Been a while since Appleton was appointed now so I’d love to know peoples thoughts on him tactically. Do you think he’s found the right shape? Where do you think he should play May? What’s the best make up for the midfield now almost everyone’s fit?
I think he’s still working it out. I’m expecting him to settle on 4-3-3 in tougher/away games with May out wide and then 4-2-3-1 with May as a 10 at home/easier games
I still think it’s silly that we don’t just play 2 up front and pair Leaburn with May. But Appleton is one of those managers that has his formation and won’t stray far away from it
I think you’re probably right but I think his 4-2-3-1 is closer to a 4-2-2-2 which is a bit of a change from 4-3-3/ 4-2-3-1 if not a mega one
Did anyone else notice we often switched into a 3 at the back in position last night? When playing down the left Edun went very high and Watson dropped back to create a 3. At time Jones was almost playing as a left back trying to create extra overloads down that side I assume to create confusion for Edun/CBT to exploit
Did anyone else notice we often switched into a 3 at the back in position last night? When playing down the left Edun went very high and Watson dropped back to create a 3. At time Jones was almost playing as a left back trying to create extra overloads down that side I assume to create confusion for Edun/CBT to exploit
Yes I did. Think it works really well because CBT is best when he stays out wide, so Edun can’t really overlap that often (though he still does sometimes) but instead wherever he pops up we then have an overload and he’s often unmarked
Think the first today was MA's first experiment with a box midfield style system but with the wrong players. Using wingers as two 10's won't work. I think in time we might see a back 3, two aggressive wingbacks with two 6's (any of Dobson, Coventry, McGrandles, Camara, Bakinson) and two 10's (Watson, Fiorini, Bakinson, Camara, Fraser if still around and I guess the Campbells). Obviously, this changes when another striker is available. In theory, I'm not against it but we need more width and attacking intent from the wingbacks. With the right players and more urgency I can see how it might work. Much preferred the 2 up top at the end though in what appeared to be more of a conventional 3-5-2.
I’ve been wanting to see 3-5-2 all season, second half yesterday was the best we’ve played in a while against one of the best teams in the league also. It took him long enough and our season is ruined but I really hope Appleton sticks with it now
I believe CBT was meant to play the left sided 10 until he pulled out of training on Friday. That would have changed a lot because he’d have run at the two DM’s and at other times run beyond creating a dice 5 (2 x ST, 1x10 & 2 DM’s).
There are so many little tweaks and adaptations through transitions you can make to shift the balance of control and it was great to see MA make a little switch in the second half yesterday by moving the box forward.
Questions now, is that a change in formation that we’re going to stick with or was it just to try and nullify Peterborough?
Totally agree we’ll need more attacking width from wing backs but also don’t need both going ‘winger’ high at the same time. Noticed when Tennai did advance in the second half, Tayo would burst forward to get to the edge of the box, left us exposed behind 4v4 a few tooo many times.
I believe CBT was meant to play the left sided 10 until he pulled out of training on Friday. That would have changed a lot because he’d have run at the two DM’s and at other times run beyond creating a dice 5 (2 x ST, 1x10 & 2 DM’s).
There are so many little tweaks and adaptations through transitions you can make to shift the balance of control and it was great to see MA make a little switch in the second half yesterday by moving the box forward.
Questions now, is that a change in formation that we’re going to stick with or was it just to try and nullify Peterborough?
Totally agree we’ll need more attacking width from wing backs but also don’t need both going ‘winger’ high at the same time. Noticed when Tennai did advance in the second half, Tayo would burst forward to get to the edge of the box, left us exposed behind 4v4 a few tooo many times.
I think if we play more of a 3-4-1-2 with Dobson and Coventry protecting the back 3, they should be able to cover the wing backs more if they get caught out
Cawley confirms we're going to play 2 up top going forward
Which begs the question: where will CBT play?
Also, our tactics this season have come full circle and we're back to a 3-5-2!!!!
We have a billion central midfielders now, great, and it felt like things were looking better to play 4-3-3 and hopefully add a quality CF and play May from the right.
Now we're back to two up top, and I can only assume CBT is on his way out. Surely we won't play him at LWB again? He's had his best season so far at LW so changing his position would be silly, plus we tried this with Holden and Jacko and he did alright but he's so much better in his natural position.
It's all well and good that we're signing players, but once again I do not know how our best players fit together. We also have no adequate depth at WB.
We're just making the same mistakes over and over, and we're going to do it in the summer again when a new manager comes in and wants to play 4-3-3 but we've just lost one of the best wingers in the league (CBT).
Cawley confirms we're going to play 2 up top going forward
Which begs the question: where will CBT play?
Also, our tactics this season have come full circle and we're back to a 3-5-2!!!!
We have a billion central midfielders now, great, and it felt like things were looking better to play 4-3-3 and hopefully add a quality CF and play May from the right.
Now we're back to two up top, and I can only assume CBT is on his way out. Surely we won't play him at LW again? He's had his best season so far at LW so changing his position would be silly, plus we tried this with Holden.
It's all well and good that we're signing players, but once again I do not know how our best players fit together. We also have no adequate depth at WB.
We're just making the same mistakes over and over, and we're going to do it in the summer again when a new manager comes in and wants to play 4-3-3 but we've just lost one of the best wingers in the league (CBT).
I think we probably won't see CBT again. If we did he would be a left sided 10 with the freedom to roam wide I imagine.
Cawley confirms we're going to play 2 up top going forward
Which begs the question: where will CBT play?
