Post match this season I've regularly been dissapointed but tonight.....

[frastheowl]

1 hour ago, Finney on the Wing said:

 

In Carlos' first season FF & Wallace (from the wings) used to do this pretty regular, finding the space to receive a pass then moving the ball quick.

 

The second season we seemed to have a more rigid style and the flexibility wasn't there.

 

Is it Carlos just letting the front six have a little more freedom of movement that's letting us play a bit better?

 

 

 

 

That was certainly the case yesterday.

 

Just watched the highlights back, and it was certainly more apparent that Reach and Wallace started higher up the pitch, and Hooper definitely played a little deeper than usual, to compensate for Butterfield and Bannan's slightly deeper, more protective roles.

 

As a result of Bannan's deeper role, alongside Butterfield who purely sat and protected, it meant Bannan was collecting balls on the front foot, and looking forward, rather than him starting further forward and dropping deep to get the ball off centre halves. 

 

The shape we had yesterday looked compact defensively, but the front four certain were given more freedom when in possession, which in turn created an abundance of space for Bannan to exploit coming from deep.

 

It's a system I think we should've adapted to much sooner. It's very close to a 4-4-2, which we already play, but with two disciplined midfielders, and Hooper given the licence to roam even more than he does in a front two partnership, it gives us much more balance. 

 

Like you say, we played it in the 1st season a fair bit..it suited Lopez's game perfectly. It should suit Hutchinson's, but I'm not sure he's disciplined enough in reality. The only drawback to the system imo, is it kinda makes Lee redundant, unless you play him in the No.10 spot in place of Hooper. Can't see how Lee and Hooper fits into that system together though. 

[Lee Strafford]

3 hours ago, frastheowl said:

 

But we aren't playing him as an out and out winger. Quite the opposite actually.

 

He's playing very narrow, almost as another No.10, drifting into the half space and running in beyond.

 

As a result, he's finding far more space, because the full back can't pick him up, and the centre halves don't want to get dragged out wide, when he'll invariably make that run, from in to out behind the full back.

 

It's a pretty unique role, that seems to suit Reach's energy and off the ball intelligence nicely. Because Reach isn't particularly skilful nor lightening quick, we don't see the best of him when he's marked by a full back, but this role negates that from happening. Puts a lot of pressure on the left back, to provide constant width in attack, whilst also defending well, often against an overload (which Bannan is the more likely to go across and help out).  But Fox has done it well enough in the last two games. 

 

 

When playing the ball out of the back we are really playing a 3 ~ centrebacks plus 1 midfield, 3 ~ both fullbacks pushed up plus other centre mid, 3 ~ wingers up field but tucked in and one centre forward dropping back, 1 ~ t'other centre back dragging their centre backs.

 

When we have good mentality we have lots of cycling of the players 'within the lines' enabling us to move the ball quickly upfield, plus also press to recover the ball in their final third, when the press fails we then recover to 4411.