For general coaching/managerial/tactical role playing and discussion. Suppose you are in charge of the Quakes. What would you do differently? What would you like to see?
I know we don't have everyone healthy right now, but this would be my starting lineup if we had everyone ready to go: --------Lenhart------Wondo------ -Salinas-----Dawkins-----Chavez- ----------------Corrales------------ Morrow--Bernardez--Opara--Beita ----------------Busch--------------- Bench: Garza, Hernandez, Gordon, Sercan, Cronin, Bingham /drool Can't wait to see our squad back at full health, we need it badly.
That's pretty close to what I might go with. Back line and forwards for sure. However, being a Bacanalian, I'd have Baca in place of Dawkins and slide Dawkins over to the left in place of Salinas. I think you're the guy who doesn't like Baca, but I like the way he plays. Dawkins is probably better in the center, but he is not bad on the left, and as he pinches in it would open up space for Morrow to overlap down the wing.
i'd roll something like ===========busch=========== beitashour===bernardez====morrow===corrales== ============cronin==================== chavez========moreno===========salinas==== ==============wondo================ ============gordon==============
a little unorthodox, but if Gordon can play keep like Magee did and Busch can use his hands up front, I'd say you've got something . I think I'd go: ---------------------Lenhart------------------- -----------------------Wondolowski----- ----------------------Baca---------------------- Salinas---------------------------------Chavez ---------------------Cronin---------------------- Corrales-----Morrow--Bernardez---Beitashour -----------------------Busch--------------------- I'd probably bring Moreno off the bench for Baca, if needed. Dawkins on for Salinas, and Khari for Cronin.
Frank has addressed several of my key issues in the past. Namely, he is using more of his roster (not just because of injuries) and is subing more frequently and earlier in games. I have not many issues with his lineups. Most of the time is Khari placement up top when both Lenhart and Gordan were hurt. Of course, he played well enough in that role. Prior to the season, I wanted Ike in the middle with Morrow spotting Corrales at left back. Now, I want Morrow to stay in the middle and Corrales to continue at left back. At the moment, when everyone is healthy, I would go back to the original lineup that started the season: --------Lenhart------Wondo------ -Salinas-----Baca-----Chavez- ----------------Cronin------------ Corrales--Morrow--Bernardez----Beita ----------------Busch--------------- Bench: Garza, Hernandez, Gordon, Sercan, Khari, Bingham Still struggle with Cronin as DM (even with his early good start). I prefer Dawkins to come in for Baca and Khari for Cronin (or flip them). Garza comes in the last two minutes if speed is needed on the outside.
We've got so many players injured that we're speculating more and more about players who we haven't seen at all this season (Sercan, Ring), players we've seen little of (Garza, Opara), and players playing in different positions (big list: Corrales, Morrow, Beitashour, Dawkins, and Stephenson). In sum, we really have no idea what we're talking about, and maybe Yallop doesn't really know either right now (given the injuries). Until we have a healthy lineup and a better idea of what some of these fringe players are capable of, all of this is just so much idle speculation (fun as it may be). What we do know is that Wondolowski and Lenhart work well together up top, we're defensively most solid with Cronin and Baca playing together in central midfield, we're a vastly better team with speed on the wings (Chavez and/or Salinas), and our defense dearly misses Bernardez. There's convincing evidence that we have better attacking width and defensive cover with Morrow at left back, and we have role players like Dawkins, Moreno, and Stephenson who can occasionally offer us significant attacking help in substitute or starting roles. Beyond this is sheer conjecture.
I don't understand the folks who don't have Cronin starting at DCM. He's been stellar in that position this year, and I don't for a moment believe that any of the alternatives (Dawkins, Moreno, Stephenson, et al) have shown anywhere near the tenacity and value Sam has in this position so far this season...
He does a good job holding, but he's far too conservative and provides little to no offense. He's a guy I would put in to hold onto a lead, but not when I'm trying to score.
Yea, that's kind of the point of this thread... But I would argue many things that aren't simply conjecture.
If it ain't broke . I didn't actually consciously regurgitate Frank's previous moves, but what can you do? I think those are the most dynamic players with the most talent (at least, that's what they've shown this season).
1) Make them eat appropriately so the only injuries are due to Marquez-induced crap and even those recover faster. Then there's less injury-related lineup mgmt. 2) Would have gotten rid of Gjertsen and probably Ward and signed Alas so we wouldn't have this problem of needing to use central players wide that we're having now. 3) Get over the love affair with Stephenson. 4) Tell Watson to focus on fixing whatever's wrong with Opara. 5) Work on set pieces so we don't keep wasting them since we generate so many. Otherwise, Yallop's actually doing quite well for a change.
