Quote:
|
Originally Posted by lytic
wow, you got a lot of spare time 
I never really thought of midfield as unimportant, but how can 2 guys score on 5 much better defenders and a world class keeper?
A magnificent Counter Attack *should* be better than a solid midfield IMHO.
I consistanly have the best defense, even when I play 3-5-2. Yet, I have been score upon more than most. That just doesn't happen in real life. Good defenses keep games close. |
Took five minutes, typed in "importance of midfield" into Yahoo.
It's funny, but the number one search result was that Hattrick article.
Two guys scoring on 4 or 5 world class defenders and goalkeeper happens constantly in high level soccer. Since most teams play a variation of 4-4-2, that's usually standard issue. One guy happens often enough. Thierry Henry (Arsenal and France), for example, can dominate entire backlines made up of some of the best defenders in the world.
As for counterattacking as a strategy, you have to realize that in real life it's often an act of desperation against an acknowledged better team. And you leave yourself vulnerable to getting wrecked on a counter-counterattack when you run that option since it puts your defense forward.
Press formation was designed to keep the score low, counterattacking should leave you more vulnerable on defense than a normal stance.
Like I said in my original post, I do think the importance of midfield is overemphasized, but I don't think the gap is as large as you make it out to be. If it was more like real life, then the only real difference would be that most teams would be forced to run a 4-5-1 or a 4-4-2 to compete.