So it looks like we're going to have a AM centric style

And play Spain NT type sideways passing style.  Just wan y'all to know.

Asensio, Isco, Hazard and James...  1 of them will be on the bench.

My feeling is that we're going look like this:
Modric-Kroos
Bale-Asensio-Isco-Hazard
CF

Unless Bale gets sold, I think he gets ostracized.  I can see James taking over there quickly. He doesn't have the technique to play a short passing style and he's not a CF.

We will always play the same backline and midfield trident. The only unknowns are the attack. I think we play likd this:


Isco probably retains his LAM role he has for Spain. Lope wants James back probably to play RAM. Thaf leaves Hazard who I bet is someone the club wants not the coach. If he comes, he takes the LAM role. CF has to be somebody really fast because this team will be as slow as a turtle

Since you guys will most likey take Hazard over Neymar or Mbappe that leaves you woth only the CF position to worry about.

Who do you think it will be? Or Lord Benzema?

I think the most affordable option will be Icardi since he has a release clause set at 110m €
Kane will be almost twice more expensive and Lewandowski will not be a long term solution.

We don’t get the ideal (Mbappe) until next year, in the interim we getLewandowski and Rodrigo and send Benzema packing to Italy.

There is absolutely 0 way Casemiro doesnt start

If you flood the midfield and play close lines, you don't need a destroyer DM.  You need a CM that can move the ball and has defensive capabilities.  

A DM is necessary if your defense doesn't push high and there's a lot of open space to cover for the midfield in transition.  Then, you need a guy that can cover a lot of that real estate.

It really comes down to how Lopotegui is looking to set up.  Busquets is the perfect type.  Kroos...  not so much but may be workable.  Casemiro...  unless he gets MUCH better with the ball, no.

we are gonna look like Spain trying to defend the counter. No, Lopetegui knows well the value of Casemiro, he is a sure thing starter

You can't play half a style... that's a losing strategy if that happens.

I just hope Casemiro is able to move the ball well enough or he's not going to be around very long imo. I have the same sentiment about Bale btw... he better show a lot more technique than he has. We're no longer going to be a counter attacking team. Spaces will be far tighter.

It really all comes down to whether Lopotegui is going to implement the Spain NT style or something else.

One point about Casemiro- he was utilized perfectly in the season where we won CL and LL with Zidane. Casemiro started the more difficult matches where we required more defensive balance, but was left on the bench in more straight forward “easy” LL games in lieu of a more attacking midfielder like Isco. Last season he basically started every match he could. I just hope Lopetegui realizes that our midfield doesn’t always need to be Kroos, Case, Modric. Or even if it has to be- push Modric further forward, more as an attacking mid.

Lopetegui has already used Casemiro is his possession based system well in the past. i think he understands how to use Casemiro better than you think. Porto showed potential when they rekt Bayern in their home CL game few years back 3-1 if i recall.

You can play a possession based style without going to extremes ala tiki taki. We do have a coach and players that point to us playing a certain way but i think there will still be an appreciation for the importance of quick vertical play and good transitions in attack and defense.

I think it is likely that we will see Lopetegui experiment different things early on and even have different game plans/starting 11's based on the situation, similar to Zidane's A team B Team thing. I'm more worried about overbooking than lack of options at this point. We should see good pressing too, like Cryuff said, if  he had to defend a big area he was the worst defender, give him a small space and hes the best defender. With Ronaldo out in particular, and Benzema too tbh, it should be easier to have more energized pressing in the front of the pitch and good tracking back. I would think 4141, 433, and 4231 are most likely layouts.

Sports, i think with your suggested line up there are more than 11 players on the pitch

They didn't have better options at Porto... Casemiro is a good player. But he is limited. i think we'll quickly realize that we can't play Kroos, Modric and Casemiro together in a possession oriented system. To me, Casemiro is the odd man out due to his issues on the ball.

