The season is almost up and we have already started the planning for next year. New players have already been signed such as Gonzalez and Paletta with Aurelio looking likely to come too. It is almost definite that a right winger will be bought and at least one striker to replace the ones going.
So the question that arises for next season - Which formation will we play?
I am not convinced that Rafa wants to play a 4-4-2 once he has built his own team or next season and this is also partly to do with the signing of Crouch.
Earlier on in the season we played a 4-2-3-1 system. We lined up something like this:
Reina
Finnan Hyypia Carra Warnock
Sissoko Alonso
Luis Garcia Gerrard Riise
Crouch
What was meant to a happen was Crouch would hold up the ball and bring the midfielders into attacking positions but It didn't quite go to plan.
This system didn't work for us for a number of reasons.
1) The lack of personnel - There weren't any natural wingers being played therefore there wasn't enough quality support coming from our wide areas. This left Crouch very isolated making his flick ons become useless. In this type of set up, the wide players are almost like strikers even therefore they have to support otherwise there is no chance of it working.
2) I dont think the players quite understood the way Rafa wanted them to play as when we did set up this way before, we seemed to look very defensive and we didn't really attack very well/much. This could explain that although we weren't winning many matches we got a lot of draws mainly down to keeping clean sheets. It was almost as if like the players didn't know what to do and when to attack so they just defended.
Once we switched to 4-4-2 we started to play better and we started scoring goals although we weren't scoring many. In some games during the season where perhaps the players started to gain a better understanding of the way Rafa wanted them to play, even though our formation looked like a 4-4-2 on paper, we actually set up in the 4-2-3-1 and it was starting to work as we had found the balance between attack and defence. We were looking very solid at the back and scored the a few goals to win games.
Next year we will be a step closer to creating the team that Rafa wants. We should have the personnel now to play the 4-2-3-1 effectively.
Reina
Finnan Hyypia* Carra *Riise
Sissoko Alonso
Prieto? Gerrard Gonzalez
Crouch
Being very realistic, this could be the team we come out with next year. Or do you think that Rafa wil scrap his original plan of a 4-2-3-1 and play 4-4-2 next year lining up something like this.
Reina
Finnan Hyypia* Carra *Riise
Prieto? Gerrard Alonso Gonzalez
Defoe/Aguero? Crouch
The 4-4-2 meaning that Sissoko is left out and another striker striker playing off Crouch like Defoe or Aguero possibly. The obvious problems with this team is Sissoko being left out as he brings a lot to the side and Alonsos play being stiffield further by having Gerrard beside him and no Sissoko therefore making him the player who will protect the back four.
* or other players in that position
Thoughts?