WCQ: Canada vs Bermuda - March 25th 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific - Orlando FL

[narduch]

2 hours ago, Mikmacdo said:

 

Is Henry going to be fit? If so I'd consider starting him. 

K-League season starts this weekend so we will see if he plays. 

That being said I don't think we will be able to call him due to South Korea having a 14 day quarantine 

[lamptern]

Any news about live TV broadcasting? 

[DeRo_Is_King]

Here's what my squad would look like. Without Cav, I don't see a lot of strong attacking options on the bench. Also, this is assuming Hoilett will be healthy, as someone else indicated he is injured:

--------David--------Larin--------

----Millar----Arfield----Hoilett----

-------Eustaquio----Hutch--------

--Davies-----Vitoria-----Laryea---

--------------Borjan---------------

Bench:
Teibert
Piette
Oso
Kaye
Miller
Cordova
Crepeau

Now, I know it seems like there is a lack of CBs in the starting 11. However, my thought is that since we really don't have any proven high-quality options, why not leverage the presence of Eustaquio and Hutch (especially, Hutch) to drop back. This will also allow Davies and Laryea to get forward. It's not a long-term solution, but we need results right now if we want to progress. Whatever team that's fielded will never be the same at the WC anyway.

 

 

[An Observer]

1 hour ago, DeRo_Is_King said:

Here's what my squad would look like. Without Cav, I don't see a lot of strong attacking options on the bench. Also, this is assuming Hoilett will be healthy, as someone else indicated he is injured:

--------David--------Larin--------

----Millar----Arfield----Hoilett----

-------Eustaquio----Hutch--------

--Davies-----Vitoria-----Laryea---

--------------Borjan---------------

Bench:
Teibert
Piette
Oso
Kaye
Miller
Cordova
Crepeau

Now, I know it seems like there is a lack of CBs in the starting 11. However, my thought is that since we really don't have any proven high-quality options, why not leverage the presence of Eustaquio and Hutch (especially, Hutch) to drop back. This will also allow Davies and Laryea to get forward. It's not a long-term solution, but we need results right now if we want to progress. Whatever team that's fielded will never be the same at the WC anyway.

 

 

Against a side whose best player is a quality striker, this is a very risky strategy especially as both your fullbacks are attack oriented.  We know they are good a bunkering and they are fast.  I can picture them absorbing pressure, intercepting a ball, and then just hoofing it up the field and having their striker out run Vitoria from the center line.  1-0, then bunker some more and do the same as we start to commit even more men forward

[DeRo_Is_King]

13 minutes ago, An Observer said:

Against a side whose best player is a quality striker, this is a very risky strategy especially as both your fullbacks are attack oriented.  We know they are good a bunkering and they are fast.  I can picture them absorbing pressure, intercepting a ball, and then just hoofing it up the field and having their striker out run Vitoria from the center line.  1-0, then bunker some more and do the same as we start to commit even more men forward

I understand the concern, but our best players are attack-minded. 

Maybe Hutch should just play at CB then. I trust him in that spot way more than any of our other options at the moment. That would also give us four across the back with Eustaquio at CDM.

[Unnamed Trialist]

As I see it, we can't put Davies in the back line for Canada. In pretty well any match. It would be a tactical error.

We expect too much from him going forward, and as seen vs the US, he can get caught up and leave the backline exposed (he was really poor that match). So just take him out of that role altogether, and let someone else play LB and stay in a more defensive role, with no attacking expectations. You ensure your back line and defensive shape, and let Davies go forward and explore attacking options with the rest of our strike force. 

As we are weak at CB, even in the best of circumstances, we need a DM who can drop into the middle of the defence and help. Piette, Eustaquio--neither can do that job, you need more height. Kaye could do it, Atiba.

Then our other major problem is how to link from the back to the front. We need linking players, and I think we have them. Eustaquio seems like a good bet. Arfield, Osorio, even Hoillet. And then Davies, who I'd put at right mid with instructions to help the RB and go forwards to support Larin and David.

So a 4-4-2. We need to be a bit conservative defensively, and not lose shape by overextending any position on the pitch.

For me its Borjan, in front Henry and Vitoria or Kennedy (on form and in season), maybe Adekugbe at LB and Laryea RB. In front of the defense either Kaye or Atiba, or maybe Atiba playing in a double DM with Eustaquio/Arfield and alternating moving forwards or staying back. In the middle in AM, Davies. David and Larin up front. Something like this.

