Formation Fixation

[Slugger]

I think a lot of us are getting overly fixated on formations and thinking that the magic switch from 3 centre backs to 2 is gonna suddenly get us playing well again.
For some reason the manager that has taken us to 2nd place is an idiot because he won't play a back 4.

Of course things aren't as simple as that. There's absolutely nothing wrong with playing 3 centre backs if every player does their job and this is where I believe the problem lies.
Wing backs are to ensure we have extra bodies where needed but what we are seeing in general over the past few games is us being outnumbered in key areas.

Why?

In my opinion certain players are not putting in a shift. When your best and most creative attacker is busting a bollock to get back and close opponents down on the edge of our box literally seconds after battling through 3 of them trying to create at the other end whilst at the same time your 20 million plus rated midfielder is jogging around like he's looking for his kid's runaway puppy it's going to have a negative knock on effect in every area.

Wing backs will not attack with abandon if it means being outnumbered if/when the ball is turned over. Centre backs won't even think about taking a risky forward run. Retreating players will take the yellow to stop the sudden break and play cautiously afterwards. Our most creative players will be forced to expend their energy in the wrong areas of the pitch ... etc

Ahhh lunchbreak is over.

In short stay with 3-5-2 and drop Sander.

 

[Bell4]

I think a lot of us are getting overly fixated on formations and thinking that the magic switch from 3 centre backs to 2 is gonna suddenly get us playing well again.
For some reason the manager that has taken us to 2nd place is an idiot because he won't play a back 4.

Of course things aren't as simple as that. There's absolutely nothing wrong with playing 3 centre backs if every player does their job and this is where I believe the problem lies.
Wing backs are to ensure we have extra bodies where needed but what we are seeing in general over the past few games is us being outnumbered in key areas.

Why?

In my opinion certain players are not putting in a shift. When your best and most creative attacker is busting a bollock to get back and close opponents down on the edge of our box literally seconds after battling through 3 of them trying to create at the other end whilst at the same time your 20 million plus rated midfielder is jogging around like he's looking for his kid's runaway puppy it's going to have a negative knock on effect in every area.

Wing backs will not attack with abandon if it means being outnumbered if/when the ball is turned over. Centre backs won't even think about taking a risky forward run. Retreating players will take the yellow to stop the sudden break and play cautiously afterwards. Our most creative players will be forced to expend their energy in the wrong areas of the pitch ... etc

Ahhh lunchbreak is over.

In short stay with 3-5-2 and drop Sander.

But -- but ----who`s going to find the poor little puppy if that happens ?

PS - What you had for lunch?

 

[Balti Pie]

Good post.
I actually think Sander was the best of the three midfielders on Saturday.
Norwood went missing, and Fleck was a liability.

 

[niktheblade]

I'm not going to bash Sander, but I do agree.

I just feel like he gets played in a position where he isn't "strong", he isn't a battling/tackling/heading midfielder, he's a ball to feet run at players midfielder and doesn't get chance when he's having to try and recover positions and win tackles (which he's bad at).

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

In some circumstances it matters more. Most important is the players who are on the pitch performing to their capability. If they did that Saturday we win.

 

[SwissBlade]

I think a lot of us are getting overly fixated on formations and thinking that the magic switch from 3 centre backs to 2 is gonna suddenly get us playing well again.
For some reason the manager that has taken us to 2nd place is an idiot because he won't play a back 4.

Of course things aren't as simple as that. There's absolutely nothing wrong with playing 3 centre backs if every player does their job and this is where I believe the problem lies.
Wing backs are to ensure we have extra bodies where needed but what we are seeing in general over the past few games is us being outnumbered in key areas.

Why?

In my opinion certain players are not putting in a shift. When your best and most creative attacker is busting a bollock to get back and close opponents down on the edge of our box literally seconds after battling through 3 of them trying to create at the other end whilst at the same time your 20 million plus rated midfielder is jogging around like he's looking for his kid's runaway puppy it's going to have a negative knock on effect in every area.

Wing backs will not attack with abandon if it means being outnumbered if/when the ball is turned over. Centre backs won't even think about taking a risky forward run. Retreating players will take the yellow to stop the sudden break and play cautiously afterwards. Our most creative players will be forced to expend their energy in the wrong areas of the pitch ... etc

Ahhh lunchbreak is over.

In short stay with 3-5-2 and drop Sander.

I don’t think there was anyone that didn’t put a shift in on Saturday. And despite my comments about Berge since the game, there was no lack of effort or desire.

All too often we want to scapegoat a player because they simply didn’t play well. Fair enough to pick out poor performances. No issues there

I agree that the chatter about formations is also a little pointless. This side is drilled on 3-5-2 but can also switch to a back 4

What we’ve failed to do recently is match up to the opposition.

Since the post World Cup restart we’ve mostly cantered through games with very little opposition. Until Boro it wasn’t a problem and we’d been far better than most sides we’d played, without being that good or needing to be. Most sides set up to take a point or sneak a win

Now we’re getting sides that want to have a go and we’re not able to handle it. They’re focussing on stopping individual creativity with energy and physicality and we’re struggling to adapt to it.

In possession we’re not fluid anymore because of it and we are hesitant. With players wanting to get forward and create overloads whilst we’re camped in the opposition half it leaves us exposed when we lose possession

Our inability to compete in the midfield has made technically excellent players like Bogle, fleck, Norwood and Berge look lost because we’re not retaining the ball and having to work harder off it.

I agree that the main change should be Sandet Berge but also Bogle. Bring in some physicality and win those individual battles then perhaps bring them into games later on.

