Strange how people don't like him now, I was sceptical when we hired him but I'm actually more and more convinced in him. It started after AM game where I thought we played quite smart and well.
I actaully have a funny concern - if we somehow get Coutinho and Griezman, Dembele back and so on..we will be able to control everyone, my concern is he will fell in that trap and expose us defensively. Now he has something like smaller team tactics plus Messi magic and that works for him.
If we get Coutinho I have no worries. Imo, he's also very underrated defensively when not used in attack. He's been playing as a wide midfielder for Brazil and did great. I think Coutinho is the total package myself. Been watching him a lot and he is not your typical Brazil talent with flair but one that is quite hard to train. Imo, he really is a team player. Will do what the manager asks him to do and is a humble, hard working dude. Barca player imo. The kind we need to pursue. Quality, but also hard working, and humble. Could be a better player for us than Neymar if we sign him next summer at the latest.
With Dembele I share your thoughts. He's quite a Neymar type, and not as tactically disciplined. Imo, one of the key aspects of how we play atm, is how everyone follows the instructions, only Messi has a more free role, but even he was not as free. In this Clasico he also shared tactical roles. We run a very tight operation atm. The plan is clear and the players put it in practice as rehearsed with Valverde and the rest of the staff. We're seeing a more structured, role-assigned team. We can do several things and switch between them according to our needs in the game. We can sit a bit back and absorb pressure, playing on the counter, we can have spells in which we dominate teams the old way, we can stall games using possession to just see games out meaning we don't pass unless we're sure the ball reaches the destination etc. The 4-4-2 is more useful when we try to absorb pressure, because it can be turned into a 4-4-1-1, 4-5-1 or other variations that are hard to beat in defense, while the 4-3-3 is more useful when you need to score and chase a game.
I would be curious to see if we can implement a 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 and viceversa adaptable system with these players, aligned like that:
and
Of course we can have some variations, with Roberto in midfield (or maybe Arthur / Goretzka / Alena etc.), and Semedo at RB.
I think it can work. Basically, I'd like us to be able to switch from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 (and also other variations like 4-2-3-1, 4-1-2-1-2) when we want, without having to make substitutions.
