Been trying to work out how to describe our formation over the last two games and this is the best I’ve been able to come up with.
I’m not clever enough to know how we’re not getting punished down our flanks (yet) but long may it continue.
—————-CMG
—————Pearce
———Gunter - Famewo
————- Dobson
Leko - Gilbey - Lee - Purrington
——Stockley - Washington
Does this look about right to anyone else or am I completely off? The typical 3-5-2 is probably closest and I might be overcomplicating but I feel as though the wide players have a lot more freedom that would be traditional whereas Dobson will rarely venture forward at all and help retain the tip of that diamond.
Comments
Where Purrington lacks pace and skill he makes up for it with his energy. You wouldn't see Gunter or Matthews get up, down and into the box like he does. He's had at least three chances to score in two games and you could say he should have scored all of them. As ridiculous as it might sound he could score quite a few over a season getting himself into those positions and we keep creating chances.
Leko/DJ on the right gives us a naturally attacking player with that ability to take defenders on. It helps to stop the formation from becoming too defensive, as we saw when Adkins played a similar formation but with Gunter at RWB.
The three at the back aren't quite Chris Wilder's overlapping CBs but they do move wide and occasionally go forward with or without the ball, helping us keep possession. I think Gunter got forward enough to even put a cross in at one point.
It'll be interesting to see what way it goes - does it get exploited, do we continue as we are or will we get more adventurous and eventually see the wider two support the attack even more.
With a mobile and energetic DM in Dobson there's cover for the WBs and wider CBs. Ahead of them all you've got three more mobile and energetic players in Gilbey, Lee and Washington plus Stockley, a proper target man and at this level a goalscorer. Pressing higher up the pitch and more aggressively has made such a difference, with this 11 we have the players to do that.
Like Bowyer's diamond it needs the right players to offer width going forward and to support out wide defensively. We've got that right in the last two games, if we can keep the intensity up we could go on a good run.
If you consider a formation your defensive shape then I'd put it down as the below. In attack there's a lot of movement with players drifting wide or pushing forward.
CM
Gunter Pearce Famewo
Leko Dobson Purrington
Gilbey Lee
Stockley Washington
We played a back three today (Gunter, Pearce and Famewo) with Purrington filling the left-midfield space, but with some defensive mentality.
On the right, we had Leko, but with some attacking mentality.
It's a sort of unbalanced 3-5-2.
When Leko went off, DJ appeared (yaay) and our defensive right side got weaker. It will be interesting to see if Rotherham exploit that.
Totally off topic ... I thought that Dobson was superb today.
The key for the system to work was Dobson dropping very deep so that he effectively became a 3rd defender
Lee generally was more forward than Gilbey but not in a rigid way. Most of this was allowed because Dobson was all over the middle.
I'm sure we don't get at this level but would have been interestested to the maps of players
Very interesting and someting you mostly see at higher levels of the game. Interested to see how it works going forward when teams start to suss it out.
I may be wrong but I don't think those 3 players had been in the same 11 until Sunderland?
Add the fact of having 2 strikers and with the movement of Lee and Gilbey we also have more players in their penalty area when we attack.
If any of those 3 get injured we may struggle again.
Jackson has improved every aspect of our game. I'd see Clare coming in who although isn't as good would still give us energy and is capable of pressing, finding space, getting in the box and tracking back.
Hopefully JFC continues his progress comes back the player he was to strengthen us further.
January will be interesting, we'll need to move players on before we can bring any outfield players in (unless they're u21). Arter, Kirk and CBT are possibilities. Watson, Gunter and Matthews seems less likely as they're probably not going to attract much interest.
MacGillivray
Stockley Washington
MacGillivray
Leko Gilbey Lee Washington
Stockley
I’m liking this set up a lot.
Four league games so far and although Burton had a lot of the ball, it never felt like they were going to score. Sunderland and Rotherham had a bit more success but never really opened us up with regularity.
One thing our smarter fans have grasped is that you will give opportunities while playing flying wingbacks but you take the advantages...Purrington's goals and DJ's assists.
A number who do not 'get it' are still referencing one instance that a wing back didn't track his man. It's a real give and take so on balance you go with what is working for the team.