#MIDFIELD DILEMMA

[paddockanalysis]

What Did McLaren Do Wrong in the 2024 season?

Main post!

The 2024 Formula 1 season was a pivotal year for McLaren. Their remarkable progress since the middle of 2023 had placed them in contention to challenge Red Bull's dominance. However, McLaren fell short of expectations despite strong performances and multiple podiums. The team should have capitalized on critical opportunities, faced strategic dilemmas and struggled to balance priorities between their drivers. This post delves into the races where McLaren faltered, compares their 2024 upgrades to their 2023 developments, examines the team’s internal struggles, and suggests solutions for the future.

Key Races Where McLaren Could Have Dominated but Failed

Azerbaijan Grand Prix

McLaren brought a promising package to Baku, a circuit that suited their strong straight-line speed and nimble handling in slow corners. Lando Norris led for much of the race, but a late Safety Car forced the team into a difficult decision. They opted to pit Norris early, leaving him vulnerable to Max Verstappen’s charge on fresher tires. Oscar Piastri, meanwhile, failed to capitalize on the opportunity due to a poor qualifying performance that left him buried in the midfield—the result: a second-place finish for Norris and a missed double podium.

British Grand Prix

Silverstone was a golden opportunity for McLaren, as upgrades brought to this high-speed circuit made their car a serious contender. Lando Norris led for a significant portion of the race, but a misjudged tire strategy saw him stick with medium compounds while rivals switched to softs for the closing laps. Piastri also lost time during a slow pit stop, effectively ending any hopes of a podium finish. Strategic errors prevented the team from securing a home victory and maximizing points.

Japanese Grand Prix

Suzuka highlighted McLaren's lack of adaptability to changing race conditions. Despite their car being the fastest over a single lap in qualifying, a poor race start for both drivers and a mistimed Virtual Safety Car deployment relegated them to suboptimal positions. The team’s reactive approach left them unable to recover, turning what should have been a double-podium weekend into a fifth and seventh-place finish.

Comparing McLaren’s 2024 Upgrades to Their 2023 Improvements

McLaren’s mid-2023 upgrades marked a turning point for the team, as they transformed from a struggling midfield contender into a regular podium threat. The aerodynamic overhaul in mid-2023 focused on improving efficiency, top speed, and balance in high-speed corners, helping the team secure podiums late in the season.

In 2024, McLaren continued to build on this momentum, introducing significant upgrades to optimize downforce generation and tire management. The new floor and sidepod designs for 2024 enhanced the car's cornering ability and improved its performance on slower circuits like Monaco and Singapore. Additionally, updates to the suspension system made the car more predictable over long stints, addressing one of their weaknesses from 2023.

Despite these improvements, McLaren struggled to replicate the transformative effect of their 2023 upgrades. The key difference lies in the inconsistency of their 2024 package across different tracks. While the car excelled on high-speed circuits like Silverstone and Suzuka, it underperformed on circuits requiring high braking efficiency and mechanical grip, such as Canada and Hungary. This variability highlighted a lack of refinement in their upgrade philosophy, leaving gaps for rivals to exploit.

Struggles with Prioritizing Lando’s Championship Bid

A major challenge for McLaren in 2024 was deciding whether to fully back Lando Norris in his fight for the Drivers' Championship. As Norris emerged as a consistent challenger to Max Verstappen, the team was often torn between prioritizing him and developing Oscar Piastri into a formidable second driver.

McLaren occasionally leaned into favouring Norris, implementing team orders that hindered Piastri’s progress. However, this created tension within the team, as Piastri’s strong performances in the second half of the season made him less willing to play a supporting role. The result was disjointed race strategies that compromised both drivers at critical moments. For instance, at the Dutch Grand Prix, an indecisive pit call saw both drivers lose track position, costing the team valuable points.

Additionally, McLaren’s hesitancy to fully commit to Norris often left him at a disadvantage against Verstappen, who benefitted from Red Bull’s unwavering support. By trying to strike a balance, McLaren undermined their ability to mount a serious championship challenge.

