Time for a change of formation!

[EllenAlex]

4-4-1-1 requires a goal scoring player behind the striker, worked well when we had VDV and Bale but Erikson, Holtby, Sig or Paulinho are not outrageous goal scorers. Some people would say Adebayor can do the job and yeah I'd agree if he's really on form but across a season I can't imagine him being good/motivated enough to keep working all over the park linking things up

It's a good point. Lamela, once he settles? Or even chadli, if Townsend can cut it out left.

A lot of ifs or buts, I guess.

 

[idontgetit]

It's a good point. Lamela, once he settles? Or even chadli, if Townsend can cut it out left.

A lot of ifs or buts, I guess.

Yeah them guy's can probably do the job. I think though that we are better staying with a similar set-up to our current one and tweaking it and the way we use it. Really small changes will make a big difference to our attacking play but going back to 4-4-2 or whatever will completely damage a really effective team pressing game we've built up over a year or so

 

[EllenAlex]

Yeah them guy's can probably do the job. I think though that we are better staying with a similar set-up to our current one and tweaking it and the way we use it. Really small changes will make a big difference to our attacking play but going back to 4-4-2 or whatever will completely damage a really effective team pressing game we've built up over a year or so

I've had a Think about it (for 5 minutes), and I reckon that if the 1 behind the striker in a 4411 is purely a creator for the striker and wingers, it can still work.

Totti is not prolific, nor Kagawa, but their ability to dictate the play in the final third allows for other attackers, normally the striker, to score goals. Eriksen, Sig, Lamela can all do that.

442 is a definate no, though. Our squad is too big, meaning we would have to drop too many quality players.

 

[EllenAlex]

OK Totti does score enough, but I still stand by my point

 

[TheSecretNonFootballer]

It's reached a point where no one formation is stuck to throughout a game. 4-2-3-1 can easily switch to 4-5-1, 4-3-3, 4-4-1-1 and 4-4-2 depending on where the ball is and the momentum of the game. I don't think formation has played much of a part in our problems.

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

It's reached a point where no one formation is stuck to throughout a game. 4-2-3-1 can easily switch to 4-5-1, 4-3-3, 4-4-1-1 and 4-4-2 depending on where the ball is and the momentum of the game. I don't think formation has played much of a part in our problems.

This 100%.

People get too caught up in machinations when in fact there is not a huge amount of difference between 4-4-1-1, 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2 depending on what phase of the game you are in.

For example Man City on paper are playing 4-4-2 but as we saw against us it can easily be interpreted as a 4-2-3-1 as Aguero drops deep into a number 10 role and Nasri is not an out and out winger so tends to tuck in and Toure/Fernandinho make up the 2 in front of the back 4.

It is down to the application of the personnel used that make formations effective.