Emerton The Solution To Lavicka's Midfield Riddle

Brett Emerton is every manager's must-have player. Emerton is a model professional and a capable technician, and is positionally versatile and ridiculously fit (in the stamina sense - the other sense is perhaps best left to the marketing department).

But Viteslav Lavicka now has a devilish problem to resolve. Emerton is probably happiest playing as a genuine right winger, but the Czech master's preference for a midfield diamond is well known. He has shown no intention to play with wingers - in fact, he shipped off Kofi Danning, his only genuine wide man, and we know that Sydney FC were expecting to recruit Emerton next season but nabbed him 12 months early.

So how does Lavicka fit an EPL-standard winger into his starting 11, while making full use of his talents?

Emerton could play at right back. Lavicka has never settled on Shannon Cole or Seb Ryall in the troublesome spot, and the swift exit of Byun and recruitment of Jamie Coyne demonstrates his dissatisfaction with his younger options. Emerton has played right back for the Socceroos for years and would dominate opposing attackers.

But has Emerton really come to Australia to mark out a winger and mind a touchline, occasionally venturing forward in the conservative way that Lavicka has demanded of his fullbacks over the last two years? It seems doubtful, even though Emerton's decision making and enormous engine are actually perfectly suited to playing the wingback role behind a midfield diamond. It is to be hoped that the rush to push the marquee man goalwards doesn't stop Lavicka from trying Emerton at right back with Karol Kisel ahead of him.

One can however assume that Lavicka will want maximum influence from his premier player and will probably slot Emerton into a midfield role as soon as possible. One hopes he is smart enough to exploit the Socceroo's versatility. Emerton can play right back, defensive midfield, right wing or even genuine centre midfield, and he will probably fill all of these roles within a 90 minutes.

Lavicka demands that his players pass to feet along the grass. We are often told that ball on the ground football is best played by players rotating between positions. Such lofty ambitions are no longer beyond Sydney FC and there is a first 11 that would allow them to switch between formations while playing their young stars alongside their Socceroo mentors - a goal that Sydney should ignore for another year to their peril.

Here is a starting 11 within the current squad that can fluidly shift from a diamond 4-4-2 to a flat 4-4-2 and a classic 4-1-4-1. Let's start with Lavicka's preferred diamond:

-----------------Cazarine-------------------------
-------------------------Petratos----------------

---------------------Carle----------------------

-------------Antonis-----Emerton-------------

-------------------McFlynn---------------------

-Jamieson--Beauchamp--Bosschart--Cole/Coyne

----------------------Reddy--------------------

Here Petratos plays the role of support striker. Note that the formation already encourages players to swap and shift between the lines. Antonis, Petratos and Carle can all play at LCM, at 10 or at support striker, while McFlynn can push on with Antonis and Emerton covering behind as both have done for the Socceroos. Emerton can also switch with Shannon Cole, though Lavicka will probably choose new recruit Jamie Coyne.

This same 11 can quickly switch to the following shape:


-----------------------------Cazarine-------------------------
-------------------------Antonis/Carle----------------

Petratos-------Carle/Antonis----------McFlynn----------Emerton
 ---------Jamieson--Beauchamp--Bosschart--Cole/Coyne

-------------------------------Reddy--------------------

In this flat midfield Emerton plays in his favoured right winger role and McFlynn holds the midfield fort, but others are admittedly out of their comfort zones. Petratos is left-footed and has played left wing but looks more comfortable in central roles. Here Carle can float out left to bring Petratos back into the centre, while Carle and Antonis share their preferred number 10 spot as well as the "Modric" role in the middle. A lot would be required of Scott Jamieson, a confidence player at the best of times.

Still, the formation is remarkably fluid. All four midfielders can comfortably occupy central roles, while Carle and Emerton have repeatedly played wide positions for the Socceroos. Carle, Antonis and Petratos all love to play behind Bruno at 9, and Emerton can surge forward as well.

If the team gets a lead and Lavicka plays conservatively (an approach which did take Sydney to a double just a year ago), he can switch things up without making a substitution.

-----------------------------Cazarine-------------------------

------------Petratos-----Antonis-----Carle----------Emerton

--------------------------------McFlynn-----------------------

---------Jamieson--Beauchamp--Bosschart--Cole/Coyne

-------------------------------Reddy--------------------


This formation can break at pace. Carle and Antonis are particularly capable of playing through balls to Emerton and Petratos, and Cazarine is particularly adept at running across two central defenders to keep them interested.

The key man in all of this is probably the captain - Terry McFlynn. In each formation he is required to do much more than break heads and bust a gut. In the diamond McFlynn's distribution would be tested and if his passing goes astray (as is known to happen), the entire formation breaks down. In the second formation, McFlynn is required to "mind" a much smaller central midfield partner. In the defensive variation McFlynn is again the chief distributor as Lavicka loathes to bypass the man in the hole.

McFlynn struggled in central defensive midfield last season, but reports suggest that Lavicka has him in mind for Stuart Musialik's old role. If he can make it work, it will instantly free up what was a battling midfield. If he can't, the captain may be benched for Rhyan Grant or Hiro Moriyasu.

This starting 11 has other weakness - Petratos plays outside his natural central midfield role, and the squad might lack height at set pieces against physical outfits. But a creative midfield core of Petratos, Antonis, Emerton and Carle is a vast improvement on Musialik, Hiro, McFlynn and Bridge, which is what Sydney was reduced to when injury and poor recruitment cruelled last year's campaign.