Shane Duffy

Scott Brown still has a high level of positional awareness, a few times yesterday he cut out through balls to Kent and snuffed out the danger.

To be fair we don't know Laxalt's defensive capabilities just yet, I'd say in 80% of our domestic games we should be able to push our full backs forward and allow them to provide an overlap for wingers. Kill the possibility of allowing them to double up on our WBs as they're currently doing.

In those games a covering back 3 of Duffy, Ajer and Broony will cover most bases; aerially and on foot. Both Frimpong and Laxalt have decent engines to get back into place if they've held the opposition up or won back possession.

I'd say 4-2-3-1 definitely gives us more attacking options than our present 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1, however people want to portray it. Particularly if it's done effectively.

Instead of expecting Moi to play a strikers role he goes in at LW where his attributes of taking players on, intricate 1-2s etc can be seen to best effect. Same with Forrest.

The 10 then lies in between the 2 banks of 5 that the opposition have put up and can have digs, be it Christie or Turnbull. In our present system they're in line with the opponent's midfield.

 

We need two up top for me, that’s the single most important thing. It is frustrating shoe horning playing in like Moi who is struggling with the system a bit.

4-2-3-1 isn’t new, we’ve tried it before and we’ve seen how stale it can get.

With the manager we have, it might be the safer option.

 

If we were intent on playing 3-5-2 then I don't understand the logic in signing Moi, he doesn't naturally fit in anywhere in that system.

It also means we're effectively benching Forrest who is one of our experienced players and productive attacking players.

I wouldn't pin my nail to the mast for a single formation to be used in all instances but our 3-5-2 has so many glaring deficiencies, being stubborn and ignoring them will be the death knell for Lennon and the 10 I fear.

I'd be going 4-2-3-1 for most games other than when playing on poor surfaces against ultra-defensive teams eg. Livi. The pitch is so narrow that overlapping runs are impossible and the surface so poor that wingers can't run at the full back without the ball baubling.

In those circumstances I'd absolutely go 3-5-2 and whip balls in for the strikers to attack, turning the opposition back to facing their goal rather than all the play being in front of them as they want.

 

Is 4231 the answer though? We were playing some very poor football for a while using that system hence why we changed to the 352. I know we used that system for some time and to great success but I think teams have became wise to that system and think we have become a bit predictable in it.

It may well work this time around but if Edouard is the lone striker we all know he likes to drop deep and drift wide so then when crosses were going into the box there was quite often no one there apart from Christie, certainly not enough numbers in the box which makes life very easy for the centre backs. If we got our act together and played quicker and more direct like we used to it could work though.

I personally think two strikers is the way to go (Edouard and one of Ajeti/Griffiths) as Ajeti and Griff will stay in and around the box while Edouard links the play and drops deep.

Would like to try out a diamond just now though with the options we have currently as that gives us two up top with a number 10, two box to box and one sitting.

I do like the 352 but I don’t think it has been working recently because we have been playing Elyounoussi and a striker rather than just playing with two proper strikers which is where we had success with it last season. Plus the over reliance on the wing backs to do the creating has not helped one bit. Passing it to Frimpong and hoping for the best becomes predictable very quickly.

We are very open and easy to play through though which has been the case for a long time but the lack of team press is the issue there not the formation. We could play any formation just now but if the team continue to press in ones and twos and not as a unit we are always going to have problems.

 

We switched up to 3-5-2 after the winter break, after the 4-2-3-1 had seemingly went stale but that was on the back of a run of games with Lewis Morgan as our striker when Eddie and Griff were injured.

A lot was made out how we were outplayed in that system in the League Cup Final but Morgan was our striker and Ely was our LW, thrown in when nowhere near match fit.

Then a few weeks later when they done us again Eddie wasn't match fit.

I've said in other threads but I wouldn't be playing Eddie til A. We know he's fit after his Covid positive and B. His head is focused and he's ready to give his all. His recent games have shown he's not all there at the moment.

Ajeti would be my focal point right now with Griff to throw on if needed, as sub.

Ajeti and Ely had great success at Basel in the 4-2-3-1 with their link up, chuck in Forrest on the other wing, Frimpong and Laxalt bombing down too and Christie breaking into the box with late runs I think it could be much better for us.

Re the team press, how does a 3-5-2 press a team as a unit? If you think about any normal transitions of play in the modern game the 3-5-2 gets dragged out of shape all the time.

I'd say in the 3-5-2 it's more about containment, this video probably shows it better than I can explain...

 

With Virgil’s injury I’m wondering if Liverpool will try to do a deal with us & Brighton for Duffy.
We shouldn’t stand in his way if they try, Sometimes you just have to let them go.

 

If we are playing with Ajeti as our focal point in the 4231 I think this could work quite well but when Edouard is back fit and firing I’m not so sure the 4231 is the option because you really need a focal point for the 4231 to work effectively. When Edouard is dropping deep and dropping wide we haven’t got anyone occupying the opposition centre halves or in the box which makes it very easy for teams to defend against us unless we are playing our best fast flowing football.

Interesting video as well. That video from the weekend when Kamara took 3 players out of the game was very poor and summed up how we have all felt for some time- we are far too easy to play through in the midfield. Until we fix that we will keep conceding these soft goals unfortunately.

I said the other day but in the rats invincible season we had a really good team press. This won us the ball high up the pitch which got us a lot of goals but it also took the pressure majorly of the defence and goalkeeper as they weren’t getting tested half as much as they are now.

Hopefully if we go for the 4231 like you said we will get the best of Ely again and we can see him and Ajeti link up. I know we haven’t been firing on all cylinders at all recently but Ely especially has been very disappointing and has to affect games more. Maybe the 4231 is the way to do that.