How McLaren Can Fix These Issues in the Future

1. Refined Strategic Decision-Making

McLaren must address their recurring strategic missteps. This involves improving real-time decision-making and simulation models to better predict race scenarios. Hiring experienced strategists or consultants with a proven track record in championship campaigns could also help.

2. Clear Hierarchy Between Drivers

To avoid further internal conflicts, McLaren must establish a clear pecking order between Norris and Piastri. If Norris remains their best chance for a championship, the team must make this explicit while simultaneously ensuring Piastri feels valued as a long-term prospect. Transparent communication and equitable treatment in non-critical situations will help foster team harmony.

3. Focused Upgrade Path

McLaren should focus on developing a car that is consistently competitive across a broader range of circuits. This involves refining their aerodynamic philosophy to improve performance on slower tracks without sacrificing their high-speed advantage. Lessons from 2024 must inform a more cohesive upgrade strategy for 2025.

4. Improved Tire Management

The team must invest in tire management technologies and methodologies. Data from 2024 revealed a tendency to overwork the tires on high-degradation circuits, which cost them crucial positions late in races.

5. Enhanced Race Starts

Both drivers struggled with race starts in 2024, particularly on circuits like Japan and Hungary. McLaren must work on optimizing clutch control and launch procedures to avoid losing valuable track positions at the start of races.

6. Commitment to Championship Goals

Finally, McLaren must decide early in the season whether to prioritize the Drivers’ or Constructors’ Championship. Clear goals will help align the team’s efforts and prevent indecision from sabotaging critical moments.

McLaren’s 2024 season was a story of progress but also of missed opportunities. While the team made significant strides forward, strategic errors, inconsistent upgrades, and internal dilemmas prevented them from realizing their full potential. To dominate in the future, McLaren must adopt a more focused approach, streamline their decision-making processes, and back their lead driver when the stakes are high. With the right adjustments, there’s every reason to believe McLaren can emerge as a championship-winning team in the seasons to come.

Please don’t copy my work🙏

[f0point5]

if RBR resigns checo and merc signs kimi.... would carlos go to kick????? it feels like he wouldn't want that

also spanish outlets were reporting that carlos already signed with merc but the news isn't out yet so i wonder the degree to which that is true, because there's also rumors that kimi is confirmed for 2025

can silly season start silly seasoning please i need the drama

Spanish media have been saying that for a few weeks now…look, I could be wrong, but it’s a weird way to leak the news. Because it will have come directly from Sainz, and if it’s true then Toto yapping about wanting Max is pretty bad form if the ink is drying on a contract with Carlos. So, if it is true, that’s a messy way to have it out there.

But I kinda don’t buy it. Because Carlos would be a bit dumb to sign on for one year. Unless he genuinely thinks he can push George out. Which is…a concept. And honestly Carlos would be that confident. But still, that level of uncertainty at this time in his career is very risky. Then again, there are rumours that he doesn’t have faith in the Audi project yet.

I don’t know what Audi’s plan is, and I think that’s what we’d need to know to know what Carlos wants to do. Because how they’re going to fix the structural issues in the team is the key. I don’t think Carlos is going to be want to be in a team that’s on a 5 year rebuild plan like Williams. So unless Audi has some concrete plans to just inject cash and new personnel immediately, I’m not sure I see Carlos signing on for 2025.

What he really needs is the Aston seat. Daddy Stroll needs to give his son a hug, release whatever trust fund he’s holding over Lance’s head, and let the kid go snowboard or something. A Sainz/Alonso line up at Aston would be incredible. Upper midfield team on the rise that will be all his when Alonso retires is exactly what Carlos needs. Ughhhhh can we just have one nice thing goddammit!!!!

I do think some kind of deal with Merc is looking the most likely because there doesn’t seem to be a lot of options for him, but if he does go to Merc I think he will move in 1/2 years.

Toto’s Kimi dilemma really is causing a bottleneck for this grid right now lol.

