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Formation Change

Formation Change

To play a 4-4-2 in the modern game you need a frightening amount of pace from both wide players and both attackers as well as a defensive set up comfortable with sitting deep and defending.

We don't have the requisite skill set within the squad
 
Barky is as quick as we’ve ever had and Sinclair has the ability.

We’ve certainly got midfielders that sit deep.

We’ve got a target man and a fox in the box. Or at least he was at Cork.

And we’ve got to play sides that are unaccustomed to defending the system.

Gotta be worth a try hasn’t it?
 
To make us less predictable i'd like to see an alternative approach (compared to usual 4-2-3-1) of playing wing backs, as Sheff Utd have done very successfully. Three at the back would be Storey/Bauer/Davies and wing backs could come from Browne, Barky, Hughes & Rafferty. Pearson would shield & ahead of him perm any 4 attackers. Formation could shift between 5-1-3-1 & 3-1-4-2 depending how attacking you make the wing backs. Would also allow option of 2 up front without rigidity of 4-4-2.
 
justinr73 said:
Barky is as quick as we’ve ever had and Sinclair has the ability.

We’ve certainly got midfielders that sit deep.

We’ve got a target man and a fox in the box. Or at least he was at Cork.

And we’ve got to play sides that are unaccustomed to defending the system.

Gotta be worth a try hasn’t it?
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So Scott Sinclair gets a yard of space and nips past his full back, has a second to whip in a cross towards Stockley.

Then he remembers he's on his wrong foot, and isn't known for his crossing anyway. Oh well.
 
But in that formation, the primary tactic is to beat a man and cross it. We don't have the players for it. We have one attacker with a left foot worth a damn, and he's crocked. If he's cutting inside, you want him closer to goal and with space to attack, not a congested box full of players already- 2 strikers, your other winger and their respective defenders.
 
Hesmagicyouknow said:
9 points from 10 games, and players looking knackered, and not many goals in our last 10 games either, and our recognised strikers have about 5 goals between them.

Are we now easy to play against? not seen us dominate a game for a good while, and when all else fails we lump up to Stockley but no one around to pick up the knock downs coz Maguire and Barky spend more time defending these days.

time for a change of formation? or personnel?

4-4-2

Rudd

Fisher
Bauer
Davies
rafferty/Hughes

Pearson
Browne
Sinclair
Barky

Nugent
Maguire

perhaps.....
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Maguire and Barky have been asked to do the same amount of defending all season. It's how Neil has set us up for the majority of his time at the club.
 
Naughton's moustache said:
Your right Sedge, they don't. He's right though, regarding his comments about how we are as a team at this moment in time. The last time we looked like we were dominating a game was in the 1st half at Leeds with guess what? The high press. Yes, teams play different ways, but, as I've stated a few times now, we're at our best when we are in their faces all over the park, we've got the legs in the team for it, it's what we're good at. In this division, the all importance of the first goal is huge, particularly for us.
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You're right, the first goal is so important. And yes, we look brilliant when we play with a high press but you can't press a side who sit in a deep block, sit off you and are content letting you have the ball.

We miss some creativity that DJ has brought in abundance this season and there's no doubting we miss him. But you can't press a side whore happy to let you have the ball.
 
A massive issue with the current 433 formation is that the central player in the front three is isolated.

When we try to resolve this, we lose width. This makes us predictable and easy to defend against.

And while we're low on confidence, attacking midfielders are too withdrawn to support attacking play.

442 is a classic formation to renew belief when you are low on confidence. He'll never play it.
 
jumping mouse said:
A massive issue with the current 433 formation is that the central player in the front three is isolated.

When we try to resolve this, we lose width. This makes us predictable and easy to defend against.

And while we're low on confidence, attacking midfielders are too withdrawn to support attacking play.

442 is a classic formation to renew belief when you are low on confidence. He'll never play it.
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We don't play 4-3-3.
 
You know I've no issue with us playing 4231 (let's call it that) but when we get to 75 minutes and it's not working I'd like to see something different than Neil just swapping the wide players.

We just don't seem to be able to play anything different for any length of time. It seems they've been drilled that much in the preferred formation there's no flexibility.
 
Not many clubs play 442 in championship think brentford do most play 4231 or 352 ... years ago clubs played a big un and little un up front a lot (remember Hartson & Phillip's for West Brom) ...we could try Stockley & Maguire/Nugent up front but cant see it as AN has never played 442
 
By Tor said:
Not many clubs play 442 in championship think brentford do most play 4231 or 352 ... years ago clubs played a big un and little un up front a lot (remember Hartson & Phillip's for West Brom) ...we could try Stockley & Maguire/Nugent up front but cant see it as AN has never played 442
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I'd like to see it tried. The current tactics are slow, boring, predictable and easy to play against. Shit to watch
 
utw said:
You're right, the first goal is so important. And yes, we look brilliant when we play with a high press but you can't press a side who sit in a deep block, sit off you and are content letting you have the ball.

We miss some creativity that DJ has brought in abundance this season and there's no doubting we miss him. But you can't press a side whore happy to let you have the ball.
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You can press any side in any part of the pitch, if you do it properly. Teams that sit in, have to come out at some stage, especially if they're a goal down. There were times in the Boro an Reading games when an opposition player burst through our midfield completely unchallenged, an with the movement of their forward men, it was causing us havoc at the back. That really should not be happening. Totally agree with you that we've missed DJ. He covers more ground than we realise
 
pet shop boy said:
Really feel for Stockley. What else can he do ? Man of match against Norwich and improved us no end at Rovers. Having played up front as target man, I know how hard it is to hold up and link up play. It’s not like a defender who can kick the ball in any direction including the stands. He has to try and control the ball and use it. I know AN would like us to play total football like City with mobile players interchanging but the players that we currently have aren’t up to it imo.
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How can AN justify continually playing 1 in 19 Maguire? Running & looking busy doesn't cut it anymore.
 
I do worry that the first manager to get us top of The Championship for 14+ years and the first manager to keep us in the top 3 for a few weeks since 1964 is suddenly clueless as to formation; tactics and players.... when experienced knowledgeable fans could do so much better...

Clearly AN must have had some sort of 'brain injury' since the end of November to allow such a relegation form decline to the bottom 3 by January !!!
 
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