Benitez suggested rotating Ba and Torres and also playing them together.

 

If they are paired up front, who gets dropped from the first team?

 

During rotation, what happens if Ba is effective during his rotation and Torres isn't?

 

 

 

 

I bloody hope not. Why drop one of the creative trio just to accommodate Torres?

 

Torres will still be the first choice striker. I suspect there's immense pressure from the board to play him.

No. Wouldn't have Torres anywhere near the first team. 

I think they would make an excellent partnership, especially if we could get Hazard and Moses playing as orthodox wingers.

No.

 

Nothing else to add... just no.

There are scenarios where I could imagine them playing together, just not from the start of a match.

 

On form Ba has to start as many matches as possible, however if the next time we're a goal behind with 15 minutes to go and nothing to lose then I wouldn't be averse to bringing Torres on in place of a midfielder to partner Ba up front.

 

Although I really hope that next season we'll be having similar conversations about Falcao and Ba rather than Torres and Ba.

They need to be rotated, we have lots of games from now till May, but I would play Ba as #1 and give him the big games, then rest him and use Torres for cup games. There may be occasions when we throw on 2 strikers late on to try and rescue a win/draw.

As it's already mentioned playing the two together would mean we would need to drop one of our attacking players - Moses; Hazard; Mata; Oscar - don't think we have the players to play 4-4-2 and Torres doesn't create enough and score enough when he is paired up with another striker. 

There are scenarios where I could imagine them playing together, just not from the start of a match.

 

On form Ba has to start as many matches as possible, however if the next time we're a goal behind with 15 minutes to go and nothing to lose then I wouldn't be averse to bringing Torres on in place of a midfielder to partner Ba up front.

 

Although I really hope that next season we'll be having similar conversations about Falcao and Ba rather than Torres and Ba.

Pretty much agree with all of that. We had the same ongoing conversation about Drogba and Torres, so the question of a Ba/Torres combination is bound to arise.

 

Given the interim manager's fondness for tinkering, I'm quite sure he'll give it a go at some stage. The danger is that he'll succumb to the temptation of attempting to accommodate both players on a regular basis.

Edited January 6, 201313 yr by Tommy Docherty

It's inevitable that on occasions they will play together,

There is no way Torres is going to be completely plonked on the bench for a prolonged amount of time just to accommodate Ba, like it or not it isn't going to happen.

I do see FSW maybe having a go at a Man u style of play with the two of them up front. 

It would appear that Torres's character probably wouldn't stand up to being number 2 AGAIN, he had very little choice with Drogba for a multitude of reasons, but Ba would be a different thing altogether, and, if that was to be the case we would be back to only one motivated striker again (in this case Ba)

I doubt our striking problems will really be solved until the summer, when a 'marquee' forward comes to the club, and Torres moves on.

He's already thinking about it:

 

Benitez envisages Ba-Torres partnership

"They could play together," said the interim manager. "Ba was playing with (Newcastle United striker Papiss) Cisse last month, so he can play in a two because he is a clever player, but it depends on the players and the game."

Interesting suggestion. I sort of feel like they would be occupying similar spaces, both liking to play in and around that last man. I think you really have to have one (or preferably both) who are capable of moving a bit deeper if required, eg Rooney and RVP or Aguero and Tevez

As others have said, the only way I can see it happening is when we need a goal or 2 to win or draw a game. With the amount of games we have coming up I can't see it happening from the start. Against weaker opposition at home I would like to see it and we could drop one of the 2 holding midfielders to bring another striker in. Would of been perfect against qpr as they were offering very little going forward and the 2 holding players seemed a bit pointless.

Edited January 6, 201313 yr by Bluehatter

We dont have the players for a 442

 

Bertrand - Mikel - Oscar - Rambo

 

Is the best 4 man midfield i can see working for the system and keeping width to give the two strikers more space centrally.

 

Unless we tried a diamond

 

Perhaps something like

 

----------Mata----------

 

-Oscar ---------Rambo

 

---------Mikel----------

 

 

The team needs Hazard though. He offers more than Torres

If like to see it tried in a game but we don't have the midfielders for a two man midfield abs also if you play say a diamond, you severely lack width so I can't see it working

He's already thinking about it:

 

Benitez envisages Ba-Torres partnership

"They could play together," said the interim manager. "Ba was playing with (Newcastle United striker Papiss) Cisse last month, so he can play in a two because he is a clever player, but it depends on the players and the game."

 

It's not Ba were worried about in the partnership.

A Ba/Torres partnership up front is unlikely. I can't see Benitez switching friom his 4-2-3-1 formation to facilitate Torres. I believe Rafa will rotate them.

 

Ba and Cisse were not a success at Newcastle.

I have no problem watching together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the team bus 

Not after yesterday. 

 

As Adam says, why sacrifice one of the creatives when very few teams can handle three of our creative players at once.

 

I can see the interim being forced to try this, but if its not a roaring success, I hope he has permission to play just Ba

Not after yesterday. 

 

As Adam says, why sacrifice one of the creatives when very few teams can handle three of our creative players at once.

 

I can see the interim being forced to try this, but if its not a roaring success, I hope he has permission to play just Ba

Don't think he would sacrifice one of the creative players if he was to try 2 up top. One of the 2 holding players would have to be sacrificed which is a good idea in games where the other team don't offer much going forward.

No, I think both are suited to playing as a lone front man so one or the other, hopefully Ba in the premier league.

No, if anybody saw Ba play with Cisse at Newcastle then you would know that Ba rarely passed to him. Ba likes to be the focal point so it would be a waste of a player. I think Torres would benefit from a partner though, it wouldn't benefit the team though.

I would quite like to see how it is tbh, doubt Rafa will go for the 2 up front but with Moses now at the AFCON. Torres maybe could be played out wide, that would interesting 

I wouldn't play Torres so no.

However i Would try Ba with another striker if we were to sign one in this transfer window.

Playing them both would require a formation with two strikers, unless we intend to play one of them (presumably Ba) out of position. There isn't another first team player in the squad who I would drop Torres for, much less one of the attacking midfielders we would have to lose for a 4-4-2.