Tactical formation in 2018/19?

[Bristol_Gull]

I'm very interested to see tactically where Owers goes this season - on paper the squad that faces Dorchester today appears to be a 442 which I understand was utilised against Bristol City this week.

With a 5-3-2 play we have Essuman, Niate and Cameron holding the fort with Davis and Wynter down the flanks (likely supported by Gowling and Sokolik in reserve), however Banton and Bawling would then potentially miss out in favour of Dickson, Hall and Nabi in the centre.

Alternatively, if we play 4-4-2 with Banton and Bawling on the wing and a back 4 comprised of Davis, Wynter and 2 from Niate / Essuman / Cameron / Gowling / Sokolik it becomes quite the dilemma when it comes who to select at the back, similarly who to select in the middle to partner Dickson! Granted its a good problem to have and provides tactical flexibility, nonetheless I'd struggle to know which set up to opt for to maximise the quality of the players that we currently have!

Aside from the formation, with the exception of Williams who is surely a definite (?), it is seemingly wide open between Reid, Keating, Pittman and potentially Roberts to partner him at the front in the absence of a new target man.

What would be your chosen set up based upon the current squad?

[Wolborough]

5-3-2 with a robust centre forward to partner Williams!

[Trojan 67]

"3-4-3"

2. Right Back - 5. Centre Half - 3. Left Back

4. Right Half - 8. Inside Right - 10. Inside Left - 6. Left Half

7. Right Wing - 9. Centre Forward - 11. Left Wing

[ferrarilover]

I like Three At The Back, but only if a manager sets out his stall from the very beginning and actively recruits people to play in it. 4-4-2 is very rigid and allows no flexibility to counter specific strengths and weaknesses of an opponent. 3-5-2, however, gives much greater flexibility and also makes sense in that it pushes more men forward when you have the ball and pulls them back again when the opposition have the ball. This is why it is important that the manager knows he will play TATB when he is recruiting. It's a specific skill to play in a three as a CB and an even more specific one to play in the wide positions of the five at the back/in the midfield.
3-5-2 also lends itself to widening the pitch (because you can't play a narrow 5 in midfield, the players would be tripping over each other), which in turn leads to a greater percentage of the balls into the box coming from out wide, which means you need a different type of striker on the end of them and makes the Number Ten much less important. Given that we've lost (and not replaced) the best passer of a ball we've had since Eunan, it makes sense that we move away from a central-focused 4-4-1-1 and move onto a genuine 3-5-2 with a unit up top with Willow and the option to introduce Keats to go 3-4-3 if we are chasing a game or need a little extra movement up top.
A big man would be immobile (we're not going to be getting a lower league Lukaku in our situation/with our budget), Willow often goes wide/deep to receive the ball (which is something that Romain also did and I loved him for), so the natural choice to offer a genuinely threatening alternative to those two (because, let's face it, Reidy is about as threatening as a being chased by an asthmatic field mouse with a limp and poor eyesight) is Keats.

Matt.

[Dazza]

I have to say I find it very strange that we have gone through a pre season with no sign or seeming attempt at trying for the said unit. Roberts may or may not be retained but he certainly doesn't fit that description.

[MellowYellow]

If there's one thing that has permeated football debates since the birth of the sport, it's the validity and effectiveness of one formation over another.Whatever the case, the formation's Golden Age of 4-4-2 has well and truly passed. To employ 4-4-2 today, particularly if you're a club with grand ambitions, is often seen as something of a defeat and an indication that a club is unconvinced of its players' ability to execute a more advanced game plan when in possession.

If we are to be championship material we need a more sophisticated approach to passing lanes/angles offered by more modern, forward-thinking systems. Ower's seemed to be comfortable with the 3-5-2 formation last season and I see no reason to change with the players he has brought in. 3-5-2 is just as effective as a launch pad for the counter-attack as it is as a weapon against it. The three midfielders and two wing-backs offer plenty of potential attacking variety for the opposition defence to worry about, while playing two strikers means it's possible for the frontline to create and score chances with minimal assistance – particularly if the ball arrives at their feet early in a counter-attack, (a must in the absence of a target player.)

The above said, the key to success is to know your opponents strength and adapt the formation to exploit their weaknesses whether that be 3-5-2, 4-2-3-1 or using pace with a holding 4-3-3 formation. As a full-time club we have first mover advantage over part-time opposition in adapting to more than one formation, whether this be at the start or during the game.

All will be revealed come next Saturday, when we begin the season with 8 matches over a 29 day period which will go a long way in defining our season.

[torq2u]

So. No big unit up front.

We're gonna play the Liverpool way. Or maybe Barca.

[MellowYellow]

:}

So. No big unit up front.

We're gonna play the Liverpool way. Or maybe Barca.

Absolutely We are entering the land of 'hoof-ball' where the team that strings more than three passes together gets a mention in the 'Guiness Book of Records'. Promotion favourites Billericay are, of course, our main threat as they are rumoured to be building their team around their latest signing. A 'Franz Beckenbauer Sweeper' who is able to instigate quick counter attacks from deep positions using great dribbling ability and also effectively playing the long pass into dangerous areas . It will come as no suprise that Billericays new danger man is none other than the mighty 'Ben Gerring'.

If the above does not give a perspective of the league we are in and the tactics we are up against - nothing will! :}