--------------David--------Larin--------

----Arfield--------Eustaquio------Davies---

----------------------Hutch-----------------

--Adekugbe----Vitoria----Henry-----Laryea

-----------------Borjan-------------

Edited February 24, 2021 by Unnamed Trialist

[DeRo_Is_King]

1 hour ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

 

--------------David--------Larin--------

----Arfield--------Eustaquio------Davies---

----------------------Hutch-----------------

--Adekugbe----Vitoria----Henry-----Laryea

-----------------Borjan-------------

That's a very nice front five, I must admit. Plus, it leaves an attacking option (Hoilett) on the bench. And I'm not a huge fan of putting Davies at fullback. Maybe Adekugbe does make sense in that spot.

I just don't trust Henry as a starting CB. Swap him out for Hutch and maybe put Kaye at CDM.  

[narduch]

6 hours ago, lamptern said:

Any news about live TV broadcasting? 

Right now its only on One Soccer.

[JamboAl]

My prediction is that Arfield, Henry and Hutchinson won’t be coming for various reasons.

[Tyson M]

I agree with the idea of starting one actual CB since it is our position with the least quality depth. I think we could really form an identity now as an attacking team and vs this group is the best way to try it out(no offence bc I do realize that Bermuda can/may score 1- but they ain't gonna outscore us). I think the best way to determine the lineup moving forward is to simply make a list of our top 11 players and then making a formation out of it(cmon guys, you've never played fm?!). Here's my list of top 15(you can argue the order, but generally speaking you will see we have alot better attackers than defenders).

1. Davies - obvious.

2. David - also obvious.

3. Hutch - for many years he was our only quality player with deguz, some speculate he's not getting called

4. Larin - scoring tonnes in Turkey

5. Arfield - an important midfielder at a relatively big club(UEFA), also might be left with his club

6. Borjan - team captain of a relatively big club(CL)

7. Estaquio - potentially a top 3 player for us, his importance cannot be understated

8. Hoillett - fading a bit but when he's on he can be great vs CONCACAF teams 

9. Osorio - spent a long time thinking you guys overrated this guy, but his quality is undeniable

10. Cavallini - tough year with aenemic Caps attack, but this guy is a fearless attacker

11. Kaye - good midfielder 

12. Laryea - watch enough TFC to see his ability(especially going forward!)

13. Millar - finally getting decent pro exposure and looking good, obnoxiously pacey

14. Adekugbe - decent LB, who I may or may not have bumped up to prove a point

15. Vitoria - sorry Piette, Crepeau, etc but I have to put a CB on here somewhere and it ain't gonna be Henry.

 

Now take the list and make a formation that gets ALL the top guys in...

I think that puts us with 3 at the back & likely Davies in midfield...

Not trying to get a conversation on why one guy belongs 2 spots up or some other bologna, I think we can all agree that we have alot more quality in forward positions. We can help the 3 in the back with a couple of #6's(which we have) but we can't leave Hoilett or even Millar on the bench so that Miller or James can be on and watch while most teams bunker against us. This round would give us the opportunity to try to form an attacking identity so that we can continue to do so vs better opponents when the time comes.

 

 

[dyslexic nam]

41 minutes ago, Tyson M said:

I agree with the idea of starting one actual CB since it is our position with the least quality depth. I think we could really form an identity now as an attacking team and vs this group is the best way to try it out(no offence bc I do realize that Bermuda can/may score 1- but they ain't gonna outscore us). I think the best way to determine the lineup moving forward is to simply make a list of our top 11 players and then making a formation out of it(cmon guys, you've never played fm?!). Here's my list of top 15(you can argue the order, but generally speaking you will see we have alot better attackers than defenders).

1. Davies - obvious.

2. David - also obvious.

3. Hutch - for many years he was our only quality player with deguz, some speculate he's not getting called

4. Larin - scoring tonnes in Turkey

5. Arfield - an important midfielder at a relatively big club(UEFA), also might be left with his club

6. Borjan - team captain of a relatively big club(CL)

7. Estaquio - potentially a top 3 player for us, his importance cannot be understated

8. Hoillett - fading a bit but when he's on he can be great vs CONCACAF teams 

9. Osorio - spent a long time thinking you guys overrated this guy, but his quality is undeniable

10. Cavallini - tough year with aenemic Caps attack, but this guy is a fearless attacker

11. Kaye - good midfielder 

12. Laryea - watch enough TFC to see his ability(especially going forward!)

13. Millar - finally getting decent pro exposure and looking good, obnoxiously pacey

14. Adekugbe - decent LB, who I may or may not have bumped up to prove a point

15. Vitoria - sorry Piette, Crepeau, etc but I have to put a CB on here somewhere and it ain't gonna be Henry.

 

Now take the list and make a formation that gets ALL the top guys in...

I think that puts us with 3 at the back & likely Davies in midfield...