 

[robbiez666]

I think a lot of us are getting overly fixated on formations and thinking that the magic switch from 3 centre backs to 2 is gonna suddenly get us playing well again.
For some reason the manager that has taken us to 2nd place is an idiot because he won't play a back 4.

Of course things aren't as simple as that. There's absolutely nothing wrong with playing 3 centre backs if every player does their job and this is where I believe the problem lies.
Wing backs are to ensure we have extra bodies where needed but what we are seeing in general over the past few games is us being outnumbered in key areas.

Why?

In my opinion certain players are not putting in a shift. When your best and most creative attacker is busting a bollock to get back and close opponents down on the edge of our box literally seconds after battling through 3 of them trying to create at the other end whilst at the same time your 20 million plus rated midfielder is jogging around like he's looking for his kid's runaway puppy it's going to have a negative knock on effect in every area.

Wing backs will not attack with abandon if it means being outnumbered if/when the ball is turned over. Centre backs won't even think about taking a risky forward run. Retreating players will take the yellow to stop the sudden break and play cautiously afterwards. Our most creative players will be forced to expend their energy in the wrong areas of the pitch ... etc

Ahhh lunchbreak is over.

In short stay with 3-5-2 and drop Sander.

We are one athletic, energetic, tough tackling midfielder away from cruising to second. The problem with the 5-3-2 is it needs the midfield to be strong and our midfield is almost the opposite. That midfielder allows the wingbacks to charge forward because he would cover. Allows the CBs to get forward and overload, because he can cover.

As things stand, Norwood usually has to cover for all the defence and he simply doesn't have that athleticism. It also means that he spend more time covering for others than his main job as a playmaker. It's noticeable over the last few games just how rushed he's been on the ball. He's having to win the ball back then set attacks going, largely on his own.

 

[knowsnowt]

I was about 7 when my grandad said to me, "come here wit goat ya thick apeth".
We didn't have a goat. And he was deranged.
It doesn't really relate to this thread, but thought it worth mentioning anyway.

 

[Bennyand the Blades]

In my opinion where we went wrong is not selling Sander in the transfer window ( nice footballer but will never fit into the way we like to play) paying our debts and bringing in a proper Fleck replacement.
At present where like a Mars bar, brittle on the outside and soft down the middle ......IMO

 

[Bladeulike]

I was about 7 when my grandad said to me, "come here wit goat ya thick apeth".
We didn't have a goat. And he was deranged.
It doesn't really relate to this thread, but thought it worth mentioning anyway.

In a similar vein, my grandad used to umpire the local cricket league. He controversially gave a batsman out LBW and as the batsman stormed off he shouted at my grandad “Ya bloody gormless git, that were never out!!!!!!” After a beat, my grandad turned and serenely replied “Really?, well thee look in’t Green Un on Sat’day”

He was also a Blades fan, hence me including it in this thread…

 

[ancientblade]

I think a lot of us are getting overly fixated on formations and thinking that the magic switch from 3 centre backs to 2 is gonna suddenly get us playing well again.
For some reason the manager that has taken us to 2nd place is an idiot because he won't play a back 4.

Of course things aren't as simple as that. There's absolutely nothing wrong with playing 3 centre backs if every player does their job and this is where I believe the problem lies.
Wing backs are to ensure we have extra bodies where needed but what we are seeing in general over the past few games is us being outnumbered in key areas.

Why?

In my opinion certain players are not putting in a shift. When your best and most creative attacker is busting a bollock to get back and close opponents down on the edge of our box literally seconds after battling through 3 of them trying to create at the other end whilst at the same time your 20 million plus rated midfielder is jogging around like he's looking for his kid's runaway puppy it's going to have a negative knock on effect in every area.

Wing backs will not attack with abandon if it means being outnumbered if/when the ball is turned over. Centre backs won't even think about taking a risky forward run. Retreating players will take the yellow to stop the sudden break and play cautiously afterwards. Our most creative players will be forced to expend their energy in the wrong areas of the pitch ... etc

Ahhh lunchbreak is over.

In short stay with 3-5-2 and drop Sander.

disagree ditch the 3 centre backs its not working anymore and too defensive why not change to a back 4 and lets get an extra body further up the pitch

 

[knowsnowt]

In a similar vein, my grandad used to umpire the local cricket league. He controversially gave a batsman out LBW and as the batsman stormed off he shouted at my grandad “Ya bloody gormless git, that were never out!!!!!!” After a beat, my grandad turned and serenely replied “Really?, well thee look in’t Green Un on Sat’day”

He was also a Blades fan, hence me including it in this thread…

I actually hate football. So boring. It's the heartwarming anecdotes like this that keep me coming back here.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[Pedro Verde]

I'm not going to bash Sander, but I do agree.

I just feel like he gets played in a position where he isn't "strong", he isn't a battling/tackling/heading midfielder, he's a ball to feet run at players midfielder and doesn't get chance when he's having to try and recover positions and win tackles (which he's bad at).

I dont think Sander is being played in his best position which is on the right side where he attacks with pace
Recently hes been played deep and occasionally on the left

disagree ditch the 3 centre backs its not working anymore and too defensive why not change to a back 4 and lets get an extra body further up the pitch

3 CBs is definitely not defensive especially if you have attacking wing backs which we have (the problem is they cant defend) we get Baldock in and a fit RND they can do both
Where does having 4 at the back mean you have an extra body up the pitch ?
The problem stems from the midfield. Fleck needs to be dropped. Berge (if hes picked) needs to be playing in an attacking role you could shove Bogle into a AM position and NDiaye should have a free role just behind the striker

 

[Keen Blade]

Doesn't matter what system , you need your midfielders to be fully at it

 

[knowsnowt]

eeee up!