@Rafarendum: Attack is the best form of defense. But only if you intend to attack. If we're going to trundle aimlessly or hoof our way up the pitch, well, that's not really attacking is it?
If you look at Rafa's side against Sunderland at home last season (I'm only using this example because it illustrates the point), we had 8 attack-minded players on the pitch (and one of the non-attackers is Pepe, who loves the long throw). They were sent out with instructions to attack, and we well and truly battered our opposition. They didn't get a look in simply because they were camped in their own half. Now if we're going to pick that same side (and I think we can for the most part), but instead have them sit in our half and counter-attack, we're not going to be anywhere near as successful. Those tactics are not what the side was picked and trained to do.
This is my point with Johnson and Insua. Both are very much more suited to an attacking game, simply because if your opponents are the ones on the back foot you can afford to be a little loose in defense (provided there is some discipline among those not involved in the assault, of course). But unless Roy is going to use that as a tactical point, to have the entire team working at pressing the opposition back into their half, the relative weaknesses in defense of these two players will be exposed time and again, and ruthlessly so against the better wide players out there.
I personally have no issues with Johnson as a player, but he's not playing where he's comfortable, so I'd rather have someone more suited to the role on the pitch. Otherwise we should be attacking more as a team, and perhaps play Kelly alongside the Greek in the center of our defense as they both seem to have their heads screwed on straight.
Although I can't claim to be a successful manager, I'm very certain that you will find the best managers out there have a flexible approach to both tactics and squad management, while Roy sticks to his guns tactically and uses as much reverse psychology as possible in the press. Methodical, formulaic, predictable. It continues to amaze me that he signed Meireles, given that they have not one trait in common.
A squad like ours thrives on having the ball, but if we're going to sit back and let the opposition have it instead then we're doing it wrong; pure and simple.
