But does he dare bench Jones?
by NDMike2001 (2017-03-29 11:18:59)

In reply to: It was definitely frustrating  posted by wcnitz

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And Altidore for that matter? Or Deuce. Or Wood.

I seem to recall that Arena likes to play with 2 strikers. And suddenly we seem to have those resources now.

I really don't see a way to keep two strikers on the field and also play Jones. Theoretically, you could put Deuce behind the striker in a 4-4-1-1 but that still pushes Pulisic back too far IMO. You can't pair Jones and Bradley together. You definitely don't want Jones in a diamond anywhere. 3-4-2-1 would accommodate Jones better.

But IMO, it's time to bench Jones.

IMO, should have done it years ago.
by prophetofdoom  (2017-03-31 12:43:58)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Guy has been a liability to the MNT.

I think he will. *
by skip encarnacion  (2017-03-29 13:18:45)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

The poor man's American Jose Mourinho.
by NDMike2001  (2017-03-29 13:53:32)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

The polarizing coach that has the cohones and credibility to actually get away with benching a superstar. We'll see.

FWIW, there are games in which I believe that Jones would be much better suited than Bradley at the 6. So if Arena actually rotated them accordingly, I would be completely floored. But more so because that means the armband goes to someone else.

It is strange...
by skip encarnacion  (2017-03-29 16:15:49)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

But for as long as Jones has been a rock solid player for this squad, I doubt fans will be sorry to see him go. He will always be an enigma.

I think Klinnsman liked his mentality and confidence, and I think he allowed Jones to entrench himself as a freewheeling midfielder much to the detriment of this team. There were days when I thought JK was afraid of him.






I've got love for the guy. But you are right.
by NDMike2001  (2017-03-29 16:41:44)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

For all of his faults, JK did have a way of finding the best out of JJ. But I disagree that it was to the detriment of the team. There were times in the last world cup when it seemed like it was JJ, Howard and Deuce versus 11.

The detriment came with the "evolution" of Bradley as a #6 and his slow and steady decline as a player. There really was no way to accommodate both of those superstars. Remember when he tried the 3-4-3? Or tried JJ as a defender? It was always about trying to find a way to work with them both on the field.

If we had to play tomorrow against a team like Germany or Brazil that I knew would dominate possession, JJ would be the first player in my outfield (ok, after Pulisic). I don't trust JJ in an open midfield. But I'd trust him in a compacted final third for sure.