Ossie and Micheal Appleton were one MOTD2 extra yesterday saying how important it's been for Burnley not changing their back 4. And they've only had to change Heaton because of his shoulder and that having that consistency in your defensive gives confidence to the rest of the team etc.
Yet it's been like playing musical chairs on a merry-go-round for us this season.
Ruzomberok (H) 1-0
Stek
Martina - Keane - Williams - Baines
Ruzomberok (A) 0-1
Pickford
Davies - Keane - Williams - Jagielka - Baines
Stoke (H) 1-0
Pickford
DCL - Keane - Williams - Jagielka - Baines
Hajduk Split (H) 2-0
Pickford
Martina - Keane - Williams - Baines
Man City (A) 1-1
Pickford
Holgate - Keane - Williams - Jagielka - Baines
Hajduk Split (A) 1-1
Pickford
Martina - Keane - Williams - Baines
Chelsea (A) 2-0
Pickford
Holgate - Keane - Williams - Jagielka - Baines
Spurs (H) 0-3
Pickford
Martina - Keane - Williams - Baines
Atalanta (A) 3-0
Stek
Holgate - Keane - Jagielka - Baines
Man U (A) 4-0
Pickford
Martina - Keane - Williams - Jagielka - Baines
Keane has had a different right back next to him every single game this season. That to me is just absolute madness. It's just such a bizarre thing to do, especially when we're being thrashed every game at the moment.
We've started with 5 at the back and 4 at the back both five times so far this season. We've shipped goals in each of these formations. Yesterday we got absolutely battered for the first 10-15 minutes until Jags (the glorious leader of our back 5) realised that they could actually go outside of the box and push up a bit.
That coupled with the fact that our 'strikers' like to come into our own half to get the ball just knackers us for space and having no wide players does the same, so it's just a compressed mess in the middle of the pitch. And when we do manage to get the ball we're in our own half and trying to counter attack - which in itself poses as a problem as we have no pace and our 'strikers' and #10s are then having to go out wide to get the ball rather than through the middle.
I absolutely hate us playing both Gueye and Schneiderlin as well. They offer absolutely nothing attacking wise together esepcially Schneiderlin who needs dropping.
Chelsea, City, Spurs and even United to an extent last night all play with 1 main DM. I really don't see why Gueye can not do that job himself and have Klassen or Davies next to him to offer some headless chicken running support but be the main link between the back *insert random defense here* and the attacking players. Rather than Rooney having to come into our own half and get the ball from them on the edge of the D and then have no one in front of him when he turns.
Hopefully he uses that next 5 games to enstil some consistency into the starting 11 and sort out this rancid midfield and attack. All of the next 5 games are winnable, but if we lost 1 of them I'd honestly just throw him into the bin.* I think Sunderland game is a great chance to try and start to build up on something with a strong team and get some consistency going... but I don't think that will happen. We'll play 4 at the back, with Holgate on the right. Stek will start in goal and Besic will start in midfield. Nailed on.
* he won't though because Kenwright.