Many Times in the Past, I Criticized the Club for Confusing Tactics, This Isn’t the Case (Hopefully)

So. This is the first time I’ve had to write an article without including Jonny Dean in the graphic. Playing every single minute since I started the blog makes it a bit surreal, but having Neco back is also a bit surreal.

The all-time leading goal scorer back for the 3 Sparks makes my All-Time Best XI look even better, which makes me look smarter than I deserve. That said, how does he fit? Will it be the same as before? I don’t think so, but I do think it’ll work even better than his first stay in the 205. Let’s get stuck in.

The Formation

This formation looks like the familiar 4-1-3-2, but instead of Bruno Lapa playing the Central Attacking Midfield, we will likely have Anderson Asiedu playing as a deeper lying playmaker. What does that really mean?

Well, out of possession, it will be a much more pressing 4-2-4 feel. With Jonny Dean no longer in the squad, we will likely not have that same attacking prowess with the RWB situation. This will allow the front 4 of Kasim, Martinez, Brett, and Pasher to go fully in on pressing the backline.

This also allows players like Anderson Asiedu and Mikey Lopez to do what they excel at, which is playing that holding midfield. While Anderson has become much more accomplished as an attacker, his ability as a ball winner and redistributor is where he makes his money.

Coming out of a defensive possession, I think this is where we will see the first introduction of the diamond. Mikey Lopez or Matthew Corcoran will get a good run as the central defensive midfielder, which I think will be the most important player in this counter attack, at least at first.

We will see him getting the option to either play the ball to the Central Midfielder or to the wingers, who are playing much more narrow this year.

Eventually, when the ball makes its way to Tyler Pasher, he will have the choice to either play the ball to the wings, through to Neco Brett, or take the ball up himself. We have seen this play before from Tyler with his game winner against Pittsburgh. GO TO 2:25 IN THE VIDEO FOR THE PITTSBURGH EXAMPLE.

Originally tweeted by Birmingham Legion FC (@bhmlegion) on December 13, 2022.

If the ball goes out wide, because we still have Enzo, Prosper, and Mataeo on the team, then they will get decisions, too. The will get the choice to play the ball to the back post, to the late running Pasher, to Neco Brett, or shooting the ball. Defenses will have to actively defend four different options if they do not want to concede a scoring opportunity .

This same idea will translate if Pasher has the ball as earlier. If he has the ball, he will have the option to shoot, to pass the ball out wide, or through to Neco.

The Downfalls

Off. The. Ball. Movement.

Without off the ball movement, this could turn into the “dribble ball” we so often saw last year. For an example, check out THIS breakdown I did after the second FC Tulsa match. This system could turn into dribble ball, BUT the difference is that these are players who are built for this system of quick passes, fast shots, and much less dribbling than years past.

Within 15 minutes of posting this article, it’s outdated. Welcome back, Juan! New podcast and article coming tomorrow!