That said, as Deez mentioned, there are specific games where we will need Cas. He's more a tactical option going forward imo than a regular piece.

Noticed that too, I think sports meant to put Isco/Asensio.

I do agree with sports to an extent, I think it will be more AM centric than Zidane of course, but I think it will look more like:


The biggest positive we can draw from that, is that all of these players can be fluid, interchanging players across midfield and AM areas.

The big drawback, however, is that we will have at least 2 absolute quality players sitting out and that can cause problems.

That being said, Bale is always injured, we could sit Benz to play a false 9, as as I alluded to earlier Casemiro could be rotated out in easier fixtures where we don't need as much defensive balance. It could be difficult to keep everyone happy, but we will see what happens.

And the better option at madrid is who? Kroos? he is an absolute scrub defensively when he is playing alone as a pivot. I dont even know why you are entertaining this.

i know full well we can't play Kroos-Casemiro-Modric in a poss oriented scheme. We can't, but it's going to be a bit flat. the odd man out to me is kroos, just saying...

If you don't mind me asking why is Kroos the odd one? He can keep the ball very well, which is basically your nr 1 priority in a possession-oriented system

Total football... if that's where we're headed... won't leave Kroos or anyone on an island.

guest7 wrote:If you don't mind me asking why is Kroos the odd one? He can keep the ball very well, which is basically your nr 1 priority in a possession-oriented system

because i think it's not acceptable for a midfielder to be good on only one side of the game. Off the ball, Kroos is a walking disaster. He can't play by himself and be decent, you needs a defensive player next to him like a camel needs water.

In comparison, i find Modric way more complete and that's why he is a better player. Modric has more stamina to run around the pitch, gets stuck in challenges, runs hard to recover his position, and he is athletically able to be efficient at least.

Kroos? no, that's why he is my odd man out.

Federico Valverde could possibly become the perfect player to take over from Casemiro some day, rather have him than have Ceballos waste his and our time, he should get loaned imo. Kroos' problem is that he's a bit slow and lethargic to be a good ball winner, also part of the problem why Isco hasn't been used a lot as an "inside midfielder" in our team throughout the years. If we stay compact enough though there is a small chance Kroos can survive lol, but it is not optimal.

Modric, great as he is, will be 33 in September. He's bound to need rotation (especially given the full CL and World Cup runs), and, in the short to medium term, replacement

JLS saying the club is not expecting a galactico signing this summer and will bet on their talents  

Time to start praying that Bale stays fit and Benz magically rediscovers his scoring boots after 2 seasons. I feel like the club is getting tricked by Bale being healthy last season due to him not starting games week in, week out.

Also the club is showing way too much faith in Asensio, the guy was behind Lucas all season under Zizou and for NT.

Well this is what winning multiple CLs get you. A club unwilling to take needless risk because they are already at the top. Its a common sense approach that is hard to argue against. And even if there are players we like on the market, they can't be signed because their clubs won't let them go.

Again we have alot of quality except at n9 which is stupidly weak with just benzema. So let's continue to wait to see what hapoens

Not liking the direction we're going. AM centric style is great for K.O. stages of a cup game but not for winning the league. Even in cup games, one needs a forward who makes countless runs for the AMs to have space and to score here and there in important games. I stand by, at least one potent forward is needed, Benzema isn't enough.
It won't even take half a season until the coach gets fired if we go all possession. In my opinion, not Casemiro but Kroos and Bale aren't compatible with total footy. Why adopt a style to castrate some of the CL winning cast? And Modric is in decline. Once, Johan is over the hills or probably mid season this year we''ll be even less of a total footy side.

all AMs and no scoring is the most frustrating thing in the world to watch btw....

sportsczy wrote:all AMs and no scoring is the most frustrating thing in the world to watch btw....

Let's wait and see how Lopetegui tinkers in the preseason. He might see the light and play with 2 goal scoring sources after all. Benz+ one of the youngsters maybe but a forward for sure.