With Wingers (More of an inside Forward/Wide Attacking Mid-fielder with Alaba giving width) -

James Lewa Robben
Vidal Thiago Tolisso
Defense

Or in a changed formation -

4-2-3-1

Lewa(Muller)
Ribery/Coman James(Muller) Robben
Thiago Vidal (Tolisso)

Or in a 4-3-1-2

Lewa (Muller) Robben
James
Thiago Tolisso Vidal

If we switch to a 4-3-1-2, then Ribery is done (in what is likely his last season). He just doesn't have the goal-scoring threat & tactical flexibility to adapt to a non-wing position.

Robben will definitely start, he is as good as he has ever been if not better. And he will be amazing in a 2 ST position behind Lewa, his genius is wasted in the wing where he is double & triple marked & has only 1 foot with little space. In the WC he played off RVP & was amazing, in Bayern with a better team, off Lewa or Muller, he will be amazing.

Basically it depends on who performs how. If Muller is on fire, then I think we will try to squeeze James into LW & Muller as 2nd ST. If Tolisso is on fire, we will go to a 4-3-1-2 Diamond or a 4-3-3 with James as 10 & LW. It also depends on how good James is in the wing.

I don't think he is a winger but can Carlo get him to work as an inside forward type with Alaba providing width? That will be the 1st experiment, James as LAM type, it doesn't work we shift to a formation with James as 10. I don't think we go to a 4-2-3-1 with James as 10 as they we have 3 wing options for 2 spots - A finished Ribery, an injury prone Robben & a rookie Coman. We will probably go to a Diamond type formation & Coman is smart enough to adapt to that.

This is Ancelotti, he has no problem finding ways to play a number of creative players.

We'll probably see:


With Muller being the number 1 rotation option for any of the front 4.

James is a prime scrub killer, not di maria level, but good enough to deliver the bundesliga title by february.

he will end the season with like 10 goals, 20 assists, his final ball is quality

ioilersrock448 wrote:---------------------------Neuer---------------------
--Kimmich---Hummels-------Boateng--------Alaba
--------------------Vidal----------Thiago-----------
---Robben--------------Mueller------------Ribery----
-------------------------Lewandowski---------

Bench: James

^^There... right there

THIS. THIS. THIS.

We played the best football of the season with this line up. But Ancelotti HAD to field Alonso at the Bernabeu

Mr Nick09 wrote:James is a prime scrub killer, not di maria level, but good enough to deliver the bundesliga title by february.

he will end the season with like 10 goals, 20 assists, his final ball is quality

Yeah I guess its good to have him. Actually looking forward to seeing him play for us, since he scores some beauties now and then.
And considering what money is being paid this window, it's a pretty good deal for us.
I'm not complaining.

Hapless_Hans wrote:

ioilersrock448 wrote:---------------------------Neuer---------------------
--Kimmich---Hummels-------Boateng--------Alaba
--------------------Vidal----------Thiago-----------
---Robben--------------Mueller------------Ribery----
-------------------------Lewandowski---------

Bench: James

^^There... right there

THIS. THIS. THIS.

We played the best football of the season with this line up. But Ancelotti HAD to field Alonso at the Bernabeu

There, right there, this is not 2013

Hapless_Hans wrote:

ioilersrock448 wrote:---------------------------Neuer---------------------
--Kimmich---Hummels-------Boateng--------Alaba
--------------------Vidal----------Thiago-----------
---Robben--------------Mueller------------Ribery----
-------------------------Lewandowski---------

Bench: James

^^There... right there

THIS. THIS. THIS.

We played the best football of the season with this line up. But Ancelotti HAD to field Alonso at the Bernabeu

As if it would have mattered. You would have just lost by less.

Doc wrote:

Hapless_Hans wrote:

ioilersrock448 wrote:---------------------------Neuer---------------------
--Kimmich---Hummels-------Boateng--------Alaba
--------------------Vidal----------Thiago-----------
---Robben--------------Mueller------------Ribery----
-------------------------Lewandowski---------

Bench: James

^^There... right there

THIS. THIS. THIS.

We played the best football of the season with this line up. But Ancelotti HAD to field Alonso at the Bernabeu

As if it would have mattered. You would have just lost by less.

Real Madrid needed a paid or nonsensical ref to win & were getting outplayed at your own ground. It was a City vs Stoke game. You guys have no chance to win against Bayern without the ref or without big tactical blunders from Bayern ! It is more about Bayern losing or luck that Real winning.

"It's more Bayern losing."
Well, yeah, you lost. 4 times in a row too under 2 different managers. At this point, have nothing to do with luck and "nonsensical refereeing", Madrid is just a better team than Bayern at this point and I would like to remind Hans about that every fortnight.

Until we probably lose to them eventually.