield, which is fine by me, I'd much rather have Bobby in the middle than out left.. I think Josh Gros has shown very well out on the left and has beaten most if not all of his defenders in one-v-one situations to get crosses off or to make a move to get inside the box..

It seems right now to me that Dema is the odd man out but I doubt he goes to the pine in favor of Gros on any kind of consistent basis..

 

he is there can he has good ball skills and he can motivate the team
rememnber when he went down last year our team fell apart in the playoffs

 

As opposed to what?

 

First, Nowak has sent a message that he's very interested in flank play. Stewart has stayed almost exclusively on the right and he's been a big part of our play. Convey when on the left flank, has certainly been a factor. I think Nowak believes that the quality of most outside mids on MLS teams is lacking and he's got two gems at that position.

Second, there has been a tremendous amount of interplay/interchange among the mids, especially involving Dema and Convey. Only Carroll has not really don't a lot of position swapping.

In this context, don't think of Olsen as an A-mid. He's really sort of an energizer bunny--pressuring the ball, winning balls, supporting whoever has the ball, running into space, playing a quick initial pass, providing a quick outlet for Carroll. And he's great at all of those things.

If you think of our midfield in terms of assigned roles, Olsen in the middle sounds crazy. But if you look at is as 90 minutes of running and in-your-face pressure and attack till you drop, then Olsen in the middle makes perfect sense. He sets the tone from the first second of play, is unselfish enough to not care if he's the big cheese, is veteran enough and smart enough to know when to cover on overlaps/support Carroll/allow a Convey or Stewart to run inside (and he covers the flank).

At the start of the season, I never would have designed a system like this. But it works--it definitely works. And as Gros, Carroll and even Ara and Adu get more experience and confidence it's only going to get better.

 

I believe that our midfield looks like this

Convey----Kovalenko----Stewart

----Olsen---------Carroll

Which explains how Dema ends up on the Left? and Convey central, However, I DO NOT like Kovalenko on the Left. As seen in the FIRST HALF, that was really our only let down in Attack, and of course Ben's goal was from a Kovalenko Cross on the RIGHT.

I believe we should now start GROS + DEMA and Sit either Olsen or Carroll
So our midfield would work this way

Gros--------Convey------Stewart
-----Olsen/Carroll---Dema-----

 

I don't think you can say one player has "been given the keys". The big reason is fluidity. You can see Convey drift over the right of the field, and someone will shift and take his spot out left, or Dema pushing forwards with Convey sliding back to fill up his spot. The same thing happens with Carrol (not as much as Dema). Olsen though is less on the wings, as he seems to be a rover, playing all over the center of the field, filling up gaps etc.

This system is very dependent on the individual players making the correct decisions. What's good about DC is that you have very smart players in the midfield, who are interchangable.

Question, do you guys think maybe putting Olsen into Stewart's spot, and starting Gros in the left spot would be more effective? This makes the midfield more rigid, but I think it is something to ponder. Obviously the bad part is Stewart on the bench...but I don't know, just an idea to play with.

What's interesting about Nowak to me, is how much his team contrasts from his actual characteristics. In other words he is very strict, a disciplanarian of sorts. On the field, the players are in a very fluid system, interchanging when they feel it is right. Obviously there is an overall system that Nowak has implemented, one that fits this team very well, but there aren't rigid roles in the midfield, like one would expect from his personal demeanor. That's not a bad thing, DC plays lovely soccer. I love watching Convey switch the ball to Stewart, while having the option of a streaking Carrol in front of him, Olsen moving behind him, it's a pleasure to watch, as if some power is moving them all.


Having said that, I still think the biggest problem is the strikers. I know there was an article that said that all of DC's forwards have scored, so there is no problem--that DC actually has an embarassment of riches. I feel that assesment is wrong. DC has had the same problem for the past 4 years. No striker on the team can carry it. Moreno is a wonderful player, but he is a complementary one at most now, he can't even go 90. Adu? Too young. Eski? Works hard, but hasn't shown enough. Cerritos? Again, not the type of player I am speaking about. He also is too similar to everyone else on the field. I am speaking about a pure finisher, a goal scorer. I think DC last year would have been very strong if DC had that goal scorer instead of Stewart (nothing against Stewart, it almost seems to me as if he was put upon DC).

 

I'd diagram it as

Convey-Kovalenko-Olsen-Stewart
--------------Carroll

Carroll is the stay-at-home D-Mid, and the other four seem to have more freedom to switch positions and get forward.

 

Interesting point, but you may be mixing up "disciplined" and "rigid". To play a fluid midfield, you must be very disciplined to constantly be aware of the position of all players so you can slide into the appropriate spot. The slightest let up can leave a huge hole and lead to a loss of shape. As a player Nowak was very creative and imaginative field general and was also a total task master in dealing with other players. IMO his coaching style is an extension of his playing style.

 

We started last week this way:

Convey - Olsen - Stewart

Kovalenko - Carroll

then Convey and Dema switched in the first half.

 

Because it's been working.

 

I agree. While Dema and Bobby (and the others to a lesser degree) have been moving around, starting with a Ben/Dema/Carroll center gives you pressure and work rate in the middle, and those factors seem to have played a big part in our excellent overall midfield play. Stewart's improvement has certainly helped too, but I don't know that those two factors don't go a bit hand-in-hand.

That's more or less how it's looked to me, with Stewart and Carroll staying at "home" more than the others, then Olsen, with Convey and Dema the biggest roamers. Starting out something this:
----------------------Olsen------------
Convey--------Dema---------------Stewart
-------------------Carroll---------------

 

The real question isn't "Why Olsen in the middle?" - But "What's with the new 'do?"

OK-OK - Its not really "Olsen in the middle" - Its everyone of those guys who all know midfield play and can be great flank players and switch to be great distributors in the middle

Also, Olsen played some as center mid for the MNT in at least one game over the winter and did really well - This may have opened Nowak's eyes and made him realize what could be done with DCUnited's core of midfielders


John L