Not trying to get a conversation on why one guy belongs 2 spots up or some other bologna, I think we can all agree that we have alot more quality in forward positions. We can help the 3 in the back with a couple of #6's(which we have) but we can't leave Hoilett or even Millar on the bench so that Miller or James can be on and watch while most teams bunker against us. This round would give us the opportunity to try to form an attacking identity so that we can continue to do so vs better opponents when the time comes.

 

 

No way we should play 1 CB against a speedy team that will bunker down and then burst out in a fast counter attack.  I don’t want to rest our WC qualifying hopes on the idea that we will both just start swinging haymakers and we will try to land more than them.  We have a team of players that generally play at a higher level and have a degree of professionalism that Bermuda may not have across their starting 11.  We shouldn’t throw that advantage and tactic away because we are weaker in one position - and where things aren’t actually as bleak as we sometimes like to think.  

[grigorio]

10 hours ago, lamptern said:

 

"I don’t see Herdman taking any gambles with his selection. These are the two biggest matches of his managerial career thus far. As others have pointed out Bermuda is a threat. "

If Arfield showed up at Florida, that would be a clear sign he is not gambling. 

I know, let's give em a half-assed lineup to lull them into some false sense of superiority to then surprise them with a sneak attack good lineup the second time we play them. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

7 hours ago, Tyson M said:

I agree with the idea of starting one actual CB since it is our position with the least quality depth. I think we could really form an identity now as an attacking team and vs this group is the best way to try it out(no offence bc I do realize that Bermuda can/may score 1- but they ain't gonna outscore us). I think the best way to determine the lineup moving forward is to simply make a list of our top 11 players and then making a formation out of it(cmon guys, you've never played fm?!). Here's my list of top 15(you can argue the order, but generally speaking you will see we have alot better attackers than defenders).

1. Davies - obvious.

2. David - also obvious.

3. Hutch - for many years he was our only quality player with deguz, some speculate he's not getting called

.........

I'm relieved you thought Borjan was one of our top 15 players, otherwise you would have been left with putting Hoillet in goal or something.

Edited February 24, 2021 by Unnamed Trialist

[gator]

2 hours ago, JamboAl said:

My prediction is that Arfield, Henry and Hutchinson won’t be coming for various reasons.

I'm just wondering if Arfield may be available if Rangers have clinched the league by then, they are very close already and in reality the race is over!

[jordan]

Maybe it will depend on Europa, and quarantine restrictions from nations they play in

[Alex]

If Arfield, Hoilett and Millar can’t come because of quarantine restrictions then Bermudas UK players are out too, which is a much bigger loss for them because of who replaces them in their lineup. As far as which clubs hold players back well I can’t predict that. 

[Tyson M]

22 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I'm relieve you thought Borjan was one of our top 15 players, otherwise you would have been left with putting Hoillet in goal or something.

Better than him on the bench! jk... but some lineups will put Hoilett on the bench if we don't do a back 3.

Technically speaking we should have 3 CBs to do a proper back 3 but with 2 6's I think we could pull it off. It also works great vs a countering team. Also, it's not like we're inventing a formation, many successful teams have played with 3 at the back.... it's really just an idea. I think we win this one either way, so it's more in the long run is there a way to get better players on the pitch. One idea would be to simply put Hutch at CB(if he comes), then we have 4. Or we could put Davies in back 4(I think this is a particularily bad decision for this game, but maybe vs stronger teams) which frees up another spot in the attack.

[dyslexic nam]

I know most people prefer Davies on the wing but I do wonder about using him at LB specifically against a fast counterattacking team.  For Bayern he regularly chases down guys bombing down the wing and with a defensive pool that isn’t generally known for its speed he may be able to help extinguish what we are seeing as the main threat.   With him and Laryea is FBs we would be less susceptible to the counter.  This would be specifically used for the Bermuda games and not something I would advocate against the other teams.  
 

Just a thought. 

Edited February 24, 2021 by dyslexic nam

[Unnamed Trialist]

3 minutes ago, dyslexic nam said:

I know most people prefer Savies up front but I do wonder about using him at LB specifically against a fast counterattacking team.  For Bayern he regularly chases down guys bombing down the wing and with a defensive pool that isn’t generally known for its speed he may be able to help extinguish what we are seeing as the main threat.   With him and Laryea is FBs we would be less susceptible to the counter.  This would be specifically used for the Bermuda games and not something I would advocate against the other teams.  
 

Just a thought. 

Edit your post or some posters are going to freak out.....

[dyslexic nam]

6 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Edit your post or some posters are going to freak out.....

