The Mombaerts Revolution

[Imtellingyou]

Every other club was able to break down Glory system.  There was absolutely no alternative plan when the things don't go right.  It happens every single game when we are challenged.  This is the limitation which prevents us from achieving some success. 

[Harrison]

Not going to be a long post here but just wanted to have a look at our current best XI and also what kind of things we can expect with our shiny new player. 

On paper it seems a straight swap, Susaeta for Cabrera. A like for like if you will. Having watched a bit of Cabrera and Susaeta they seem quite similar in style. Susaeta likes to cross the ball a lot but finds himself in the box quite a bit. What impresses me most about him is the variety of goals he can score. He can finish from outside the box just as well as inside the box, he’s good with both feet and even scores with his head. He’s as complete a player as we will probably ever sign, in that he can do just about everything to a good level. Obviously a player with almost 400 La Liga appearances will be technically proficient but he has sublime skill and good speed. 

The thing I’m looking forward to seeing are the combinations we produce. Mombaerts calls them ‘fast combine movement’. We saw a bit of it with Cabrera, but the problem was Cabrera wasn’t consistently able to influence play and be part of that build up. Susaeta should be able to combine with the midfielders and forwards a lot more regularly given his skill under pressure, his composure and his movement. There have been times when we’ve been able to control a period of play with triangle and diamond combinations and Susaeta will slot in seamlessly here, to the point where I expect our play to sometimes resemble a Rondo. Does he play on the left or right? Perhaps the left, but we’ll have to see. Noone does better on the right, so it might be worth keeping him there because Susaeta will likely be fine on either side. 

An attack comprising Noone, Maclaren, Susaeta, Luna and Berenguer is intriguing. Can Susaeta be the key that unlocks the group? I think he absolutely will open up more avenues to goal for Berenguer and Luna. We might see more play go down his side, which drags the opposing defence and midfield to that side and in turn gives us a bit more space on the open side for Noone and that side’s FB. He and Maclaren could be devastating, provided Maclaren understands what kind of balls to expect (maybe more back post runs). 

A lot of this will come down to how well Susaeta adapts. Going by his history he’s a reliable player. Plenty of miles in those legs but obviously the conditions will test him. I’m sure he’s a bit rusty and not match fit but give that time. We could be looking at a more potent Melbourne City heading into the business end of the season. 

[Imtellingyou]

If Susaeta played mostly as RW, why should we accommodate Noone.

[Missing_Moy]

5 minutes ago, Imtellingyou said:

If Susaeta played mostly as RW, why should we accommodate Noone.

If it makes both wings dangerous it’s better for the team not just Noone 

[Harrison]

Just now, Imtellingyou said:

If Susaeta played mostly as RW, why should we accommodate Noone.

Noone seems a lot more involved in play on the right because he can cut in and cross from an inside position. Susaeta can probably play both sides to a high level. But what might happen anyway is they switch at HT, which is what happened with Cabrera and Noone earlier on. It depends on what works (including the combination between the near-side CM and the winger) but the theory is to get the most of your players by playing them where they’re most effective.

 

[belaguttman]

If he's been trained by Bielsa he'll also be good at defending and good at a coordinated team press

[Dylan]

Given his experience and pedigree  he could play anywhere in this bush league

[Thrillhouse]

dumb cunt not putting players on posts at corners 

[MHFC-FAN]

9 minutes ago, Thrillhouse said:

dumb cunt not putting players on posts at corners 

That's Mombaerts or Bouzanis? 

[Thrillhouse]

1 hour ago, MHFC-FAN said:

That's Mombaerts or Bouzanis? 

both, brain dead not to have players on posts

[jw1739]

10 hours ago, Thrillhouse said:

both, brain dead not to have players on posts

Completely agree. Absolutely dumb. Have lost confidence in Mombaerts now - just another over-rated CFG lackey.

[mus-28]

Famed for his work with youth and an uninspiring club record, pretty much follows the CFG blueprint of wanting us to develop players to sell. 

