With the SFA's First XIV up next, is it time to dispense with 4-5-1

[Super_Ally 0]

With the next challenge to our title winning aspirations being the toughest game of our SPL calendar, is it time for Walter to finally depart from the formation that served him so well last season.

 

On first viewing, that opening paragraph perhaps seems like a ridiculous decision; why change a winning formula? However, many will agree that whilst the defensive 4-5-1 formation, with equally defensive, counter attacking tactics served us so well in our exciting run to the UEFA cup final, it also likely cost us important domestic games.

 

While we were getting results, against arguable superior opposition, and but for the intervention of our own governing body looked odds on for an unprecedented quadruple, there were few murmurs of discontent. Though many were unhappy at the way we played the game and demanded ball playing midfielders were bought in the summer transfer window to link our stingy defence to attack.

 

Onto this summer and the manager has brought in these midfielders, albeit a few weeks too late, in the shape of Mendes, Edu, Aaron and the return of Davis.

 

Early signs were encouraging as Mendes ran the show on his debut alongside Thomson. With Davis returning to the squad in time for the Aberdeen game, in the first half some of the interchanging in the middle of the park was reminiscent of the Advocaat era. The one complaint being that for all that the possession football was pretty, chances for the forwards were still at a premium.

 

With a wealth of options in midfield, the management's greatest excuse for employing the ultra-cautious 4-5-1. Now many have argued that with the right players this 4-5-1 formation actually becomes a 4-3-3 when in possession. However, our club's insistence on playing solid, less attacking and pacy midfielders does not lend itself to this malleable formation.

 

Certainly the true, pacy, tricky wide players are available to the manager. Players like Beasley, Novo and Aaron. And in the case of the first two, they will also provide some defensive qualities when necessary, with a willingness to chase back.

 

So, the central midfield players are there, the forwards/wingers are there if the manager so chooses to employ this 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation. The only question is do we have the lone striker capable of spear heading this formation? A formation largely made popular by Jose Mourinho's Chelsea. Where Makelele anchored the midfield, Lampard dictated the play through the middle and the likes of Robben and Cole supported Didier Drogba at the spearhead.

 

And it is at the spearhead that Rangers fall down. Didier Drogba is a bit of a special case in European football. I am not arguing he is the greatest striker in the game, although at his peak he was certainly one of them. However there are very few like him that can single-handed trouble an entire back line. His combination of raw power, pace, skill, technical ability, aerial strength and shooting ability allowed him to perform the role of lone striker like possibly no other player could.

 

Do Rangers have a player in the squad with similar ability and playing style to the Ivorian? Not as far as this author can see. Perhaps the one player who most closely resembles a player with these attributes is fellow African Daniel Cousin. The Gabonese striker is strong, relatively pacy, tall and with good feet. However he has a terrible attitude and is unlikely to feature for the club again.

 

With Novo the best candidate to fill a right wing berth at Parkhead, the candidates for the lone striker role this Sunday are Kris Boyd, Jean-Claude Darcheville, Kenny Miller, Andrius Velicka and injury dependant, Kyle Lafferty.

 

Despite being the one true goal-scorer in the squad, Kris Boyd will not be deployed as a lone striker, due to a lack of mobility and despite improvements in this area, a lack of ability to hold the ball up. Jean-Claude Darcheville has strength and pace in abundance. However he cannot be relied upon to last 90-minutes and is composure in front of goal is also in question.

 

New-recruit Andreas Velicka has performed this role well against the Old Firm in his previous spell in Scotland. He�s strong, can hold the ball up well and has an eye for goal. Unfortunately, perhaps due to his lack of rest in going directly from a competitive Scottish season, to a Norwegian season and back to a new season in Scotland, Velicka has struggled for form resulting in him being dropped for yesterday�s game at Aberdeen.

 

Kenny Miller, a man who if played, as this fan suspects he will, could do with a goal and there�s no time better than tomorrow. However, his frankly embarrassing career stats suggest it is unlikely he would be capable of finishing if he found himself in a position to do so. You get 100% effort from Miller, he runs the channels, he works the defence and he has some pace. However, when this formation worked so effectively for Chelsea, the spearhead was a 30+ goals a season striker. Miller is more like a 5 goals a season striker.

 

Lafferty, returning from a knock and being a relatively inexperienced player, has height, good feet and again a little pace. However he has played much of his career out of position on the left wing and is unlikely to be thrust into such a high-profile, high-tension game with all the goal-scoring pressure on his shoulders.

 

It appears obvious to this fan, that whilst we may now have the defence and midfield capable of making this 4-5-1 formation an effective ploy, we do not have the key player at the business end of the field to make it successful.

