fernandopartridge
Well-Known Member
He's shot right up the table which probably says that his performance levels are better than 4th place
He's shot right up the table which probably says that his performance levels are better than 4th placeWilson was in goal for Leeds away
Swansea home, not a howler.
Stoke away - the guy is 6 yards out, no time to react
Dovin is objectively one of the best keepers in the league - currently 4th on PSxG +/- per 90
spot on for meIf everyone was fit and in form I would favour 4-3-3:
Dovin
Van Ewjik Thomas Kitching Bidwell
Sheaf, Rudoni, Grimes
Sakamoto Wright Mason-Clark
Agree, unless it's this seasons Sheaf then replace with Torp. If we can get him back to his best then yes this.If everyone was fit and in form I would favour 4-3-3:
Dovin
Van Ewjik Thomas Kitching Bidwell
Sheaf, Rudoni, Grimes
Sakamoto Wright Mason-Clark
Agree, unless it's this seasons Sheaf then replace with Torp. If we can get him back to his best then yes this.
Dropping Torp for Sheaf is fine as long as its the good version of Sheaf. Think our best 11 is fairly obvious give or take a player or 2 though.Think it was @Sky Blue Goblin who pointed out under Lampard we attack in a 235/325 like some of the top Prem teams (Tactical Theory: 2-3-5 - The Premier League's secret formation) and it’s a good way to think of the team and how they’d fit. That would give you:
Dovin
Thomas Kitching Bidwell
Sheaf Grimes
MvE Saka Wright EMC Rudoni
Which is probably the best we could do I reckon.
Normally you’d have a more attacking left back at LW position and either 3 in the middle or a DM dropping back for 325. But I don’t think you get the best out of Rudoni there.
If we can get the movement and ball retention right that’s a pretty good set up IMO. Sheaf and Grimes can form a defensive unit with the three defenders.
Basically I’m coming round to dropping Torp for Sheaf.
Dropping Torp for Sheaf is fine as long as it’s the good version of Sheaf. Think our best 11 is fairly obvious give or take a player or 2 though.
Meslier did a fantastic throw out to setup an attack by Leeds right winger, got it to very close to the halfway line.I disagree I think it was routine. Leeds fans hate Meslier and would probably sell him tomorrow, yet we’ve seen him make 2 better saves in one half than we’ve seen Dovin make all season. Sort of proves my point
What makes Sheaf a better player than Grimes? Well aside from the fact his team has finished above Grimes’ over the last 3 seasons (would have been 4 if Grimes didn’t jump) let’s take a look.
We’ll start with what I consider to be Sheaf’s most underrated attributes. His defensive work. Sheaf is a lot more mobile than Grimes for a start. He will be involved in duels all over the pitch and is excellent in forcing turnovers. He has the mobility to prevent counter attacks wherever he finds himself on the pitch. Grimes at Swansea out of possession would generally hold position and not involve himself in the press. In possession he would remain in the back 3 much to the dismay of Swansea fans. I don’t feel he’s of much use there personally.
Grimes’ defensive work here is something I’m very interested in. He’s perfectly competent in the sense that he’ll tackle someone if they engage in a duel with him, but he’s very passive and won’t actively look to turnover the ball like Sheaf would.
In terms of offensive attributes, Grimes’ best asset is his ability to dictate tempo. An ability that cannot be quantified. He is very risk averse but very controlled and I hope, will not have that stupid pass in him that Sheaf tends to. He can expertly manipulate the opposition press and gain his team access into the opposition half with ease but not necessarily at pace.
Sheaf however whilst he has often been used to pick up the ball from the defenders, will also seek to join in attacks. Often he can play line breaking passes and will often use turns or quick feet to take a defender out of the game. You’ll regularly see him play one two’s and seek to progress into advanced positions which Grimes rarely did for Swansea.
I feel this graph shows perfectly how Sheaf can impact our attacking game compared to Grimes.
View attachment 41281
Another point would be Sheaf’s ability to play in different roles. Grimes has always played a very specific role for a team that plays a very specific way. Sheaf however, we have seen him play all manner of different roles next to very different types of players. From Kelly to Hamer to Allen. He’s performed fantastically as our deepest midfielder, as a box to box player, basically in any midfield role we’ve needed him to do. I don’t feel we have ever set up in a way that best suits him for a sustained period, certainly not to the extent Swansea did for Grimes. Grimes will have to show he can adapt to a different philosophy unless we plan on being Swansea 2.0 like we were in Lampard’s first game.
The criticisms of Sheaf are mostly his availability. He is definitely injured too often that is for certain. However his current injury was a result of being overplayed and not allowed to recover from his previous injury. He played every minute over the Christmas period and broke down. It was obvious to everyone except Lampard it was going to happen. He should’ve been treated better. If Allen continues playing the minutes he has, it will happen to him too.