[b-vil-bee]

could u explain more about the structure system being based around trent?

Hi anon..thank you for the ask..from what i gather,he basically have a hybrid role where it is very important in the team..like a freedom to move around in the field..i found this online

1. Towards the end of last season, Trent Alexander-Arnold began fulfilling a hybrid role that, when the Reds are in possession, permits him to drift inside from right-back to central midfield.

This in turn alters the responsibilities of Liverpool’s right-sided centre-back, the position Matip ordinarily plays when selected.

“For sure I have to think of different things on the pitch because the right-back will not be there in the first moment. We need to adapt, but at the same time we have got some more players and some new players in the midfield.

“It is obviously a different kind of situation for me now and I need to adapt. I think it will get better and better in the season,” the No.32 told the club’s official matchday programme.

2. Now that right-back Trent-Alexander Arnold has been asked to maraud into midfield in his new hybrid role, Konate is at times covering two positions on the right side of Liverpool's defence when the team is in possession.

"This system where Trent is getting into midfield and getting into more attacking positions is the key to the success we've been having recently," Konate says.

"It's important that we can involve Trent further up the field because of the quality he has in his game. We all know what a great passer of the ball he is, I'd say he's one of the best passers in the world. I think it's made us more clinical and decisive in front of goal."

 

3. As a result, some have speculated that Klopp may need to be creative in order to fit Alexander-Arnold back in around Bradley.

But with his unique game-breaking quality, Alexander-Arnold has earned the right to flip the question on its head.

Nobody in this squad can replicate his impact on the game – that’s why Liverpool had to adapt in his absence.

Klopp’s real dilemma is if he can fit Bradley in around Alexander-Arnold – the most important player in his team.

Hopefully it help to answer your question..im very happy to answer this bc we can all learn more about his role instead of just bashing him..

[theysteponyou]

Well, I've been saying for a long time that The X Files fandom has splintered into sects about Gillian Anderson/Scully reinterpretation (hello, Twitter, Reddit and Tumblr accounts about Gillian), and sects about David Duchovny and his fake public relationship with a younger girl.

The way Gillian fans interpret tfx for themselves is dishonest and pretentious, all to help her co-star in her criticism and false dilemmas of recent years, in addition to sustaining a lot of fake news regarding the treatment of David, Chris, cast and production with her (god, one has to reiterate whenever Gillian was paid the same salary as David in the revival, after all). And I take all of Gillian's literal lines and I don't know her sarcasm in interviews.

Them use white feminism to be influential on social media. David's fans live in a bubble where in the world they and David have the same friends (hello D*chovinat*cs), that they are people close to them and know more about him than their brothers; that he doesn't lie and has a deep intimate relationship with the current public relationship younger than him. Both actors lie, they are people who make mistakes and continue to make mistakes by hiding their true face. They don't deserve any of the "love" and money fans give them. They only use you babies. Meanwhile, the series turn your 30th anniversary this year and we won't have our main co-stars at the center for choices they've made and supported each other (even though they didn't want to).

It's no use putting blame on the creator or writers because they were the ones who stayed in the midfield while their stars were being very "stars" using this as a way to capitalize for them with pinky money and radfem money and with nostagic fans in their later productions.

It's a lot of idiocy for fans in what's left of the tfx fandom today. It's horrible that fans play fake news all the time. It sucks that they insist on believing lies.

The past is in its eternal glory.

[ikram1909]

Every time the press says Xavi has a dilemma in a position a player from that position gets injured. Like every time without fail. It happened in midfield and now in defense I need them to just stop talking about us all together 😭

[myimaginarywonderland]

I think the main think that we should address about the Alpha Tauri debacle is that nothing good will come out of it and this whole thing was set up to fail from the start.

Let me explain.

No one apparently at RedBull seemed fully confident in Nyck. Most convincing seemingly came from Max putting a good word in for a friend.

