How long until other Premier League managers copy our style of play?

[ThatJa]

As the title shows, it seems a tradition that "most" premier league seem to adopt a similar style of play, over the past few seasons a popular formation has been 4-2-3-1.

How long do we reckon it will take before other clubs start using the 3-5-2 and deploying overlapping center backs? Surely if its working, and successful for us, other clubs will copy?

 

[S6 Blade]

Its been three years and no one has done yet

 

[ThatJa]

Its been three years and no one has done yet

Because nobody has demonstrated it works, like we have. Some said it wouldn't work in the Championship, because the standard of players were far better...

That's been said recently, but surely if its successful this season other clubs will look at it and try it.

Also I doubt Premier League managers care what tactics managers are deploying in the Championship..

 

[Sithblade]

How many teams have a LCB and RCB capable of playing it effectively? Can only think Man City could use Laporte and Walker. Monreal has gone from a LB to LCB for Arsenal, Chambers as a RCB possibly.

 

[Bladesman]

Click play....

 

[knowsnowt]

Nine.

 

[ThatJa]

Click play....

looks like 2d mode on Football Manager

 

[Bladesman]

As the title shows, it seems a tradition that "most" premier league seem to adopt a similar style of play, over the past few seasons a popular formation has been 4-2-3-1.

How long do we reckon it will take before other clubs start using the 3-5-2 and deploying overlapping center backs? Surely if its working, and successful for us, other clubs will copy?

To answer your question. I think Arsenal tried it briefly towards the end of Wengers last season and it worked for a game or so before he abandoned it. I don't think it is something you can switch to late on in the season though.

Their centre backs just didn't get forward enough to create the overload from what I recall.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Well the man who invented football (Bielsa) couldn’t do it, so I don’t hold much hope for anyone else copying our style of play.

 

[Akinbiyi]

Obviously JOC and Bash are the keys considering they are the overlapping centre halves.

Lots of teams have full backs or wingers who could play wing back, or centre halves who could play in a 3, but technically and athletically good enough to overlap down the wings? City could, maybe Arsenal. After that I’m struggling to be honest.
Our 2 weren’t technically fantastic when they first arrived let’s not forget, it’s been a lot of hard work and effort in training to get to the standard they are now.

It’s very much unique. And it’s ours.

 

[Sheffsteel]

Well the man who invented football (Bielsa) couldn’t do it, so I don’t hold much hope for anyone else copying our style of play.

He admitted that he’s tried to do something very similar to Wilder but Bielsa couldn’t get it to work.
So maybe it’s not so simple, just to copy.

 

[JayGreen17]

It’s a system that’s been in built and players brought in are having to learn how to switch, this is why Wilder hasn’t lumped all the new signings in at once, it’s very special and we’re definitely entering an imperial phase for the club...I’m guessing silverware in the next 2 years. Book mark this!

 

[Punk Blade]

The overlapping centre backs are the unusual element that grabs the headlines, but all 10 outfield players have specialised roles that I suspect are far more detailed and nuanced than even we can appreciate. Setting up with a back three and telling two of them to bomb down the flanks is overly simplistic and a frankly ridiculous and naive tactic. That’s what everyone thinks we do. Our system is so much more.

 

[lazyfecklessblade]

Obviously JOC and Bash are the keys considering they are the overlapping centre halves.

Lots of teams have full backs or wingers who could play wing back, or centre halves who could play in a 3, but technically and athletically good enough to overlap down the wings? City could, maybe Arsenal. After that I’m struggling to be honest.
Our 2 weren’t technically fantastic when they first arrived let’s not forget, it’s been a lot of hard work and effort in training to get to the standard they are now.

It’s very much unique. And it’s ours.

I dunno man, give CWAK credit where it’s due - they made Martin Cranie make a decent fist of it

 

[Akinbiyi]

I dunno man, give CWAK credit where it’s due - they made Martin Cranie make a decent fist of it

That’s true. But he still wasn’t quite Bash was he?

We’d have to spend big money to replace Bash and even bigger money to replace JOC. And then they’d have to put in a lot of weeks in training to get up to the standards required.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

You cannot copy chaos.

 

[RMBlade]

How many teams have a LCB and RCB capable of playing it effectively? Can only think Man City could use Laporte and Walker. Monreal has gone from a LB to LCB for Arsenal, Chambers as a RCB possibly.

The team with the perfect CB’s for it are Bayern. Pavard on the right, Hernandez on the left with Sule in the centre.

 

[coaxingstar71]

The overlapping centre backs are the unusual element that grabs the headlines, but all 10 outfield players have specialised roles that I suspect are far more detailed and nuanced than even we can appreciate. Setting up with a back three and telling two of them to bomb down the flanks is overly simplistic and a frankly ridiculous and naive tactic. That’s what everyone thinks we do. Our system is so much more.

I feel it's almost part of a ploy on Wilder's behalf to have everyone believe that our CB's are gonna go rampaging down the wings every game, but I think you're right in that there is so much more to it. You could look at nearly every role in the team and they will all have specific instructions in terms of when we've got the ball and when we haven't, what side of the pitch play is on and who we're playing both individually and collectively. It was interesting that in the Palace game, it seemed to be JOC that was getting forward and Basham was more reserved than usual whereas normally Basham gets forward more.

 

[Punk Blade]

I feel it's almost part of a ploy on Wilder's behalf to have everyone believe that our CB's are gonna go rampaging down the wings every game, but I think you're right in that there is so much more to it. You could look at nearly every role in the team and they will all have specific instructions in terms of when we've got the ball and when we haven't, what side of the pitch play is on and who we're playing both individually and collectively. It was interesting that in the Palace game, it seemed to be JOC that was getting forward and Basham was more reserved than usual whereas normally Basham gets forward more.

Possibly the plan was to force Townsend back but CW was more weary of Zaha on the opposite side? I think observers miss the fact that part of the benefit of the attacking CBs is that they can force good attackers on the other side back to defend in their own half.

 

[PTBlade]

I don’t think that playing this way is natural for most players, that is probably why we haven’t seen any other teams manage to replicate our style and also why the new signing aren’t getting game time yet, they will be getting up to speed in training.
Have you noticed that almost all our signings over the last couple of years have a certain level of intellect, no mumbling when being interviewed etc. It’s part of Wilders selection process to identify only players who have the intelligence to get their heads round how we play and what they need to do. What we are witnessing on the pitch is the product of very careful and meticulous recruitment of good players with good brains. There are some excellent premiership players at the top clubs who would never get in our team, not because of their footballing abilities but because they haven’t the intellect to play our way.
People can analyse how we play all they want but they are missing the point that you have to have players smart enough to pull it off.
We best enjoy it while we can before England come knocking in a couple of years.