21-11-2021, 18:32
(This post was last modified: 21-11-2021, 18:34 by Slick_Footwork.)
I didn't see yesterday's game, so I'm not going to be hypocritical and comment on that game.
But from my observations from other games...
I've never been a fan of 3 centre backs and I think with that formation you lose something going forward. I didn't like it when Darren Moore played it and I don't like it now.
It seems that early doors we had a few high scoring performances, fueled boy bully boy tactics (piling in from corners and long throws). However the nature of the Championship is that most teams are equipped to defend this style of play. With Ajayi dropped, we only really have Bartley who is going to score headers. This combination of factors, along with teams figuring us out, means we don't really look like scoring IMO.
So I'd really like to see Ismael return to 4 at the back and add that extra player in the middle of the park, perhaps releasing Mowatt to play a bit further forward and create something. Our 3 forwards - regardless of which trio are picked - do not have anyone who can drop in the hole and thread a pass. So if we keep this 3-4-3 with our personnel, I feel we are strictly limited to hoofball which bypasses playing through the pitch.
However, my worry about this manager is that he seems reluctant to change, even if it means playing square pegs in round holes. When we had the centre half injury crisis earlier in the season, rather than playing 4 at the back we saw Connor Townsend dropped into the back 3. I like Townsend as think he's come on leaps and bounds since we signed him, but he's always been better going forward than defending, even at full back. Never in a million years is he equipped to play centre half.
Ismael regularly chops and changes personnel, whether that's in the middle of the park, wing back, or the forward line; but never changes the formation. Whatever evidence he's seen that we have the players equipped to play this formation, I've not seen it...
Don't get me wrong, 3 at the back works for Chelsea. It even worked for Sheffield United for a few years. But teams who do well with this formation have centre backs who are good on the ball and can travel into midfield. From what I've seen of Matt Clarke, he doesn't look good on the ball at all and is far better at just defending. Ajayi looks worse on the ball than when we signed him, with shattered confidence. Kipre actually looks okay in the few games i've seen, but ironically isn't great at the defensive side of the game...
Now don't get me wrong, it's not all the manager's fault as he's inherited a squad far worse on quality than what Darren Moore and Slavan Bilic had at their disposal...
However, the question is, is there a way of playing that can get more out of this set of players?
I believe there is... At the very least we could be easier on the eye...
Over to you Ismael. But I think we've seen enough with 5 straight away defeats, that we need to change more than just tweaking the front 3.
But from my observations from other games...
I've never been a fan of 3 centre backs and I think with that formation you lose something going forward. I didn't like it when Darren Moore played it and I don't like it now.
It seems that early doors we had a few high scoring performances, fueled boy bully boy tactics (piling in from corners and long throws). However the nature of the Championship is that most teams are equipped to defend this style of play. With Ajayi dropped, we only really have Bartley who is going to score headers. This combination of factors, along with teams figuring us out, means we don't really look like scoring IMO.
So I'd really like to see Ismael return to 4 at the back and add that extra player in the middle of the park, perhaps releasing Mowatt to play a bit further forward and create something. Our 3 forwards - regardless of which trio are picked - do not have anyone who can drop in the hole and thread a pass. So if we keep this 3-4-3 with our personnel, I feel we are strictly limited to hoofball which bypasses playing through the pitch.
However, my worry about this manager is that he seems reluctant to change, even if it means playing square pegs in round holes. When we had the centre half injury crisis earlier in the season, rather than playing 4 at the back we saw Connor Townsend dropped into the back 3. I like Townsend as think he's come on leaps and bounds since we signed him, but he's always been better going forward than defending, even at full back. Never in a million years is he equipped to play centre half.
Ismael regularly chops and changes personnel, whether that's in the middle of the park, wing back, or the forward line; but never changes the formation. Whatever evidence he's seen that we have the players equipped to play this formation, I've not seen it...
Don't get me wrong, 3 at the back works for Chelsea. It even worked for Sheffield United for a few years. But teams who do well with this formation have centre backs who are good on the ball and can travel into midfield. From what I've seen of Matt Clarke, he doesn't look good on the ball at all and is far better at just defending. Ajayi looks worse on the ball than when we signed him, with shattered confidence. Kipre actually looks okay in the few games i've seen, but ironically isn't great at the defensive side of the game...
Now don't get me wrong, it's not all the manager's fault as he's inherited a squad far worse on quality than what Darren Moore and Slavan Bilic had at their disposal...
However, the question is, is there a way of playing that can get more out of this set of players?
I believe there is... At the very least we could be easier on the eye...
Over to you Ismael. But I think we've seen enough with 5 straight away defeats, that we need to change more than just tweaking the front 3.