Alpha Tauri was bound to be a disaster with the one constant they have leaving at the end of this year, Franz Tost, which wil be the final nail in the coffin. This team has been so consistent for many years because Franz is arguably the best team principal as he builds drivers up. Not only does he managed to get them back into a place where they are believing in themselves again but by doing this he automatically makes them better drivers because they learn while not having any pressure. He works with encouragement a lot of the time and he is one of the main reason why so many drivers got to the place where we are calling them good again. Him leaving was doubt to cause this team to recline especially because of the way they are run as a secondary RB team.

Alpha Tauri has always worked as a step ladder where they are only temporary before a driver either leaves for RedBull or leaves RedBull behind to go to the midfield.

But they at least managed to always have a driver that they could use as a secondary RedBull driver which let's be honest here is what anyone in that academy will be until Max leaves F1.

They abandoned that policy though simply because Alex and Pierre left. I think there was always some believe that Alex or Pierre will be kept there for a bit to train the younger one who will ultimately step up to Max, be there for a year or two before potentially becoming the main driver once Max leaves. But then Pierre and Alex left and they didn't have a driver to be that mentor anymore. No other driver from the current grid is a.) experienced enough for that and b.) willing to leave the team. The only three close enough would be Val (who will probably like Kimi retire at Alfa), Kevin (who is chained to Haas until the devil rips that contract up) or Nico (who at that time already probably had the talks with Haas.)

I am not discrediting Yuki or seeing he can't do it but the problem was Yuki isn't fixed. They wanted to kick him out but then saw him perform better and let him stick around which is where the problem begins.

The whole purpose is to have drivers from AT that can be pushed to RB alongside Max. Yuki has been slandered so much and threatened so often to be dropped that it would just seem weird to put him there. Add to that no guaranteed contract and especially now he would jump to any other team the second he gets because it is the smartest move.

Anyway, here's the dilemma. Yuki and Nyck are not your typical young rookie/older mentor relationship and Nyck also again was never a fixed thing in RB. The move to even sign him, knowing they will lose Yuki in a year or 2 is stupid. Rightfully they should have put a rookie who could learn under Yuki and then grow to step up once not only Franz but Yuki leave which they didn't because well.

Undoubtedly Vips was supposed to be that before shit went down.

Now there's Liam who also is in this weird limbo off many just drivers where they sort of just push F1 out of their mind. He's been doing so much other stuff that he is decent in so really, the possibility to go back to F1 was slim especially with an already signed contract.

The whole F2 drivers are all either too inexperienced or truly just don't stick out and after Yuki would they really go for some that had an average junior career again?

And anyone else is not an option with the inexperience glaring.

Now we come to the big problem.

RedBull have always had the golden boy thing. It was clear since his Monza win that Seb would be at that team. It was clear they would only win with him. Then after Seb, I truly believe Daniel was brought in as Webber replacement and place holder until they would finally shift to Verstappen who they planned to pushed probably since 2014. No driver really stood a chance between the Seb/Max transition because they weren't meant to, simple as that. Now, the interesting thing is Max bringing up retirement and no doubt running away with the next 2 or 3 titles probably. What people also tend to forget that in 2025 Max has been in the sport for 10 years. Not to mention he was as a literal teen. He was forced to grow up and be that star. Would it be really surprising if after establishing himself among the greats he would want to be somewhere else where he could win? No.

This now begs the question of who will be there next golden boy and well really this is what it ultimately boils down to.

While I do think Liam is a great driver you can't help but wonder that the reason they didn't choose him is simply because they don't think he will carry that greatness over to F1 and the lack of trust makes it obvious he isn't the next golden boy.

Apparently Enzo is a RB junior driver? Didn't know that but yeah it ain't going to be him either. Would be happy if he even got a chance at Haas for a season they will teams refuse to give rookies a chance.

Jak Crawford has a pretty unspectacular carting/racing record so there's that.

Isack Hadjar is still young but compared to most of the RB former talent pool again pretty uneventful.