 

Lol. Good point. No sorry, your right he's been quality.

 

Aye, I miss us pressing on the front foot we're far too passive now.

Seems bizarre that we've abandoned it seen as Lennon used to employ it in his Hibs team against us, pressing the likes of Lustig or Boyata into making mistakes.

Now we stand off opponents and allow them to come at us. Not a fan at all.

The 4-2-3-1 allows for a greater balance when you press as a unit, without players getting dragged all over the shop.

Out of possession our 3-5-2 should effectively become a 5-3-2, which means the back 5 either need to push high to press and win the ball back, which in turn leaves gaps in behind for the ball to be knocked through.

We've seen it happen since we employed it in January, very few games go by without us giving good chances to the opposition; the lesser teams just haven't had the quality to punish us.

Re the Édouard dilemma in the 4-2-3-1 if he's not a stereotypical focal point, he can also do the LW role as he drifts out there often or he could also do the 10 IMO. He wouldn't be in my team for the next few games until we can be sure he's focused again for us but long-term I think he could play in either of those roles, allowing him to drop deeper, find space, run with the ball etc. while Ajeti is your penalty box striker that is in there when you need him to be; attacking things, picking up any rebounds.

 

No doubt he's been underwhelming, I watched the three Ireland games over the last international break and he was a different player compared to what we saw on Saturday. Not saying he was great for Ireland or anything but he played with a bit of a enthusiasm that I didn't see from many including him on Saturday. Still think it's early to be writing him off, people waxing lyrical about jullien but it was around this time last year supporters were writing him off . I do genuinely believe * is going on behind the scenes with the first team. Too many players gave such zero * on Saturday and for the last while. Duffy needs to cut these 70 yard diagonal passes out though

Sent from my GM1903 using Tapatalk

 

Frimpong was up against 2, sometimes 3 players on Saturday. Forrest or Christie would have eliminated that process by taking markers inside. That's how you get the best out of attacking full backs. Also explains why Robertson is half the player for Scotland.

 

Hope lenny has the balls to realise if we go to a back 4 domestically and jullien is fit, duffy is the one going to the bench.

 

Great post

Yeah I think we could easily use Edouard on the left or as a number 10 in a 4231 or on the left of a 433.

I remember Gordon Strachan was very adamant for one of our games on Celtic tv that he sees Edouard as a number 10 rather
than a number 9. Think it could have been against Reykjavik? He was arguing with Hartson about it but he has a very valid point. He is constantly dropping deep and wide like you said and we need our main striker in the 4231 to be an out and out striker (Ajeti or Griff) for it to work well as it just becomes easy for opponents to defend against otherwise.

 

I miss our pressing as well. Where has it gone?

It baffles me that we don't do it..

It's a massive source of successful Celtic side's goals. Forcing mistakes high up. Being aggressively on the front foot..

I could understand if we'd dropped it for a spell in December as the game's are thick and fast but it's early in the season and we've done fuckall of it wiyh any structure bar one's and two's here and there..

 

Édouard is a superb player but he wants it into feet, he wants several touches and to stand up his man.

When we played the 4-2-3-1 last season and he was our striker, how often did the ball get put right into the danger area begging to be attacked and the camera panned to Eddie standing 10-15 yards away. To me that's what is slightly flavouring people's judgement in thinking the 3-5-2 is superior - Griff came in to do the penalty box stuff, allowing Eddie to drop deeper and do.his thing.

Eddie just doesn't have the same poachers instinct that Ajeti does; Ajeti has already shown he can anticipate a ball breaking and he isn't afraid to take a hit in the process.

I'd like to see how we'd get on with something like:

Ajeti
Elyounoussi Eddie Forrest
McGregor Broony
Laxalt Ajer Duffy Elhamed​

Barkas
​

On paper to me that looks more solid defensively and an opposition's nightmare to defend. All 3 in behind Ajeti are capable of the short passing moves or taking on and beating their man. With the full backs overlapping at times we could be pulling defences all over the shop, they wouldn't be able to focus on 1 single area for fear of getting done in another.

 

The 3-5-2 is absolutely defunct for us now because it just encourages this sideways and backwards passing. You have an extra centre back and then essentially Brown holding as well. The wingbacks are far too deep as well when we have the ball. Essentially, when McGregor is picking the ball up midway inside our own half he’s only got two players ahead of him usually - the 2 strikers (or CAM or whatever it’s meant to be )

We should be going back to 4-2-3-1. It has been our formation for years and years now and it has got us unprecedented levels of success. The reason it went stale it because we stopped playing it correctly and became predictable. We’re meant to press as a unit for example. The attempt at a press has been pathetic for far too long now.

Play two up to against teams like Kilmarnock, Livingston away when they play very very deep but for most of our other games on the big pitch we should do 4-2-3-1.

 

I do like the like the look of that team apart from the fact Frimpong is missing. We need to move away from relying on him as much as we have been but his pace is such an asset that gets us up the pitch and takes players out of the game.

Frimpong is one of the first names on the team sheet for me. I really like Elhamed and a fully firing Forrest offers a lot of goals and assists. I would have Frimpong in for Elhamed for the majority of games though. I am always nervous about playing Elhamed in too many games in succession as he has a tendency to pick up an injury here and there.

 

Aye, I think Elhamed and Frimpong are interchangeable in there. I meant to put a /

If we're playing in Europe or against better sides I think Elhamed provides us more protection. In most domestic games Frimpong would get the nod.

 

Yeah that was exactly my thoughts too, Frimpong domestically and Elhamed in Europe when we need to be more solid

 

Well it’s not hard to see how he wasn’t getting a game for Brighton.