Why is Sessegnon playing left back ?

[FulhamStu]

The vast majority of fans believe his best position is left wing.  It is possible that either Slav thinks he is best at left back or that he is the clubs current best left back however Slav knows how good Ryan is going forward, he knows we are struggling for goals, and he knows the last game Ryan played up front we scored 5 with a hat trick from the lad.

So what is stopping Slav from playing him further forward with Odoi or even Ream at left back until we can bring in another player in Jan.

Here are 3 reasons I have come up with.

1. Because we have so many wingers, Slav feels we are well enough covered at left wing and that playing Ryan further forward takes up a place 6 or more other players can cover.

2. Slav knows we need another left back so is putting pressure on the club by saying unless you give me another left back I will have to play Ryan there instead of in his best position up front.

3. The club know that Spurs/Man U etc want/need a left back (not a left winger) so want to keep everyone in the football world thinking Ryan is a left back.  Most pundits if you ask, will describe Ryan as an attacking left back, not a winger.  Are they doing this to sell him in Jan, or even the summer for maximum ££ ?

[RaySmith]

Slav likes pacey wing backs who can attack up the  wings is one reason I suppose.

I think it's to do with how he perceives the balance of the team. We know he  will play Sess as a  winger, and this  has been very successful.
Presumably  if he got a new full-back he likes, then he would play Sess in a forward role.

Playing games with his selection to give out messages?
The chap on the podcast who has written that book, which seems good btw, said, like some on here, that he thought Slav was  picking players in their wrong positions, and leaving out some new buys, deliberately to put out a message to  the powers that be at the club, while here Stu suggest that Slav is putting out a message to potential buyers  of Sess.

The problem I have  with these theories is - do you not think that Slav thinks it's  of fundamental importance- to Fulham, and to his career - to get the  best results possible, and thus he  would  only play the team he thought was likely to  get the best results?

[FulhamStu]

Slav likes pacey wing backs who can attack up the  wings is one reason I suppose.

I think it's to do with how he perceives the balance of the team. We know he  will play Sess as a  winger, and this  has been very successful.
Presumably  if he got a new full-back he likes, then he would play Sess in a forward role.

Playing games with his selection to give out messages?
The chap on the podcast who has written that book, which seems good btw, said, like some on hecre, that he thought Slav was  picking players in their wrong positions, and leaving out some new buys, deliberately to put out a message to  the powers that be at the club, while here Stu suggest that Slav is putting out a message to potential buyers  of Sess.

The problem I have  with these theories is - do you not think that Slav thinks it's  of fundamental importance- to Fulham, and to his career - to get the  best results possible, and thus he  would  only play the team he thought was likely to  get the best results?

Hang on, I am not saying what Slav is doing is trying to prove anything as I don't know, what I am doing is writing a hypothesis as to why he is playing Sess at full back when most fans want him further forward etc.   Personally I don't know why he is doing this, I wish he would tell us !

[RaySmith]

Fair enough Stu.

Yes, you do put this idea forward as one of three hypotheses.

[Twig]

Why is the sky blue?

[MrD1879]

Could be anyone of the three which is incredibly poor management if it is or he genuinely thinks he's the best left back we have which if it is I would love him to tell me what he bases that on? (I won't take the training argument)

[Vinnieffc]

As an ex left back myself I think it's a specialist position but mainly to be a defender who can attack. Sees is more of a midfielder or forward . Can't see RealMadrid playing  Gareth Bale at LB can you ?

[Woolly Mammoth]

Left back most certainly is a specialist position, and Sess is just one player out of three maybe four who are consistently being played out of position, and the result is that we cannot buy a goal, and keeping the odd clean sheet is very difficult.
Unless he changes his system of play, and starts to play to the strengths of the players. We will continue to limp along.
Plus the fact that a number of players do not seem particularly motivated is maybe therefore a consequence of his team selections.
If he does not come to terms with the fact that he is barking up the wrong tree now, then any credit he has stored from last season will dissapear.

[Snibbo]

Even if Sess is our best left back (which is debatable at least), surely the threat he would present at left wing provides a greater overall benefit to the team. What we might lose by having say Odoi at left back, is more than made up for by having a really threatening forward in Sess. Can't see what Slav is trying to achieve I'm afraid.

[colinwhite]

Actually think there are tactical reasons for it. The perfect game for ryan to play forward in are the games against top sides away from home, New castle last year ,Shef Utd this year etc.
in these games against teams attcking us we get time to hit teams on the break which suits sessingnon perfectly.
Home games against teams that sit back is a different story. Ryans not at his best when we have alot of the ball in the opponents final third. Then i think Slavisa believes he is more dangerous coming from a deeper position.

[Twig]

Slav likes pacey wing backs who can attack up the  wings is one reason I suppose.

This is it IMO.
Look at Malone and Fredericks.
He essentially likes to play with a second pair of wingers at full back, irrespective of them being crap at defending.

I don't believe the conspiracy theories for a minute, they just don't add up.

No, I don't either. But the "wingers in full back positions" explanation is not a very satisfactory explanation either.  Odoi seems pretty solid at LB, he certainly provides better defensive cover and can even tuck in and support our CB's which Sess never does. Odoi may be less spectacular going forward but we seem a far better balanced side with him at LB and Sess pushed forward.

SJ obviously knows all this so why does he persist? I just don't get it.

One can debate all day whether Johansen should be benched, Button v Betts etc. BUT it is the LB issue that I think is preventing us from progressing.

[toshes mate]

I'd like to believe SJ plays the best eleven he has at his disposal for each game for no other reason than to achieve a result.  I have read all the criticism about playing Ryan Sessegnon at left back when, during a game, he is to be found in the final third and the opponent's box very often just like most wing backs these days.  Against Sunderland his game was just the same with defensive cover being provided by various others.  I see evidence of coaching work on providing cover for the attacking breakdowns as much as work on trying to prevent those attacking breakdowns occurring so cheaply.

I don't see SJ as such a petty person to want to point score against Club personnel he knows he cannot beat, and I don't think he is the least bit interested in trying to influence a marketplace he cannot control.

But then I am the one who is usually accused of thinking too much! 

[Asotosyios]

Slav likes pacey wing backs who can attack up the  wings is one reason I suppose.

This is it IMO.
Look at Malone and Fredericks.
He essentially likes to play with a second pair of wingers at full back, irrespective of them being crap at defending.

I don't believe the conspiracy theories for a minute, they just don't add up.

+1
The conspiracy theories are always more fun than the plain truth though.

[toshes mate]

I also believe Odoi is a better defensive option at left back but then the problem SJ has becomes one of dropping 'x'  from the midfield to play RS on the left with some commensurate conundrums to fathom.  As I already said I don't think we should read too much into line-up numbers but, instead, watch how games pan out.   The answers may come when we have Kebano, Ayite and Piazon back to fitness and competition for places becomes much more intense.   

[Woolly Mammoth]

All good and very interesting posts, and of course it is anyones guess what Jok is thinking.
However, I still feel that Jok has issues with certain players signed by the club that were not initially his choice, and I can fully understand his reaction to this.
Nevertheless I also feel that these issues are clouding his judgement all the same.

[Asotosyios]

All good and very interesting posts, and of course it is anyones guess what Jok is thinking.
However, I still feel that Jok has issues with certain players signed by the club that were not initially his choice, and I can fully understand his reaction to this.
Nevertheless I also feel that these issues are clouding his judgement all the same.

Perhaps that's true. However, let's not forget that Jokanovic sees the players every day in training and has a better idea and understanding of who can do what and how they fit into his plans/execute his orders.