Originally Posted by
Keyser Soze
More on Bulut’s issues. This is my take. I think Bulut came in, was given a budget, and is a systems man. He has a system he knows well and is good at.
But we have built a 4-5-1 style without the players to support that style. His system looks to replicate AC Milan around 1990s with Van Basten in it. Well that is what he is trying to accomplish at this much lower level, without it being as effective as he wants. But that style requires one or more of following:
1. Wide men who can beat players and deliver quality, or full backs overlapping to deliver and wide men cutting inside to hunt for goals or creativity
2. Central midfielders who are mobile and can defend as well create chances and support the single attacker with goals
So far we have not the required success on .1 as service is slow or barely existent. And on .2, our central midfielders have not been successful enough in goal contribution nor defensive shit outs. Nor are they mobile enough in my view to support such a system.
If above cannot be done, then a defence as a nun’s proverbial is required, and you base your entire tactics on a compact 5 man midfield that restricts the space, and goals come in the form of set pieces, quick counters or the central striker being all-encompassing all-rounder: in the sense that he will be big and hard enough to play back to goal, clever enough in skill to bring in other players, and fast enough to take a quick ball centrally in between or either side of the full back. 1-0s, 2-0s being the scores you look for. Containment, restrict, nick a goal.
Where it failed for us? I’d say a combination of…
1. Midfield not mobile enough to be equally effective in defence and attack: vital for this system
2. Wide men not fast and creative enough
3. Strikers don’t fit the system. Whereas Milan had Weah, Meite had none of it. Diedhou is a fox in the box man that needs service. Etete is good on crosses and set pieces but no pace or skill, so he loses the ball and can’t get through.
Kieffer Moore could have been the man to make the difference for us. He can hold it up, flick it on, race through and make set pieces effective. He is an all rounder. Had we had decent wingers, I also think Karlan Grant would have been our most effective 9. He can hold it up, he can race in behind for a quick ball, he can get on the end of wingers crosses, and his goal rate at WBA suggest he can score 1 in 2, but at least 1 in 3 at this level. Wasted on the wing.
So can Bulut succeed?
It all rests in budget, player availability and agent contacts. If he can solve above issues then we could build and hit the playoffs next year. But this system is highly technical and tactical - the right players HAVE to fit in.
If not, get the players that are good and available, and change the system to suit their strengths. But for that to happen, he needs to have the knowledge to coach the new system well. If he is hell bent on this system and cannot get the players, we can expect another average season in my view.
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