Dennis Haugher looks okay but still compared to the achievements required to be golden boy probably not?

Ayumu Iwasa is apparently the most hyped? He has a good record from what I could find I guess? Stands out that he mostly switched between series so maybe that's more damaging to me.

For the little good, Formula experience he has and the regional titles he won I am surprised more people aren't considering him? To me he sticks out most from the F2 drivers but then again looking at talent pool we have had none of them truly feel like they are what RedBull saw in Max and Seb.

There also the F3 drivers of course so let's look at them. On a second thought let's not because really nothing stand out and you can barely find stuff.

For the F4 drivers you can truly not find any statistics so yeah.

Why did I make this long detour?

To show you that really RedBull doesn't have junior drivers they seem confident in or that have the promise their main stars, Seb and Max had. But even drivers like Pierre, Alex, Daniel showed overall more impressive or at least interesting records than most of the RB juniors.

In that regard getting Nyck makes sense. It doesn't make sense though considering that the possibility that Max leaves in the next 5-8 years is inevitable and there's no one they have who will stay long to carry teams leader. Perez will leave, Nyck was never supposed to be longer than maybe 2 or 3 years, Yuki probably will move to a midfield team and Alex likely will become a driver at another top team. They should have promoted a junior or even Liam up to see how they do. Give them 2-3 years at AT to see development while also getting a second junior after a year or 2 in that team so they can learn to develope as driver and team leader if they show potential.

Yet they went for Nyck, knowing the incredible shit AT is in and the unstable environment it would be + they already had no faith in him.

And before I see anyone suggesting Daniel: no. Yuki was bound to step up as team leader and supposed to try out the mentor role. That is what they wanted him to be. With Daniel that would have never worked out. + He made it very clear he wanted nothing below Alpine so of course they didn't consider him. He didn't make himself an option.

Anyway the long story short:

This entire line up was bound to fail and is undoubtedly the first of many steps that will lead to 90% of RedBull juniors being tossed aside without a chance. This is the first of many reactions to the fact that the RedBull will not promote their juniors, they will instead discard the problem and presumably get Norris once Max makes it clear that he isn't going to be racing much longer. There's no doubt in my mind none of the current RedBull juniors will never be considered an option and that the next RB golden boy will be someone of the current grid and not of the RB family.

[cryptoto]

Chelsea are now preparing a £45m+ bid to sign the £88,000 midfielder in January.

Chelsea They are now reportedly considering a move to sign a new midfielder as soon as January as they look to put the final touches on him. Enzo Maresca a team. Chelsea faces a midfield dilemma Chelsea's midfield was among the best in the league Premier League This season, as Moises Caicedo has begun to justify his hefty price tag 12 months after his arrival, while Enzo Fernandes has been…

[hamsdd]

Chelsea are now preparing a £45m+ bid to sign the £88,000 midfielder in January.

Chelsea They are now reportedly considering a move to sign a new midfielder as soon as January as they look to put the final touches on him. Enzo Maresca a team. Chelsea faces a midfield dilemma Chelsea's midfield was among the best in the league Premier League This season, as Moises Caicedo has begun to justify his hefty price tag 12 months after his arrival, while Enzo Fernandes has been…

[alexbkrieger13]

https://www.tumblr.com/alexbkrieger13/766433458215059456/httpswwwtumblrcomalexbkrieger137664237852514?source=share

Elin was out injured after the World Cup. It took her a while to play in Houston due to that injury.

We do have a tough competition in the national team. Asllani, Angeldahl, Bennison, Kafaji, Zigiotti and even Björn when she's called up as midfielder and not as a defender. We have talents coming through the ranks too.

What many people miss, is that the generational change is happening organically. While Peter doesn't care about age in any direction, he isn't holding on to older players just for the sake of it. Right now the core of Swewnt consist of U19 Euro winners in 2015 and 2012.

