Thoughts from Hart in Kingston

[themodelcitizen]

throw in a striker like Friend and you could have a front grouping like:

Friend

Simpson - De Rosario - Jackson

Hutchinson - de Guzman

With Simpson and De Rosario told to switch up positions when fit, and the same for the pairing of Friend and Jackson.

When defending a lead or playing in an environment that requires it, switch to:

Jackson

Simpson De Rosario

Hutchinson - Bernier - de Guzman

With the same kind of switching going on between the front 3.

[Soju]

^So play the exact lineup that didn't work against Greece, only switch JDG for Johnson? Why? This is an old rant of mine but we don't cross enough to warrant using a target man and Hart is not adjusting this - so - goodbye Friend and Occean hello a more mobile lone forward who can drop and link up better. DeRo, Jackson, Simpson, Radz and Gerba are all options.

[loyola]

^So play the exact lineup that didn't work against Greece, only switch JDG for Johnson? Why? This is an old rant of mine but we don't cross enough to warrant using a target man and Hart is not adjusting this - so - goodbye Friend and Occean hello a more mobile lone forward who can drop and link up better. DeRo, Jackson, Simpson, Radz and Gerba are all options.

Gerba is mobile?

I agree that we aren't crossing enough and when we do the quality is often suspect but the recent opposition might be a reason for that. From what I can recall when we play our typical CONCACAF opponents we usually have more opportunities to cross, but like I said the quality is usually poor. Radz, Simpson or DeRo up front in a 4-2-3-1 wouldn't help IMO unless we can find midfielders who are able to play penetrating balls with some consistency. I also doubt Simpson or DeRo would've enough space to go on crazy runs like they often do from the sides.

I still don't quite understand why Hart hasn't try another system in a friendly. I'm not sure what it would look like but a 4-4-2 should be try at some point, it could help change our attacking style which hasn't been going no where since 2009.

[jpg75]

I still don't quite understand why Hart hasn't try another system in a friendly. I'm not sure what it would look like but a 4-4-2 should be try at some point, it could help change our attacking style which hasn't been going no where since 2009.

I've been saying this over and over! Hart is married to this formation and i understand he wants to instill a system, but you have to have some flexibility and adapt your formation when the situation warrants it. You have to have something in between a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-3-3, and there will come a time when a 4-4-2 makes sense - like playing Mexico at home or at Cuba - when the other systems perhaps are too offensive or defensive for the occassion.

Strong opponent on the road -> 4-2-3-1 (Mex, US, Costa Rica, Honduras)

Strong opponent at home, weakish road opponent -> 4-4-2 (Mex, US, T&T, Cuba)

Very weak road opponent, weakish and weaker home opponent -> 4-3-3 (St. VAG etc., Caribbean minnows etc.)

[BearcatSA]

Gerba is mobile?

I don't see that either. But he's clearly the best poacher striker at international level for us, so he gets the job and we'll see how he does later in the year. Hopefully, he will deliver.

As for a 4-4-2, I truly believe we'd be much more exposed defensively if we went that route. I think we'd give up a lot more scoring opportunities, especially off fast break counterattacks from midfield turnovers.

[Lord Bob]

Gerba is like a truck. Slow to get going, but once he gets up a head of steam hard to stop. He's not mobile in the classical sense but he can move.

[BearcatSA]

^Here's my take on Gerba (and I didn't watch him at all last year, so that's worth noting): he's always been a bit of a tweener as lone striker up top. Definitely not a guy who's going to hang off the shoulder of the CB and accelerate away from his marker to latch on to a through ball, but I never was that impressed with his target man hold up skills and possession maintenance at international level. One of the arguments given when he is ineffective is that he doesn't receive the right kind of service (specifically, ball played to feet with his back to goal). An opponent, knowing this, can do a better job of game planning against this. That was in evidence vs Honduras in the last Gold Cup.

Gerba's got a drive for goal and also a great heavy shot and based on what I have seen from our centre forward contingent, his international track record for scoring puts him at the top of depth list. In the end, it's about playing the guy that gives us the best chance of winning. I can see Occean getting more of a look but I think Friend's running out of opportunities: he's just not making enough good things happen from a team perspective, regardless of his goalscoring issues.

I always pull for Friend because his career has been a product of work ethic, attitude, and determination. He's gotten a lot more mileage out of his talent than too many other guys involved in the national team set up who have had many more physical gifts but underachieved.