 

Recent upsets at Parkhead have shown that the way to get to Celtic and upset their game plan is to go at them from the first whistle. Not sitting back, inviting pressure and hoping to hit on the break as we have done with the 4-5-1. The obvious solution is to partner two of our attackers upfront in a 4-4-2. We have begun the season playing 4-4-2, picking up 2 wins and a draw that would be 3 wins but for our questionable officials. And whilst performances have not been thrilling, gelling a strike partnership takes time. For me it is time to pursue our best attacking partnership and give it time. Partner the goals of Kris Boyd with the pace and running of one of our other strikers, be that Lafferty, Darcheville, Novo (who I would however, start on the right v Celtic) or perhaps even Miller.

 

Go 4-4-2, go with Boyd and a.n.other and go for goals. That is my wish for this weekendââ?¬â?¢s opening Old Firm clash. I do however predict the inevitable 4-5-1 with the goal-shy Miller ââ?¬Å?leadingââ?¬Â the attack.

[Bluedell 5,329]

Go 4-4-2, go with Boyd and a.n.other and go for goals. That is my wish for this weekend�s opening Old Firm clash.

We did that yesterday and it didn't work.

[Jon 0]

I dont think Novo is the one though. Im not sure who is, but as Ive said many a time, Novo seems to have more of an impact coming off the bench.

[pete 2,499]

I dont think Novo is the one though. Im not sure who is, but as Ive said many a time, Novo seems to have more of an impact coming off the bench.

Personally i would prefer the 4-3-3\4-5-1 with Beasly and Aaron as the wide men and surprise nacho Novo through the middle. Hitting high balls up to Boyd is easy fodder for the Celtic defence whereas they lack in speed and mobility.

Boyd is for me the impact player who should come off the bench and his record against Celtic would back that up. Cousin or velicka would be my second choice if the Nacho thing wasn't working which it wouldn't if we are forced back into a permanent 4-5-1. I don't know how fit cousin is as he has not played yet but i still believe he is our best striker.

[Jon 0]

I cant make up my mind if Im looking forward to the game or dreading it.

 

We can and should be able to win the game. I just dont think anyone, WS include knows the best starting 11 or formation.

[pete 2,499]

I cant make up my mind if Im looking forward to the game or dreading it.

 

We can and should be able to win the game. I just dont think anyone, WS include knows the best starting 11 or formation.

 

Against Celtic i would virtually put my mortgage on a 4-5-1.

[Super_Ally 0]

Against Celtic i would virtually put my mortgage on a 4-5-1.

 

Agreed, my issue is I dont think we have the main striker to make it work.

 

Cousin is the only one who could, unfortunately the mental side of his make-up as a professional footballer doesn't contribute the physical.

 

There is no way he will play and so there is no way we should contemplate 4-5-1 unless we are hoping to secure victory via luck rather than through superior playing ability.

[Jon 0]

Tend to agree. Please not Miller up fron though, or on the wing.

 

Id love to see us really go for it but just cant see it happening.

[pete 2,499]

Agreed, my issue is I dont think we have the main striker to make it work.

 

Cousin is the only one who could, unfortunately the mental side of his make-up as a professional footballer doesn't contribute the physical.

 

There is no way he will play and so there is no way we should contemplate 4-5-1 unless we are hoping to secure victory via luck rather than through superior playing ability.

 

Then it is a cert Miller or JCD will will lead the line. i would think he will go for JCD.

[alexscottislegend 2,064]

With the next challenge to our title winning aspirations being the toughest game of our SPL calendar, is it time for Walter to finally depart from the formation that served him so well last season.

 

On first viewing, that opening paragraph perhaps seems like a ridiculous decision; why change a winning formula? However, many will agree that whilst the defensive 4-5-1 formation, with equally defensive, counter attacking tactics served us so well in our exciting run to the UEFA cup final, it also likely cost us important domestic games.

 

While we were getting results, against arguable superior opposition, and but for the intervention of our own governing body looked odds on for an unprecedented quadruple, there were few murmurs of discontent. Though many were unhappy at the way we played the game and demanded ball playing midfielders were bought in the summer transfer window to link our stingy defence to attack.

 

Onto this summer and the manager has brought in these midfielders, albeit a few weeks too late, in the shape of Mendes, Edu, Aaron and the return of Davis.

 

Early signs were encouraging as Mendes ran the show on his debut alongside Thomson. With Davis returning to the squad in time for the Aberdeen game, in the first half some of the interchanging in the middle of the park was reminiscent of the Advocaat era. The one complaint being that for all that the possession football was pretty, chances for the forwards were still at a premium.