Rant of the day: this fixation with age and equation mark some people put between young players = good players are frustrating. According to that logic Luxembourg would've defeated Swewnt easily since their average is 21 and Swewnt's 27. Not to forget that Japan had a much younger team than us in the World Cup. Rant over.

yea since the seger dilemma we've had quite a gradual bringing in of young players over the last year. Like we've kept the main core of the squad but like the age average went from like 33 to 27 that's good for Sweden.

Definitely agree sometimes there is too much emphasis on young players to do everything when realistically you do need more experience in certain games situations

[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] Source: ISL Hyderabad, November 30: Mohun Bagan Super Giant produced sparkling fireworks to light up the commencement of the festive week with a sublime 2-0 victory against hosts Hyderabad FC at the G. M. C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Gachibowli in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 tonight. The Mariners moved to the second place in the points table upon garnering 13 points from six games, behind top-placed Bengaluru FC (16) by only three points now. Hyderabad FC, on the other hand, who were seeking a second successive triumph, are now positioned 11th in the standings with four points from the six games they have played thus far. The Jose Molina-coached team rounded off this victory with utmost professionalism, bagging a goal each across both halves and diligently defending as per their plans to keep Hyderabad FC’s fast-paced attack at bay. The visitors capitalised the chances they created, demonstrating neat finishing and playing to their strengths to secure the three points. After a cagey start that comprised of defender Subhasish Bose getting booked in the 28th minute, the Kolkata-based club made their first headways into the game courtesy of a Manvir Singh strike in the 37th minute. The two sides were battling it out for possession in the centre of the park, before midfield dynamo Anirudh Thapa opted to unleash his creative genius by piercing open the Hyderabad FC backline with his crafty through ball. The delivery was launched towards Manvir, who was on his sprint already – fighting an incredible dilemma altogether. Before this goal, he had found the back of the net four times against Hyderabad FC, which is his highest such tally against any opponent in the league. However, the attacker had gone seven games without finding the back of the net against them too, and he snapped that streak by picking the ball with his feet, showing exemplary control to round it off goalkeeper Lalbiakhlua Jongte and slotting it home from the centre of the box to open the scoring for the game. Mohun Bagan Super Giant were a force to reckon in the attacking half and hence numerous opportunities were bound to come their way. It came in the form of a free-kick in the 55th minute; when up stepped attacking midfielder Greg Stewart, who curled the ball with the perfect pace inside the box, which was then met and hammered home by Bose to double their lead in the match. The Mariners resorted to consolidating their advantage thereafter, playing a rather safe game to see off the rest of the 40-odd minutes and walk back home with another critical win in their kitty. Key Performer of the Match Manvir Singh (Mohun Bagan Super Giant) Manvir completed 28 out of his 34 attempted passes tonight. He made one tackle, three interceptions, four crosses, and showed impeccable composure inside the box to strike the aforementioned goal. What’s next for both teams? Hyderabad FC will next play against Kerala Blasters FC on November 7, whereas Mohun Bagan Super Giant will be squaring off against Odisha FC on November 10. Brief Scores Mohun Bagan Super Giant 2 (Manvir Singh 37’, Subhasish Bose 55’) – 0 Hyderabad FC The post Mohun Bagan Super Giant sparkle with festive fireworks to secure 2-0 win over Hyderabad FC appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link

[news365times]

