Match Thread vs. Wealdstone 14.09.21 [NL]

[the_anticlough]

Well, he's associated with 4-3-3 isn't he, pre-Notts.
Then he's stuck with the wing-backs Ardley introduced in every game up until last night... So it looks like he prefers to keep a settled team and formation. What was last night? Did he tinker because of Wealdstone? I doubt it, looks like he's dumped the wing-backs and gone 4-3-3 to me. We'll have to see what he picks on Saturday...my guess is same again

[jacobncfc]

Well, he's associated with 4-3-3 isn't he, pre-Notts.
Then he's stuck with the wing-backs Ardley introduced in every game up until last night... So it looks like he prefers to keep a settled team and formation. What was last night? Did he tinker because of Wealdstone? I doubt it, looks like he's dumped the wing-backs and gone 4-3-3 to me. We'll have to see what he picks on Saturday...my guess is same again

To be fair, he went 4-3-3 when he first took over and it was unmitigated disaster. The switch back to 3-5-2 for the Sutton home game is what got us going again.

[the_anticlough]

It could work if Vincent is able to give us a lot more running than Francis does as the third midfielder. He needs a chance first, but otherwise I don’t think we have the central midfielders to only play two of them ahead of a back four.

Two? Thought we were discussing 4-3-3...
Warnock played 4-3-3. Draper didn't do a whole lot of defending in that, but the balance with the like of Robinson and Turner worked a treat

[the_anticlough]

To be fair, he went 4-3-3 when he first took over and it was unmitigated disaster. The switch back to 3-5-2 for the Sutton home game is what got us going again.

My guess is that he's thinking he can make it work. You're not going to play a full season with DKE and Nemane as your only RWB options.

[jacobncfc]

Two? Thought we were discussing 4-3-3...
Warnock played 4-3-3. Draper didn't do a whole lot of defending in that, but the balance with the like of Robinson and Turner worked a treat

We’re nominally playing a three either way, but with either Roberts or Rodrigues in there it’s essentially a two without the ball.

Our biggest problem last night was that Wealdstone were playing a 3-5-2 with three orthodox central midfielders, so they picked up 75% of the loose balls and every time they got it they just passed around Palmer and Francis and were at our defence. We were constantly outnumbered in the centre, not sure how you can solve that with that personnel.

I saw a Wealdstone fan describe our formation as 4-2-4, which was probably an accurate representation of how it actually turned out.

[the_anticlough]

We’re nominally playing a three either way, but with either Roberts or Rodrigues in there it’s essentially a two without the ball.

Our biggest problem last night was that Wealdstone were playing a 3-5-2 with three orthodox central midfielders, so they picked up 75% of the loose balls and every time they got it they just passed around Palmer and Francis and were at our defence. We were constantly outnumbered in the centre, not sure how you can solve that with that personnel.

I saw a Wealdstone fan describe our formation as 4-2-4, which was probably an accurate representation of how it actually turned out.

That will be IB's challenge. I don't think there's any such thing as 'no defensive responsibilities' in modern football..
With 4-3-3, even the Christmas tree can drop into a 4-5-1 without the ball and Wootton certainly puts a defensive shift in hounding the back players. Fans have been commenting that Ruben for one is doing more chasing back and tackling (he certainly looks fitter). If it's a tough game away then O'Brien can take that slot and it's R & R plus Woots across the front line...

And the Palmer, Francis issue doesn't go away in 3-5-2 you just add a dodgy flank to the mix.
Players like DKE and Brinds are used to coming on to the ball from deep with the game ahead of them. Being marked further forward, receiving with back to goal sometimes doesn't come naturally to them, so strangely you might get better attacking play from them as full-backs rather than wing-backs

[BanjoPie]

What ever happened “over-lapping full-backs”. In the mould of Cooper? - nearest to it at the moment is Luke Shaw for England

[the_anticlough]

What ever happened “over-lapping full-backs”. In the mould of Cooper? - nearest to it at the moment is Luke Shaw for England

Yeah and Pearce was great at that. F-word played him left back, England at LWB in the World Cup. He attacked just the same in both, but I think only a small minority of full-backs make decent wing-backs - it needs to be regarded as a specialist position

[Glad2BeAPie]

My guess is that he's thinking he can make it work. You're not going to play a full season with DKE and Nemane as your only RWB options.

D.K.E ain't no wing back

[Elite_Pie]

I saw a Wealdstone fan describe our formation as 4-2-4, which was probably an accurate representation of how it actually turned out.

Wow, 4-2-4 very rarely gets a mention these days, but it provided me with some fantastic memories of our style under Jimmy Sirrel many years ago. It worked for us back then because we just needed a ball winner to give it to Masson, and he would do the rest. I can see why the Wealdstone fan saw it that way, because there were big spaces in the middle for both sides which you don't often see these days.