[han2503]

I think there's an unjustified tendency to criticize Suso in this forum. Maybe people have too high expectations for him. Sure, he hasn't been great, but he hasn't been bad either.

Just to check if I'm not alone on this, I looked at Mediaset's ratings of his three games thus far:

Milan v Torino: 6. No comments on his performance.
Torino v Milan: 7 (highest vote after Donnarumma's 7.5). His goal alone is worth the ticket price.
Milan v Udinese: 6 (highest vote along with Donnarumma and Sosa). The Spaniard is the only player to liven up a dull game for Milan. However, he falls in the second half.

Suso is good. He's certainly not Ronaldo, but he's one of the most talented players we have and to prefer a mediocre player like Honda over him is crazy IMHO.

And that's why we are where we are.

Look, I'm not trying to criticise Suso just for the heck of it. He's a decent player who would do well for a smaller counter attacking side. I was one of the poeple here who wanted Miha to give him a proper chance.

But at Milan, with the way we play, he's simply not effective. Continually trying to cut in on his left foot through a wall of bodies won't work. and shooting every time you see even a 1mm opening won't work either

He plays with blinders on. When he has the ball his sole focus is always to run at goal or shoot at it, no matter if there are better options available

And I'm not saying Honda is better either, but that maybe he would help us more than Suso does as he's more of a team player

[Jack Sparrow]

Sure, Suso's ratio is 1 goal, 100 shots; zero assists, 100 crosses. Honda is very bad, but man, Suso isn't the answer either.

I don't think Honda is very bad at all.

He's scored more goals for us and more assists for us than Suso has. Plus he tracks back. My biggest point is no one has played him in what I think is the crucial position - the secondary number 10 who starts a bit deeper than SS. That strange position in between strikers and the midfield. Something like what Seedorf used to occupy. Of course he is levels below Seedorf but it's still a strong position.

Instead he has been played as the right winger in the 4-3-3. He has not set the world on fire, but he has done his job. He was more effective in those final minutes against Udinese with some intelligent runs into the box and crosses. Unlike Suso who ran out of steam in 60 minutes.

I think we can try multiple options that doesn't push out Honda.

----------Defence----------
----Sosa-----Montolivo-----
--Suso----Honda-----Niang---
-----------Bacca---------------

I find this to be a balance formation for example. Honda can drop back to support the mid-three. Or advance to provide extra people in the box. Or peel off to the wings while one of Suso or Niang run into the box and cause an overload in the wing. These aren't fancy new tactics - just basics. I have no idea what's going on though. It's like we decide on a 4-3-3 and work backwards.

[Fillipo Simone]

Well, sure. Let's give it a try. We can't lose. But mind one thing - Honda played more then 50 games for Milan, Suso played, what, 5? Sure his stats are better.

[Jack Sparrow]

Sure. But it wasn't that Suso was unavailable. Just that most coaches preferred to loan him out.

I understand Montella's tactics in the sense he wants a 4-3-3 with the two wingers capable of beating opponents one on one and crossing or dribbling into the box with a goal poacher like Bacca. I just think we have no one that good who can do it consistently. There is no real genius in our squad.

Bonaventura is the best we have and he wouldn't have made it into the squad of 2002-2010. To be honest, this is the kind of squad I'd hand over to Mourinho along with 100 million and tell him to do something with. Oh wait, Man Utd did just that! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

[maldini03]

I completely agree on Honda Jack, I think the most analogous player to his style is Seedorf. Neither has speed and Honda is obviously miles behind Seedorf but, I think they are secondary type creators. I don't understand this real push to fit this squad to the 4-3-3 that so many other teams employ. We don't have any players that fit the system, just doesn't make sense. On the other hand we don't have player that really fit any system which comes from years of stupid transfers that have no rhyme or reason to them.

To me Berto/Honda should be playing next to and ahead of Monto. I would model this team after Carlo's team back in the early 2000s. Obviously this team doesn't have the requisite skills to play like those guys, but those guys were each experts in their own way and their skills combined to form a devastating combination. To me the key player position we are missing from that team is a Gattuso like pit bull and a Pirlo type creator.

If we modeled ourselves out of those guys I think it would look like this:

Defense
------------Monto-----
--Kucka/Poli----Berto/Honda---
-------Bona/Suso/ Sosa-----
---Bacca/ Lapa----Niang

I know it looks like the team we are playing now, but without creativity in our current midfield 3 I think we need someone dropping into the Hole between the forwards and the midfield. I know even comparing these guys to those guys is ludicrous but to me that system employed by Carlo is not really used any more with teams preferring width and wingers but we don't have that ability with no players like that on the team. That system relied on defensive wings overlapping and providing crosses with Pirlo and Gattuso staying back and providing cover to the defense while also providing outlets to keep possession in the opposing half. To me Abate is at his best when he is bombing down the wings and DS looks good for Italy when he is doing that as well. Bacca is a predator in the box, so keeping possession around the box will help him out, while Niang is the Shevchenko like outlet that team always had on the break.