[ad_1] Source: ISL Hyderabad, November 30: Mohun Bagan Super Giant produced sparkling fireworks to light up the commencement of the festive week with a sublime 2-0 victory against hosts Hyderabad FC at the G. M. C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Gachibowli in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 tonight. The Mariners moved to the second place in the points table upon garnering 13 points from six games, behind top-placed Bengaluru FC (16) by only three points now. Hyderabad FC, on the other hand, who were seeking a second successive triumph, are now positioned 11th in the standings with four points from the six games they have played thus far. The Jose Molina-coached team rounded off this victory with utmost professionalism, bagging a goal each across both halves and diligently defending as per their plans to keep Hyderabad FC’s fast-paced attack at bay. The visitors capitalised the chances they created, demonstrating neat finishing and playing to their strengths to secure the three points. After a cagey start that comprised of defender Subhasish Bose getting booked in the 28th minute, the Kolkata-based club made their first headways into the game courtesy of a Manvir Singh strike in the 37th minute. The two sides were battling it out for possession in the centre of the park, before midfield dynamo Anirudh Thapa opted to unleash his creative genius by piercing open the Hyderabad FC backline with his crafty through ball. The delivery was launched towards Manvir, who was on his sprint already – fighting an incredible dilemma altogether. Before this goal, he had found the back of the net four times against Hyderabad FC, which is his highest such tally against any opponent in the league. However, the attacker had gone seven games without finding the back of the net against them too, and he snapped that streak by picking the ball with his feet, showing exemplary control to round it off goalkeeper Lalbiakhlua Jongte and slotting it home from the centre of the box to open the scoring for the game. Mohun Bagan Super Giant were a force to reckon in the attacking half and hence numerous opportunities were bound to come their way. It came in the form of a free-kick in the 55th minute; when up stepped attacking midfielder Greg Stewart, who curled the ball with the perfect pace inside the box, which was then met and hammered home by Bose to double their lead in the match. The Mariners resorted to consolidating their advantage thereafter, playing a rather safe game to see off the rest of the 40-odd minutes and walk back home with another critical win in their kitty. Key Performer of the Match Manvir Singh (Mohun Bagan Super Giant) Manvir completed 28 out of his 34 attempted passes tonight. He made one tackle, three interceptions, four crosses, and showed impeccable composure inside the box to strike the aforementioned goal. What’s next for both teams? Hyderabad FC will next play against Kerala Blasters FC on November 7, whereas Mohun Bagan Super Giant will be squaring off against Odisha FC on November 10. Brief Scores Mohun Bagan Super Giant 2 (Manvir Singh 37’, Subhasish Bose 55’) – 0 Hyderabad FC The post Mohun Bagan Super Giant sparkle with festive fireworks to secure 2-0 win over Hyderabad FC appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link

[sa7abnews]

Exclusive: Hansi Flick’s plans with the Barcelona midfield once injured players return

New Post has been published on Sa7ab News

Exclusive: Hansi Flick’s plans with the Barcelona midfield once injured players return

Barcelona’s midfield dilemma is shaping up to be one of the most interesting challenges for Hansi Flick in the coming weeks.  As several key players, including Dani Olmo, Frenkie de Jong,…

... read more !

[douxlen]

Exclusive: Hansi Flick’s plans with the Barcelona midfield once injured players return

New Post has been published on Douxle News

Exclusive: Hansi Flick’s plans with the Barcelona midfield once injured players return

Barcelona’s midfield dilemma is shaping up to be one of the most interesting challenges for Hansi Flick in the coming weeks.  As several key players, including Dani Olmo, Frenkie de Jong,…

... read more !

[cebozcom]

West Ham's Tactical Dilemma: Ward-Prowse or Paqueta? | www.ceboz.com

A tactical analysis of West Ham's midfield options for the upcoming clash against Tottenham Hotspur.

[thebehindpost]

Season previews: Melbourne (6th)

Last season: 4th (16 wins, 7 losses, 125.2%), 5th after finals Notable ins: Jack Billings (St Kilda), Caleb Windsor (no. 7 draft pick), Tom Fullarton (Brisbane) Notable outs: Angus Brayshaw (retired), Brodie Grundy (Sydney), James Harmes (Western Bulldogs)

All eyes are on Melbourne in 2024. Take any one of the burning questions surrounding the Demons and it would be enough to fill the back (or front) page of the paper and keep talkback radio lines busy for a day. Add them all together and it means there is no more fascinating team heading into the season. With their backs against the wall, Melbourne could rediscover the form that led to success in 2021 and win a flag for the ages. Or under the weight of scandal and scrutiny, they could fall right apart and tumble out of the eight. Placing the Demons at 6th is having a bet each way but until we see if they can put the summer from Hell behind them and play some football, it's hard to take a bold stance in either direction.

