Formation options

The 3-5-2 could create a strong 11.
It would still give a chance to dominate possession, whilst getting 2 up front.
I just cannot see it though. I think 4-2-3-1 all day for MH.

 

Be honest is this thread just an excuse to moan about us not using 442?

In all seriousness though them options do look useful, our biggest issue is both losses have come to late to consider a formation change. Doesn’t matter the formation you play if you give the same silly free kicks away and proceed in conceding.

 

We don't have the wingback options to make the 3-5-2 work so that one is a non starter. You just need to look at Wilson and Cadden last year for FGR to see the quality we need in those positions.

4-2-3-1 is still the best option imo. Problem is our best number 10 (walker) is injured and we're a natural wide player short with Chapman playing centrally and Osadebe and Eisa out.

 

Id say go 4-4-2. small quick attacker playing off a target man. Chapman back out on the wing.

In regards to 3 at the back though, Id rather have Foulds as the wing back. He has more energy an pace than Ridehalgh.

 

4-4-2 is tried and tested at every level of world football.
Maybe one day we’ll see a 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1 formation full of 7ft giants just flicking it onto each other.

 

And Worrall and Benning at Port Vale who I thought were the best wing backs i saw all season.
They created so many outlets for the midfielders with their pace and movement.
Obviously also very confident in the mobility and pace of their 3 centre halves to cover the potential gaps as they pushed forward.

 

Angol and Cook were impressive together early last season before Angol got injured

 

Hate being negative but playing the way we are now with all the possession and next to nothing created then it’s going to be a long hard season.
Interestingly probably our best performance against Hull was the only game we didn’t dominate possession. It’s no good having all the ball and creating very little. Our strikers are not missing loads of chances they are not being created.
Either a change of tactics needed or somehow a much faster tempo and movement.

 

Yet most teams no longer use it…

 

I think as a lady resort you could go 4-4-2 with Eisa or Osadebe when fit but I don't see Chapman as a wide player in a 4-4-2. Personally the 4-2-3-1 works when the right personel are fit.

 

Some folk make me laugh, we have a bad game after two decent performances and the usual cries of 4-4-2 come rattling out of the woodwork. You can time it like clockwork. It's clear that Hughes favours posession and last night for large parts we kept the ball well.

 

Keep it as it is.

It would be beyond parody to spend so long training 4231 to just give up after a handful of games, especially when we've performed well in terms of possession and chance creation.

I think a more feeble manager might switch it up, but not MH.

 

We have won two games the first we didn’t have the possession and won the second we scored a wonder goal which opened them up.
Ask yourself for all the possession we are having how effective is it. I am not saying abandon it but we have either to improve it dramatically or mix it up a bit and become less predictable

 

Chance creation?

 

You can't just play at possession. This idea of mixing it up is a myth, you either play play posession or you don't. I'm more than willing to see Hughes stick to his principles of trying to keep hold of the football. Once we have the attacking options back I think we will see the benefits of it. It's only the front four that is struggling at the moment, I've seen enough from the rest to suggest we have a strategy worth sticking with.

 

4-4-2 was fine when everyone else played it as you just had to win your individual battles for success. Now if you play 4-4-2 and your opponents have 4-5 midfield players you just don’t get the ball ,
and your wingers are stood out wide waiting in vain to get the ball as your 2 central midfield players are outnumbered.

 

Well in the last two games we have an average 60% possession and the total of 7 shots on target. So I hope you are right but I fear that unless we lose a bit of the dogma we are going to drift off the pace

 

It’s been 4 league games, let’s see how effective it is after 10 then we can start to worry. As Roger says you can’t just switch, it’s not a computer game or a light switch don’t you think we’d have done it already if it were so easy? We have a near brand new squad, new formation and style of play for many of them. Some teams hit the ground running but some take time like Bolton and Bristol Rovers. There is no right formula in football or every team would do it. I’m prepared to leave it to the professionals as if some on here had their way we’d change our system every game and manager every other.