Formation too rigid

[kendoddsdadsdogsdead]

I have been saying for a while that 3 at the back is a good fit for our players. Our fullbacks offer nothing going forward, and we are outnumbered in midfield.

 

3-5-2 or indeed 3-4-2-1 would suit us i think, and if everyone was fit and available, i would love to see these teams on the pitch -:

 

            Westwood

      Lees Loovens Sasso

Mattias Hutch Abdi Bannan FF

            Rhodes Hooper

 

               Westwood

        Lees Sasso Loovens

Mattias Hutch Bannan Reach

                Abdi FF

                Rhodes

 

[spike1867]

4-2-3-1.................

 

                          Westwood

       Hunt         Lees            Loovens      Fox

 

                         Hutch      Reach

 

           McManaman    Abdi       Forestieri

 

                               Rhodes

 

Which in organised possession looks like this....

 

                        Westwood

                 Lees               Loovens

 

         Hunt            Hutch              Fox

 

                         Abdi  Reach

 

      McManaman                     Forestieri

                              Rhodes

 

 I have Reach in next to Hutch because I reckon he's the only one who could get from box to box.  The problem we have is nobody in central midfield gets who into advanced positions.  You must have one player prepared to get beyond.  Otherwise in a 4-4-2, the 4 attacking players (2 strikers, 2 wide players) are comfortably dealt with by the opposition defence.  With Bannan, Jones and Hutchinson, nobody is prepared to bust a gut into the box.  I don't think Reach is a good enough left back or wide man, but he seems to have a good engine and as he has shown against Brizzle and Birmingham, he can break from midfield.  Like everybody has said, we miss Kieran Lee.

 

We are too flat with a 4-4-2 and as much as I would love to have a striker partner for Rhodes, especially Hooper, as everyone has rightly said, we get a little bogged down in midfield.  Don't ask the full backs to bomb on, get them to sit on the halfway and pick their moment to get forward and not necessarily down the line.  If they move over the halfway when we are in possession and join with Abdi and Reach, hey-ho it looks like a 3-4-3.  Their starting position is also much better if we lose the ball, dealing with the oppositions wide man around halfway or better, instead of chasing back or getting stood up one on one.

 

You can swap McManaman and Forestieri, include Matias if fit, Wallace, Buckley.  Bannan and Abdi are competing for the same spot.  Hunt/Palmer, Fox/Pudil, you pick to suit the opposition, but it shouldn't be about them getting forward.

 

There is nothing wrong with 4-4-2, its just we don't have the players to play it, especially with Kieran Lee out.  Its a little too one dimensional.  It relies on legs in midfield and a striker dropping into the hole. The problem is a hell of a lot of teams play 4-2-3-1, which means the striker dropping into the hole is finding 2 defensive midfielders there already.

 

4-2-3-1 is not defensive, just because there are 2 defensive mids and 1 striker.  Its about covering as much of the pitch as possible without asking attacking players to track back.  Why ask FF to track back, let him harass the opposition in their half.  Same with Bannan, why play him where he will get steamrollered by some midfielder bursting forward.  Play him in the playmakers role, just further forward.  Don't ask full backs to do a wingers job and a winger to do a center mids job by tucking in.  Let FF and McManaman start further forward and pick the ball up with just the defence to go at rather than the full back and a midfielder.

 

Long post, sorry.

 

 

[Kopparberg]

In the past, we've played 451 / 433 at times and looked good (vs Arsenal in the cup last season - Needs must though I suppose) 

 

I think we also 'closed out' games earlier on in this season that way too (Huddersfield away - using Nuhiu). 

 

541 is kind of out of the question at home, as it gets seen as negative, and now we have at least 4 strikers to call on it's like we can't afford to have just one of them playing. 

 

Hutch looks great in a midfield 3 IMO. 

 

We do look way too rigid in a 442, but also very slow at moving the ball. We're probably going for that look of 'composure' but teams have time to get in position, it plays into their hands. 

 

With a forward line of 3, I'd want 3 players that are mobile and quick. I'm not sure we have that. 

[victorturner]

On 19/03/2017 at 07:54, zzmdu said:

 

When we have the ball, we do revert to 3 at the back.

 

Our full backs & centre halfs arent good enough. 

Neither is that midfield. Bannan Jones and Wallace do not offer one specialist attacking midfielder who is prepared to do other than play in front of the opposition defence.

[heppers]

Wasn't everyone crying out for 442?

[Buxtongent]

One thing has become blatantly obvious this season - formations. They are our downfall. It is obvious from the way we line up, what formation we are trying to play, and we stick RIGIDLY to our starting formation. The footballing world has been baffled by statistics for too long. Our playing of 4-4-2 is so rigid that there is a wide , wide gap between forwards and defence, which teams are exploiting. Reading showed us how to play football (when they weren't professionally using time up) with players playing balls first time into space, and other players running into space, knowing that that is where the ball will be played. At times, we are so pedestrian in our build up and play, its like a set of statues playing.

We have recently bought two of the most prolific strikers in the league (Rhodes and Winnall). WE know what Rhodes is capable of, but Winnall has been scoring at will for Barnsley. We buy him, and the goals immediately dry up! Why? The answer is that we are not playing to his strengths!

Our defence has for the last two seasons been a cause for concern. Yes, we have individual players of skill,  but how often last season alone did Westwood win MOM?

Too many times for us to say our defence was playing well!  Loosen up, and show some movement around the field, and some urgency in our play. Often this only comes when we are chasing a draw/win in the closing stages. It should be happening for the full game.