[Thrillhouse]

still didn't learn from last week regarding corners and putting players on posts, very lucky it was roux that had a free header

starting to question him even more by the week, our game plan is putrid, we have one of if not the best st in the league and weekly we're trying to pin point dink it over cb's for him to run onto.
crazy not to use subs and earlier too, noone was spent after doing nothing all game and susa pretty much the same unless drifting through the middle late in the game

[CityBoyz]

Said in the postgame learnt from last time out vs victory and decided to play a counter attacking game so they didn’t hit us on the break and have space behind. Worked a treat they didn’t have a clear cut chance other than the Glover blunder. 

[Harrison]

7 hours ago, CityBoyz said:

Said in the postgame learnt from last time out vs victory and decided to play a counter attacking game so they didn’t hit us on the break and have space behind. Worked a treat they didn’t have a clear cut chance other than the Glover blunder. 

Exactly. The game plan worked perfectly but it’s not as if we abandoned our principles. We still press high and set a pressing trap. We also still play fast combinations and try to link up in the half spaces. The long balls I think are a bit deceiving. Statistically in the past month we haven’t been making that many long passes compared to our direct opponent (similar numbers). And as Mombaerts said, Maclaren suits playing in behind, which is why we try to make those chipped passes every so often. It’s smart to incorporate it into the game plan because it makes us less predictable and creates more space between the opponents’ lines. 

[rass]

1 hour ago, Harrison said:

Exactly. The game plan worked perfectly but it’s not as if we abandoned our principles. We still press high and set a pressing trap. We also still play fast combinations and try to link up in the half spaces. The long balls I think are a bit deceiving. Statistically in the past month we haven’t been making that many long passes compared to our direct opponent (similar numbers). And as Mombaerts said, Maclaren suits playing in behind, which is why we try to make those chipped passes every so often. It’s smart to incorporate it into the game plan because it makes us less predictable and creates more space between the opponents’ lines. 

This. For the first 20 minutes at least, I did not see a single pass from Victory from their midfield into attack - it was just the same long ball over the top. Way more so than us.

[bt50]

21 minutes ago, rass said:

This. For the first 20 minutes at least, I did not see a single pass from Victory from their midfield into attack - it was just the same long ball over the top. Way more so than us.

You cant pass from your midfield into attack without a midfield.. 

[n i k o]

Tactical mastermind this game. 

[jw1739]

11 hours ago, CityBoyz said:

Said in the postgame learnt from last time out vs victory and decided to play a counter attacking game so they didn’t hit us on the break and have space behind. Worked a treat they didn’t have a clear cut chance other than the Glover blunder. 

We were still very vulnerable from corners.

[Mr MO]

45 minutes ago, jw1739 said:

We were still very vulnerable from corners.

The idea of not having players at the posts means we opt to outnumber our opponents in the box. In reality it doesn’t come across like that plus I’m not sure if we actually man mark or we just gamble on the numerical advantage. Brillante always seems to be involved somehow.

Edited February 8, 2020 by Mr MO

[playmaker]

2 hours ago, Mr MO said:

The idea of not having players at the posts means we opt to outnumber our opponents in the box. In reality it doesn’t come across like that plus I’m not sure if we actually man mark or we just gamble on the numerical advantage. Brillante always seems to be involved somehow.

Against Adelaide it was Noone that we should be pointing the finger at.

1st goal he didn't clear the ball.

3rd goal he lost his man who ended up scoring.

Brilliante has a great game yesterday and was one of the 4 players that won us the game through midfield domination.

 

[Shahanga]

6 hours ago, n i k o said:

Tactical mastermind this game. 

This

[Mr MO]

18 hours ago, playmaker said:

Against Adelaide it was Noone that we should be pointing the finger at.

1st goal he didn't clear the ball.

3rd goal he lost his man who ended up scoring.

Brilliante has a great game yesterday and was one of the 4 players that won us the game through midfield domination.

 

Brillante lost Storm Roux and lost Blackwood at the 3-0 against Adelaide. Noone was involved with the first two goals.

I didn’t say he had bad game nor was looking for a scapegoat for the Adelaide loss. Merely pointing out that we need to tighten up marking at the corners.