What happens if Max Gawn gets injured? It would not be lost on Melbourne that we fret over who backs up the big man now, when less than 12 months ago debate raged over how they could possibly have Gawn and Grundy in the same team. The Grundy experiment failed: he finished last season playing for Casey and will start the new one with Sydney. The dilemma is that Gawn is at his best when he rucks solo and if he is playing, only needs pinch-hitters that can perform other duties. A quality ruckman recruited to wait in the wings would be no happier playing in the VFL than Grundy was, so the best they could get last trade period was Fullarton (19 games in five years). Grundy may not have been the solution the rest of the season but Melbourne sure seemed happy to have him when Gawn went down with a knee injury last year. The Dees won three of the four games he missed. Will their on-ball division fare so well this time using a ruckman cobbled together from spare parts?

Can the Demons fix their forwardline woes? They are the complete package down back and through the middle but goals were simply too hard to come by in 2023. They kicked just sixteen goals across both finals and lost those games by a combined nine points. The ball use going inside 50 was haphazard, sent to the boundary in areas not dangerous to the opposition or bombed over the heads of their forwards. A powerful key forward would help but plenty of teams have found goals by using system to overcome a lack of personnel. The positive is that Melbourne have spent an off-season clear on what they have to work with and what they do not, so should come in with a better plan of attack.

Where is Clayon Oliver's football at? Oliver's career had been near-flawless right up until the moment he suffered a hamstring in round 10, 2023. Probably the best pure midfielder in the game, his CV at 26 already contains four best and fairests, three All-Australian selections, two AFLCA Player of the Year awards and a premiership medallion. He was on track for a Brownlow medal and had probably only been denied one already by sharing votes with Gawn and Christian Petracca. If personal issues had at all been a factor for Oliver prior to last year, it had been impossible to tell on the field. The last six months though have been shaped by concerns over fitness, innuendo around "lifestyle choices" and mental health, briefly finding himself on the trade table and then spending most of the summer training away from the main group… all before his seven-year multi-million dollar deal even officially started. Reports are that Oliver is now back in the fold and available for Opening Round, which is a positive for both club and player. They badly need his brilliant best and he needs the distraction football brings, as it was only when injury took that away that the rest of his world started to fall apart.

Is there a drug culture at Melbourne? The answer at times feels like a version of the Narcissist's Prayer: "No there isn't. And if there is, it's not that bad. And if it is, it's not a big deal. And if it is, that's society's fault. Oh and by the way, every other club has one too." The coach, Simon Goodwin, says there isn't one but will admit to challenges. Their captain's proof there isn’t was hair-testing reports he has probably never seen, bringing to mind Sergeant Schultz. And CEO Gary Pert says that this side has the best culture he's ever seen in football (not the highest bar given Pert's previous role was at Collingwood during the hard-partying 'Rat Park' era and the period of time captured in the 'Do Better' report). They may well all be right. But the facts are that Melbourne are the only club with a player stupid enough to test positive to cocaine on game day then be found with text messages on his phone asking an unspecified number of teammates if they'd like to buy drugs from him. As for the coach himself, it is hard to recall a figure in football that's had to deny as many rumours of illicit drug use as he. Many are just fictions spread on social media but at least one source is Glenn Bartlett, their former president. Bartlett has an axe to grind with the club but it's hard to believe he would simply invent tales of such nature.

Winning papers over a lot of cracks and the Demons would love to start the season strongly to quiet the noise. But they are close to breaking point and cannot afford any more negative headlines. Melbourne will be praying for no further damaging revelations to emerge from Joel Smith's case at SIA, Oliver to keep his head down and some early wins (they have a tricky opening schedule with Sydney, Port Adelaide and Adelaide away and easier-beats Hawthorn and Bulldogs at home). Despite the public denials, one hopes that Melbourne take issues with their culture more seriously internally. If heads stay in the sand there much longer, then heads will roll.

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