Multitasking...   Edited 

[Obinna]

I just made a post in the Davies thread pointing out that he's been less-than-impressive at winger for Bayern over the last couple of matches. Don't get me wrong, I still think Davies is a winger or forward for Canada, but I have been slightly concerned seeing him make zero impact with his chances at winger late in games. I know, different circumstances and certainly a different caliber of opponent going from Frankfurt/Lazio to Bermuda/Cayman, but nonetheless I think enough about it to share my thoughts. 

Hopefully he can turn it on when he starts further up field for Canada, because lately for Bayern he's been slow to adjust to winger. Too many passes backward and not enough taking players on, forward runs into space, etc.

Basically what concerns me is that he was playing at winger with a full back mentality, which may be called for considering they were protecting a 4-1 lead, but it wasn't much better against Frankfurt and they needed a goal in that game. It's not what you want to see if your a Canadian fan expecting Davies to be a key attacking option in WCQ.

[baulderdash77]

We have typically played a 3-4-3 against weaker teams and a 4-3-3 against better teams.

As tempting as it is to play Davies at LB- for Canada I see him as a winger because we need the scoring push up front more.

I’m comfortable to start Miller and Laryea out of the full back positions in a 4 player back line or Miller at CB in a 3 player back line.  He’s fine back there.  Similarly Vitoria is fine at CB at all times.  It’s the other CB position that worries me.

Cornelius, James and Henry are the next best CB in our player pool and they all have been shaky or inconsistent and that worries me and everyone on this board the most.

[archer21]

I’d be shocked/disappointed if I saw a back 3 with Davies and/or Laryea in the back 3. It would shackle them and keep them from attacking, which is the opposite of what we want. If Davies is playing LB (which I don’t necessarily want), I’d want it to be with 4 (or even 5) at the back. That lets him play as essentially another winger. Our problem in the 2nd USA match in my opinion was that he kept trying to attack, and we didn’t have good enough defensive cover for him when he got caught up the field. 

[dyslexic nam]

29 minutes ago, Obinna said:

I just made a post in the Davies thread pointing out that he's been less-than-impressive at winger for Bayern over the last couple of matches. Don't get me wrong, I still think Davies is a winger or forward for Canada, but I have been slightly concerned seeing him make zero impact with his chances at winger late in games. I know, different circumstances and certainly a different caliber of opponent going from Frankfurt/Lazio to Bermuda/Cayman, but nonetheless I think enough about it to share my thoughts. 

Hopefully he can turn it on when he starts further up field for Canada, because lately for Bayern he's been slow to adjust to winger. Too many passes backward and not enough taking players on, forward runs into space, etc.

Basically what concerns me is that he was playing at winger with a full back mentality, which may be called for considering they were protecting a 4-1 lead, but it wasn't much better against Frankfurt and they needed a goal in that game. It's not what you want to see if your a Canadian fan expecting Davies to be a key attacking option in WCQ.

That is what I have seen as well.  At LB he mostly just passes back to one of his CBs.  I would love to see a visual representation of where his passes go because I would bet that in the last few games he is over 50% just passing back to one of his CBs.  Not being critical - it makes sense.   He is you and has far less experience than those around him.  He also doesn’t want to  risk of losing possession because it can be far more harmful if you lose it in defence than attack. I suspect he is doing exactly what his coach wants him to do.  So he usually just works it around the back while Bayern probe for an opening - usually via one of the other defenders.  
 

Davies’ main attacking threat seems to be the overlapping runs he makes now.  He is a very effective LB but the reality is that the more he plays this position the less he will be an all-out attacker.  And the reality is that we are essentially the ones who are now seeking to play him out of position.   

[Obinna]

1 hour ago, baulderdash77 said:

We have typically played a 3-4-3 against weaker teams and a 4-3-3 against better teams.

As tempting as it is to play Davies at LB- for Canada I see him as a winger because we need the scoring push up front more.

I’m comfortable to start Miller and Laryea out of the full back positions in a 4 player back line or Miller at CB in a 3 player back line.  He’s fine back there.  Similarly Vitoria is fine at CB at all times.  It’s the other CB position that worries me.

Cornelius, James and Henry are the next best CB in our player pool and they all have been shaky or inconsistent and that worries me and everyone on this board the most.

I almost agree with this post entirely. The only thing I would mention is that Cornelius has been pretty solid for Canada in his 13 appearances. It's his play with Vancouver that's been not-so-solid. Actually, that might not even be fair to say, because he's had stretches in MLS where he's been pretty good. I guess the knock on him is not convincing Dos Santos to make him a consistent starter. As far as Canada goes, the one blemish was his slip on the grass in the 2020 camp poutine. 

Edited February 24, 2021 by Obinna