I can't stress enough how much better that team was than the one we currently employ but, the system is what I am looking to focus on.

[Jack Sparrow]

I completely agree on Honda Jack, I think the most analogous player to his style is Seedorf. Neither has speed and Honda is obviously miles behind Seedorf but, I think they are secondary type creators. I don't understand this real push to fit this squad to the 4-3-3 that so many other teams employ. We don't have any players that fit the system, just doesn't make sense. On the other hand we don't have player that really fit any system which comes from years of stupid transfers that have no rhyme or reason to them.

To me Berto/Honda should be playing next to and ahead of Monto. I would model this team after Carlo's team back in the early 2000s. Obviously this team doesn't have the requisite skills to play like those guys, but those guys were each experts in their own way and their skills combined to form a devastating combination. To me the key player position we are missing from that team is a Gattuso like pit bull and a Pirlo type creator.

If we modeled ourselves out of those guys I think it would look like this:

Defense
------------Monto-----
--Kucka/Poli----Berto/Honda---
-------Bona/Suso/ Sosa-----
---Bacca/ Lapa----Niang

I know it looks like the team we are playing now, but without creativity in our current midfield 3 I think we need someone dropping into the Hole between the forwards and the midfield. I know even comparing these guys to those guys is ludicrous but to me that system employed by Carlo is not really used any more with teams preferring width and wingers but we don't have that ability with no players like that on the team. That system relied on defensive wings overlapping and providing crosses with Pirlo and Gattuso staying back and providing cover to the defense while also providing outlets to keep possession in the opposing half. To me Abate is at his best when he is bombing down the wings and DS looks good for Italy when he is doing that as well. Bacca is a predator in the box, so keeping possession around the box will help him out, while Niang is the Shevchenko like outlet that team always had on the break.

I can't stress enough how much better that team was than the one we currently employ but, the system is what I am looking to focus on.

Pretty much perfectly put. We don't have the Gattuso type single destroyer, but we can compensate with the third midfield helping out.

I thought Locatelli shows some amount of promise and needs to play more to get that experience. But he could be a viable regista option.

[X-Offender]

I completely agree on Honda Jack, I think the most analogous player to his style is Seedorf. Neither has speed and Honda is obviously miles behind Seedorf but, I think they are secondary type creators. I don't understand this real push to fit this squad to the 4-3-3 that so many other teams employ. We don't have any players that fit the system, just doesn't make sense. On the other hand we don't have player that really fit any system which comes from years of stupid transfers that have no rhyme or reason to them.

To me Berto/Honda should be playing next to and ahead of Monto. I would model this team after Carlo's team back in the early 2000s. Obviously this team doesn't have the requisite skills to play like those guys, but those guys were each experts in their own way and their skills combined to form a devastating combination. To me the key player position we are missing from that team is a Gattuso like pit bull and a Pirlo type creator.

If we modeled ourselves out of those guys I think it would look like this:

Defense
------------Monto-----
--Kucka/Poli----Berto/Honda---
-------Bona/Suso/ Sosa-----
---Bacca/ Lapa----Niang

I know it looks like the team we are playing now, but without creativity in our current midfield 3 I think we need someone dropping into the Hole between the forwards and the midfield. I know even comparing these guys to those guys is ludicrous but to me that system employed by Carlo is not really used any more with teams preferring width and wingers but we don't have that ability with no players like that on the team. That system relied on defensive wings overlapping and providing crosses with Pirlo and Gattuso staying back and providing cover to the defense while also providing outlets to keep possession in the opposing half. To me Abate is at his best when he is bombing down the wings and DS looks good for Italy when he is doing that as well. Bacca is a predator in the box, so keeping possession around the box will help him out, while Niang is the Shevchenko like outlet that team always had on the break.

I can't stress enough how much better that team was than the one we currently employ but, the system is what I am looking to focus on.

I don't think that would ever work. 4-3-1-2 is outdated and you need top quality creators for it to work. The only reason it worked under Carlo was because we had Pirlo, Seedorf, and Rui Costa/Kaka' in midfield who did whatever they wanted with the ball.

With the players we currently have there wouldn't be a chance. Besides, we employed last night possibly the most creative midfield we can afford, namely Montolivo, Bonaventura and Sosa, yet we couldn't keep possession. Don't think adding a trequatista there along with Honda would change much.

Not saying 4-3-3 is the best solution either. Miha understood that last season and after a few disappointing games he switched to 4-4-2 which allowed us to play some of our best games.

Donnarumma
Abate - Paletta - Romagnoli - MDS
Suso - Kucka - Sosa - Bona
Bacca - Niang

I don't see any other solution until January.