 

With a wealth of options in midfield, the management's greatest excuse for employing the ultra-cautious 4-5-1. Now many have argued that with the right players this 4-5-1 formation actually becomes a 4-3-3 when in possession. However, our club's insistence on playing solid, less attacking and pacy midfielders does not lend itself to this malleable formation.

 

Certainly the true, pacy, tricky wide players are available to the manager. Players like Beasley, Novo and Aaron. And in the case of the first two, they will also provide some defensive qualities when necessary, with a willingness to chase back.

 

So, the central midfield players are there, the forwards/wingers are there if the manager so chooses to employ this 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation. The only question is do we have the lone striker capable of spear heading this formation? A formation largely made popular by Jose Mourinho's Chelsea. Where Makelele anchored the midfield, Lampard dictated the play through the middle and the likes of Robben and Cole supported Didier Drogba at the spearhead.

 

And it is at the spearhead that Rangers fall down. Didier Drogba is a bit of a special case in European football. I am not arguing he is the greatest striker in the game, although at his peak he was certainly one of them. However there are very few like him that can single-handed trouble an entire back line. His combination of raw power, pace, skill, technical ability, aerial strength and shooting ability allowed him to perform the role of lone striker like possibly no other player could.

 

Do Rangers have a player in the squad with similar ability and playing style to the Ivorian? Not as far as this author can see. Perhaps the one player who most closely resembles a player with these attributes is fellow African Daniel Cousin. The Gabonese striker is strong, relatively pacy, tall and with good feet. However he has a terrible attitude and is unlikely to feature for the club again.

 

With Novo the best candidate to fill a right wing berth at Parkhead, the candidates for the lone striker role this Sunday are Kris Boyd, Jean-Claude Darcheville, Kenny Miller, Andrius Velicka and injury dependant, Kyle Lafferty.

 

Despite being the one true goal-scorer in the squad, Kris Boyd will not be deployed as a lone striker, due to a lack of mobility and despite improvements in this area, a lack of ability to hold the ball up. Jean-Claude Darcheville has strength and pace in abundance. However he cannot be relied upon to last 90-minutes and is composure in front of goal is also in question.

 

New-recruit Andreas Velicka has performed this role well against the Old Firm in his previous spell in Scotland. He�s strong, can hold the ball up well and has an eye for goal. Unfortunately, perhaps due to his lack of rest in going directly from a competitive Scottish season, to a Norwegian season and back to a new season in Scotland, Velicka has struggled for form resulting in him being dropped for yesterday�s game at Aberdeen.

 

Kenny Miller, a man who if played, as this fan suspects he will, could do with a goal and there�s no time better than tomorrow. However, his frankly embarrassing career stats suggest it is unlikely he would be capable of finishing if he found himself in a position to do so. You get 100% effort from Miller, he runs the channels, he works the defence and he has some pace. However, when this formation worked so effectively for Chelsea, the spearhead was a 30+ goals a season striker. Miller is more like a 5 goals a season striker.

 

Lafferty, returning from a knock and being a relatively inexperienced player, has height, good feet and again a little pace. However he has played much of his career out of position on the left wing and is unlikely to be thrust into such a high-profile, high-tension game with all the goal-scoring pressure on his shoulders.

 

It appears obvious to this fan, that whilst we may now have the defence and midfield capable of making this 4-5-1 formation an effective ploy, we do not have the key player at the business end of the field to make it successful.

 

Recent upsets at Parkhead have shown that the way to get to Celtic and upset their game plan is to go at them from the first whistle. Not sitting back, inviting pressure and hoping to hit on the break as we have done with the 4-5-1. The obvious solution is to partner two of our attackers upfront in a 4-4-2. We have begun the season playing 4-4-2, picking up 2 wins and a draw that would be 3 wins but for our questionable officials. And whilst performances have not been thrilling, gelling a strike partnership takes time. For me it is time to pursue our best attacking partnership and give it time. Partner the goals of Kris Boyd with the pace and running of one of our other strikers, be that Lafferty, Darcheville, Novo (who I would however, start on the right v Celtic) or perhaps even Miller.

 

Go 4-4-2, go with Boyd and a.n.other and go for goals. That is my wish for this weekendââ?¬â?¢s opening Old Firm clash. I do however predict the inevitable 4-5-1 with the goal-shy Miller ââ?¬Å?leadingââ?¬Â the attack.

 

A great article if I may say so. Only thing I would add is I don't see why so many bears are upset about Davis on the right. Yesterday he was not a touchline-hugger, he was coming inside and linking quite effectively I thought. With Novo there he has cover down the right. I'd go for 70 minutes of JCD up front though. For the last 20? Now there's real dilemma...