MLS rules prevent teams from cutting players while they are injured. But yeah, once they get healthy we should cut them and make a play for Alas if he's still available.
1) First thing I'd do, of course - free Justin Morrow. Ramiro becomes depth or ever starter at d-mid and depth at left back. 2) Once Bernardez is back, after a game or two, pair him up with Ike and never look back. 3) Give Ring some starts at d-mid. See how the team looks with some bite in the midfield. 4) Continue to start Dawkins on the left. No other Quakes player can attack with the ball through traffic in the center of the field like Dawkins and also be a threat to score or play a dangerous ball. Dawkins's tendency to cut in opens the wing for Morrow runs. Salinas is good depth. 5) Baca -> central midfield 6) Play positive, attractive, attacking soccer (often times, they've done this well this year) and tell David Kaval and Lew Wolff that this has to be part of the Earthquakes brand. Build into the team culture the idea that winning ugly or winning by dumb luck is not good enough. Means over end, but if the means is right, the end will along for the ride with it. And above all: 7) Never, ever, ever, ever, try to "see the game out" and play for the tie on the road, no matter what is happening on the field. Build a culture of winning, an attitude that the team should never, ever accept getting outplayed. If they are getting outplayed at any single moment, they should believe that they are going to turn it around the very next moment, and if they are still getting outplayed at the very next moment, try again at the very next moment after that. They should never accept getting outplayed. This should also become part of the Quakes culture / brand.
Are you saying that Bernardez and Chavez incurred injuries due to poor diet? Dare I ask if you were ever an athlete or nutrition specialist or food chemist? You're going to have to provide at least a little bit of evidence for Quakes' players being out due to dietary issues.
Yes, I'm saying Bernardez and Chavez injuries are preventable. I don't think the muscle strains could be eliminated 100%, but I could lower the injury rate and improve the recovery rate. So I'm saying Shea Salinas would be back a couple of weeks sooner if he ate locally raised grass-fed bone broth for minerals, gelatin and vitaminK2 to promote bone healing instead of eating IHOP pancakes of processed GMO frankenfood and empty calories. It might not be as much fun, but if you want to be back ASAP, it's what you would do. You are what that which you eat ate. It's the difference between being like everyone else or being ahead of the pack. If I were Yallop, this is an advantage I want if I really am looking to win instead of just compete. I'm a nutritionist....just not 10 years behind the nutritional science like the Quakes physios and doctors appear to be.
Yes, if Bernadez had not landed awkwardly he would not have injured himself. And I thought you were a cat pee researcher??
I may not agree with K about what constitutes the ideal nutrition for athletes, but it does seem that most of our guys don't care a lot about nutrition and will eat all kinds of junk. Of course, there's no way that you can prove that any of them would have avoided injury with better diets. But you can look at the injury rate of soccer players who do care about nutrition and see if they tend to stay healthier. DeRo can't be the only one.
Or if he ate better so that he had stronger ligaments and a better nervous system he wouldn't land as awkwardly or if he didn't it wouldn't be enough to damage the ligaments that much. But hey, I don't expect you or the Quakes to open your minds. It's easier to live in the past under a cloud of ignorance. I am a clinician but I did a PhD so I'm trained in research. It was on nutrition and kidney disease. My residency was internal medicine and nutrition. I'm quite expert in comparative nutrition as long we don't venture into exotics.
DeRo doesn't eat a lot of processed food. So, that helps him no doubt. But he doesn't eat optimally. And if his team follows his lead and removes some of the frankenfoods from their diets, they'll probably be better off than they are now. But they'll still be suboptimal. I suspect the faults of DeRo's diet will catch up with him. I do think some people are smart enough to do well and thrive on a vegetarian diet for a time. If it works for them and they can thrive, good for them. But since it's suboptimal for our species in a species-wide sense it will catch up with most of them. The reason I think it will with DeRo is that he already looks 10 years older than his chronological age. I guess we'll see.
I guess that if Salinas ate better, his collarbone wouldn't have got broken from that tackle, right? Its kind ridiculous to pin any of the injuries on nutrition, IMO. Injuries are injuries. They happen. regardless of what you eat. No one can go back and prove that a better diet would prevent an injury. Also, calling your fellow quakes fans ignorant doesn't really seem like a good way to get a point across.