Another criticism is his leadership. Well Grimes is certainly not a leader. He’s captained a side in total regression over the last 5 years and any Swansea fan will tell you he isn’t captain material. Jumping from a sinking ship halfway though a season to make a sideways move pretty much tells you all you need to know about his ‘leadership’. I see Grimes as a similar leader to Sheaf, not vocal but can lead by example by their consistency on the pitch and in training. Not as a captain.
Lastly ‘Sheaf slows the game down’. Wait until those that say that see Grimes! I feel (this isn’t aimed at you) a lot of our fans have decided Grimes is one of the best midfielders in the division yet they don’t seem to understand why. He has a very specific skill set, he is nowhere near Sheaf defensively and offers little in the attacking third. He offers ball retention in deep areas and an ability to beat a press. How much that will help us remains to be seen. Our best runs of form have always came when we haven’t even attempted to beat a press!
You say you ‘don’t mind Sheaf’ but you’ve posted about him 16 times in 6 days. He’s not even playing!
All of my observations above are based on seeing Sheaf play every single game he has played in a Coventry shirt in person. My observations of Grimes have came in person whenever he has featured against us, or a few occasions I have watched Swansea on tv. However I have obtained a quick graph which you can interpret however you want:
View attachment 41282
All the raw data is on FBRef if you wish to look for yourself. I feel the data there shows Sheaf as the better defensive midfielder and the bigger contributor offensively. I’m excited to see Grimes’ positive attributes used in our favour.
Park life!
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Realistically Sheaf doesn't get in our best starting 11 now, which is why we are seeing some strange formations and shapes because the only way to fit him in is to shoe horn. There are matches where some changes may be necessary, but the majority of the time we are better suited to play with the players we have done for the last few successful weeks. Why would anyone want to change that?
Torp wasn't very good against Leeds, but to drop him from the preferred team and system is a bit knee-jerk. If we were going by the same standard, players like Sheaf wouldn't get another game this season based on their performances. Torp has been a shining light in that midfield, and is actively one of our best players at the moment. I wouldn't be looking to change that, and it makes no logical sense why anyone would.
A few one dimensional graphs might look good, but in reality if you want to look at stats, you would be hypocritical not to see games with him versus games without. That's the data that matters, and we are unapologetically better without him across the last three seasons.
Unfortunately Sheaf is a safety blanket. Our more simple supporters resort back to wanting to include him because it seems like a safe option. Realistically, our future doesn't include him.
Can people stop suggesting 442, it just isn’t a viable option in today’s game, you’d get far too over run in midfield by teams playing 3 or even 4 in midfield. If we played 442 against Leeds 433 the other night it would have been 10 let alone the 6 they should have scored. It’s too one dimensional aswell as there’s nobody breaking lines, so your only threat is out wide. The CMs can’t join the attack as we would be left exposed.Just had a thought, now we have Grimes could we move to a 4-4-2.
Simms works better with a partner with him up front. Feel Sheaf and Grimes could absolutely hold the midfield and string it together.
Formation is compact to help us defend with a high line and can be fluid in movement? Also gets EMC and wright on the pitch together.
View attachment 41327
Respectfully disagree.Can people stop suggesting 442, it just isn’t a viable option in today’s game, you’d get far too over run in midfield by teams playing 3 or even 4 in midfield. If we played 442 against Leeds 433 the other night it would have been 10 let alone the 6 they should have scored. It’s too one dimensional aswell as there’s nobody breaking lines, so your only threat is out wide. The CMs can’t join the attack as we would be left exposed.
Ridiculous.
Sheaf is here getting the weird O’Hare treatment from our fans. We know he’ll leave soon so suddenly he’s not good enough.
Reality is he can be one of the best in the division and we should hope he can reach his best
He's injured and not playing. What on earth are you on about?Realistically Sheaf doesn't get in our best starting 11 now, which is why we are seeing some strange formations and shapes because the only way to fit him in is to shoe horn.
He's injured and not playing. What on earth are you on about?
You said we're seeing strange formations to shoehorn Sheaf in but he's not even playing?What part are you having trouble with? Him being injured has nothing to do with it.
You said we're seeing strange formations to shoehorn Sheaf in but he's not even playing?
ahhh lol got you nowThis thread is called 'preferred-team-and-system' - a thread where people pick their ideal preferred team and system. It's not real.
I would be willing to bet that Lampard starts with both Grimes and Sheaf in the midfield when both are available.
This thread is called 'preferred-team-and-system' - a thread where people pick their ideal preferred team and system. It's not real.
Sorry for that might of joined too late.I started the thread and it's about Lampard's preferred team and system, not posters on here
I started the thread and it's about Lampard's preferred team and system, not posters on here
You might want to go round and tell all the people off that submitted their ideal preferred team and system, then.
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