wiredfalcon2 said:The defense at Hajduk wasn't some unbreakable fortress even when they were sitting pretty with a 4-2-3-1 setup—four at the back plus two holding mids. Let’s be real, these guys aren't invincible; they're definitely going to make mistakes. Now that Leko has switched things up to a 3-5-2, we’re playing with one less defender in the backline, and since our fullbacks clearly don't have that Panucci-level stamina to drop back into a 5-3-2 during defensive transitions, you basically just left a pair of center-backs out there catching the wind. It was painfully obvious on that first Rijeka goal, too. You’ve got this 2-on-2 situation in the box, and then some 16-year-old kid fails to track Frigan’s movement, leaving him with about 100 yards of open space to run into. Honestly, the whole tactical idea is just a disaster.
Even with a 4-2-3-1, we’re still missing the right personnel, though given our current roster, I suppose I have to agree it's our best bet.
But that isn't going to fix any of these other issues:
1. Grgić, and especially Fosatti, are players who belong on the level of teams like FC Cincinnati or maybe a mid-tier MLS side... nothing elite.
2. None of our current center-backs are heavyweights like, say, a Virgil van Dijk or even someone like Šutalo over at the Galaxy—and I'll throw Perić into that mix as well. Ferro reminds me quite a bit of Tonela, but not the version of Tonela from his prime years, rather the version toward the end when he was barely moving on the pitch compared to how he used to play. Elez is a top-tier defender, truly, but the question remains what kind of player he will actually become. As for Borevkovic and Awaziem, they are constant threats to our own goal.
I could use Benrahou as another example. To me, he's like a left-footed Morales. While I doubt anyone would argue he won't be good enough for the domestic league, I can guarantee that for the kind of modern, high-intensity football Leko seemingly wants to implement, he'll never quite fit the mold.
And since this is a discussion about the league and "modernity," I might as well draw a comparison between the old-school wingers from the Dinamo days—guys like Soudani and Fernandes—and someone like Spikic today.
Soudani absolutely dismantled Rijeka and Hajduk more times than I can count... both of them even took down Arsenal, if we're listing achievements. But personally, I find Spikic ten times more impressive than both of them combined simply because he's more modern; he drives forward, and he contributes vastly more to the defensive phase, not to mention everything else.
I bring up that comparison because I suspect we'll see a very similar pattern with Benrahou after a while. He might turn out to be important for Hajduk, as they certainly need quality players to compete domestically, but in my estimation, he will never be the type of player suited for the specific vision of football that Leko—if my assumptions are correct—is trying to build.