Playing Crooks in midfield

WindyNook

WindyNook

Well-known member
This has probably been the biggest reason for our turn around in form. I know there have been other reasons for our present run. But yesterday he capped a series of good performances with an outstanding MoM one.
Michael you have realised that Crooksy is not a centre forward please do not forget that.
Onwards and upwards Boro clean sheet on Tuesday night 0-1 win!
 
WindyNook said:
This has probably been the biggest reason for our turn around in form. I know there have been other reasons for our present run. But yesterday he capped a series of good performances with an outstanding MoM one.
Michael you have realised that Crooksy is not a centre forward please do not forget that.
Onwards and upwards Boro clean sheet on Tuesday night 0-1 win!
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He's definitely playing more as an 8, not a 10 recently, in terms of the area of the pitch he has been asked to operate in.

Him and Jones compliment each other really well and both have seen an upturn in form as a result.

Was an obvious MOTM yesterday.
 
Jonny Ingbar said:
He's definitely playing more as an 8, not a 10 recently, in terms of the area of the pitch he has been asked to operate in.

Him and Jones compliment each other really well and both have seen an upturn in form as a result.

Was an obvious MOTM yesterday.
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He’s a 10 with the license to drift where he’s comfortable and as we all know, he’s happiest linking with Jones and his best work is always doing exactly that so he does drift right. But he is operating as a 10. Performing really well
 
Playing the same role as Chuba… number 10 but playing more on the right, with McGree / Greenwood playing as the left sided 10
 
LaPennaBianca said:
Played well, in three different roles, under three different managers. We always knew he was exactly the sort of character we wanted in the squad, but now his performances have gone up a level too. Just great.
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When Warnock said he could play up frount.. I did do a slight guffaw.. ah well. Warnock is the don.
 
Diego said:
He’s a 10 with the license to drift where he’s comfortable and as we all know, he’s happiest linking with Jones and his best work is always doing exactly that so he does drift right. But he is operating as a 10. Performing really well
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It's splitting hairs really i think, he's definitely playing a different role recently whether you label it a 10, 8 or whatever; he tends to play more on the right hand side, both attacking and defending.

It's working really well regardless.
 
The thing with our current team and a lot of modern football tactics is the lack of fixed positions and they change in possession/out of possession.

Crooks is playing ahead of Hackney and barlaser, but deeper than he was earlier in the season. In possession he plays as a right sided attacking midfielder - out of possession he plays more in the centre.

Our whole team works to overload the right side with lots of options for short passes while using the left back as a winger in possession with a plan to cross early for an overload on the right.

Crooks works well with Jones. Chuba worked well with Forss, but moved more central once we got Archer because them being close together was important.

We don't play like a formation drawn on paper - so arguing if someone is an 8 or a 10 is redundant
 
Crooks spent a fair few minutes wide left during the first half on Saturday. He definitely has the freedom to drift and change positions. It’s one of the good things about Carrick’s approach. Let the players make decision. I doubt those type of switches are always instructed. More like encouraged during training.
 
I think as Carrick has said recently. It’s less about the formation we play and more about the space people take up/exploit when we’re in or out of possession depending on the opposition.

So yeah, he’s a bit of an 8, a bit of a 10. It depends.
 
Yeah Carrick has talked a fair bit about not getting too hung up on formations. Although they'll definitely work on patterns of play and where to try and create overloads etc.

I didn't see the game yesterday, but I assume, same as McGree does, Greenwood had license to drift inside and almost pick up the number 10 position too?

As for Crooks. I think because of his size a lot of people underestimate just how good of a footballer he actually is. We saw it at the start of Wilder's tenure and we're seeing it again now. He came through Man United's academy didn't he? They don't waste time on players who don't have good technique.
 
So who replaces Smith in the right wing triangle?
VDB is the better defender Djiksteel has more speed and has history onto the right hand side under Wilder.
Is Djiksteel match fit?
I think Carrick will go VDB against Norwich but I would prefer Djiksteel in the long run.
 
Crooks will only work as a '10' if he has runners around him. He's played really well recently as Isiah Jones has been on fire and is dragging men over to that side of the pitch to double up on him. Long may it continue
 
Crooks and how we use him has been integral to our improvement. Early in the season he was trying to play a traditional #10 role in the middle of the pitch and just looked lost. A bit like when Carrick used him as centre forward, he shows willing but it is highlighting too many of his weaknesses.

Several things have come together. Sorting out the left back position - first with O'Brien and now with Engel means that the left sided attacker (McGree or Greenwood) gets licence to roam centrally. This in turn allows Crooks to play deeper and wider in a position similar to the one he took under Wilder. Using Coburn as a target man means that some of the need for a #10 to keep position has been devolved to Coburn while Izzy's revival means that there is a pacey threat on the right that pushes back the opponents' defence, making more room for Crooks. It is also helpful that any of the front three can switch around so, as they get more familiar with each other, you can see a lot more interchange.

It's taken a while but we do seem now to have a system which works to the players' strengths and with some redundancy. There are some elements that don't go together well. Crooks and Forss don't seem to work well together on the right because he doesn't have Jones' pace and he wants to cut in to similar places that Crooks wants to go to. It's also unclear whether Lath can hold up the ball as well as Coburn. All in all though, after 12 games you can see a decent team emerging.
 
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