Article by John ShepherdI think that this is the question most Spurs fans are asking after being out played and outnumbered in the middle of the park at the Library (aka he Emirates). Although Tim Sherwood did change his formation in the second half, back to what you’d expect to see from AVB, with Chadli replacing Soldado .But it was too little too late. This makes me wonder, should the formation be dependent on who and where we are playing? At home against Crystal Palace for example, should we be looking at an attacking 4-4-2 formation with width, pace and flare, chasing them down when we haven’t got the ball and going forward at every opportunity? Whereas against the bigger teams with similar ambitions, we could set up as hard to beat, keeping possession, be more disciplined staying in shape and working hard when we don’t have the ball. Similar to the set up AVB played, however, maybe with one rather than two defensive midfielders protecting the back four.
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It does seem like Tim Sherwood will keep to his 4-4-2 formation home and away against all opposition, at least from the start, which can only be a good thing for the Spurs fans that want to see attacking, free flowing football. I am one of the Spurs fans that would rather see the team have a real go and lose 5-4 than lack ambition, character and go down to another 5-0 loss at home. No one likes losing but after watching them I would rather take away positives and hope for the future, rather than the players not playing for the pride of the shirt and our great club. Don’t get me wrong, the current Spurs side are a young team and will make mistakes, but with the right attitude and training they can become great and I feel Tim Sherwood is the right man to do this after looking after and developing the under 21’s.
In regards to the previous formation under AVB, this did seem to work (at least away from home) and that can be seen in the statistics this year, with one of the best away records in the Premier League. Although I cannot help but think he (AVB) was clueless when it came to a Plan B, which eventually cost him his job. I think Tim Sherwood could be a good Tottenham manager but he has to show that he can change things for the better if things don’t go to plan. With 10 points in the league from a potential 12 points, you can see that he has the ability, especially after the impressive result at Old Trafford. Although some would say this is the worst Manchester United squad for a while, and this can be seen with their three loses in a row, matching their worse run since 2001. But enough about Man United! This could also be down to a new Manager and the players trying harder to get their spot in the team, so it is still early days to judge the new Coach and how well he could do.
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The signs look good though and I think one factor could be that he plays a set team and hasn’t rotated the squad as much as AVB did. This has to be a good thing and is important to help the team gel, especially with other players getting a chance with the amount of injuries we seem to have. The likes of Bentaleb taking his chance, the talk of Carroll coming back and the players still to come back from injury, the future looks bright at Spurs.
Look out for my next Spurs article where I will be discussing potential signings this month, what they could bring to the Spurs current team and name my worst 11 of all time!
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None of these systems are so rigid as to play 4-4-2 totally - Adebayor was all over the pitch against Manure and the flexibility offered by players who can (for instance) support the striker one minute, yet make up the numbers in midfield the next is the way forward. It is using a few players with flexibility and intelligence that transforms 4-4-2 into different system when needed.
ReplyDeleteMan City played 4-4-2 against WHU and won 6-0. Negredo and Dzecko, 2 big guys, up front.
ReplyDeleteRob is spot on.