Also, our tactics this season have come full circle and we're back to a 3-5-2!!!!
We have a billion central midfielders now, great, and it felt like things were looking better to play 4-3-3 and hopefully add a quality CF and play May from the right.
Now we're back to two up top, and I can only assume CBT is on his way out. Surely we won't play him at LW again? He's had his best season so far at LW so changing his position would be silly, plus we tried this with Holden.
It's all well and good that we're signing players, but once again I do not know how our best players fit together. We also have no adequate depth at WB.
We're just making the same mistakes over and over, and we're going to do it in the summer again when a new manager comes in and wants to play 4-3-3 but we've just lost one of the best wingers in the league (CBT).
I think we probably won't see CBT again. If we did he would be a left sided 10 with the freedom to roam wide I imagine.
Maybe, but I feel like that would make more sens in a 3-4-2-1 which is not two up top. And also, it would be weird to have so many CMs and only play two at a time.
This is not aimed at you fen, I just feel like we're making the same mistake all over again.
Since we're going back to two up front, what are Washington and Stockley up to these days?
Cawley confirms we're going to play 2 up top going forward
Which begs the question: where will CBT play?
Also, our tactics this season have come full circle and we're back to a 3-5-2!!!!
We have a billion central midfielders now, great, and it felt like things were looking better to play 4-3-3 and hopefully add a quality CF and play May from the right.
Now we're back to two up top, and I can only assume CBT is on his way out. Surely we won't play him at LW again? He's had his best season so far at LW so changing his position would be silly, plus we tried this with Holden.
It's all well and good that we're signing players, but once again I do not know how our best players fit together. We also have no adequate depth at WB.
We're just making the same mistakes over and over, and we're going to do it in the summer again when a new manager comes in and wants to play 4-3-3 but we've just lost one of the best wingers in the league (CBT).
I think we probably won't see CBT again. If we did he would be a left sided 10 with the freedom to roam wide I imagine.
Maybe, but I feel like that would make more sens in a 3-4-2-1 which is not two up top. And also, it would be weird to have so many CMs and only play two at a time.
This is not aimed at you fen, I just feel like we're making the same mistake all over again.
Since we're going back to two up front, what are Washington and Stockley up to these days?
It could be a hybrid 3421/3412 where May drops back into the 10 out of possession
Cawley confirms we're going to play 2 up top going forward
Which begs the question: where will CBT play?
Also, our tactics this season have come full circle and we're back to a 3-5-2!!!!
We have a billion central midfielders now, great, and it felt like things were looking better to play 4-3-3 and hopefully add a quality CF and play May from the right.
Now we're back to two up top, and I can only assume CBT is on his way out. Surely we won't play him at LWB again? He's had his best season so far at LW so changing his position would be silly, plus we tried this with Holden and Jacko and he did alright but he's so much better in his natural position.
It's all well and good that we're signing players, but once again I do not know how our best players fit together. We also have no adequate depth at WB.
We're just making the same mistakes over and over, and we're going to do it in the summer again when a new manager comes in and wants to play 4-3-3 but we've just lost one of the best wingers in the league (CBT).
I think we’ll make subtle changes to the middle of the formation depending on who we’re playing.
Playing a back 3 you’ll have wing backs, that’s a given. It’s in that central area between the midfield and forwards that’ll make the difference. If we play two strikers there are three likely variations we’ll see. 1) a box of 2 strikers + 2 x 10’s anchored by one DM (second half vs Peterborough) or as has been suggested by @NabySarr, the dice 5 set up (Sheff Wed used this a lot last season) or a midfield triangle with a 4, 8 & 10 behind two strikers.
One thing that I thought really hurt us on Saturday was the lack of understanding of when to shift (teething probs?) of the wing backs. Outside CB’s need to shift to pick up the wide players and the opposite WB becomes a temporary FB. Then you keep an overload against a forward 3.
A lot of times during the 1st half Tennai was picking up Mason-Clarke, which left Harrison Burrows free to roam from LB. Tyreece (and this is no excuse for his performance) was meant to be nullifying Archie Collins. There was 10 min spell he got caught between both Collins & Burrows and looked completely lost.
For a while it worked, aided by Bakinson’s directions (as he knows the system and it’s little changes) because Peterborough couldn’t break through. The Campbells non performance cut Alfie off completely, Tyreece started to stand off Collins, Tennai got trapped too deep and that’s how they got so much control in the 1st half. There was a point when the crowd got rightly so frustrated with the team standing off about 35 mins in the 1st half, the players reacted, stepped in and got easily played round, 6 passes later they’d created an opening in our box.
If the Campbells did their job we should have completely dominated the midfield with a permanent free man.
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in training.
Also, our tactics this season have come full circle and we're back to a 3-5-2!!!!
We have a billion central midfielders now, great, and it felt like things were looking better to play 4-3-3 and hopefully add a quality CF and play May from the right.
Now we're back to two up top, and I can only assume CBT is on his way out. Surely we won't play him at LWB again? He's had his best season so far at LW so changing his position would be silly, plus we tried this with Holden and Jacko and he did alright but he's so much better in his natural position.
It's all well and good that we're signing players, but once again I do not know how our best players fit together. We also have no adequate depth at WB.
We're just making the same mistakes over and over, and we're going to do it in the summer again when a new manager comes in and wants to play 4-3-3 but we've just lost one of the best wingers in the league (CBT).
This is not aimed at you fen, I just feel like we're making the same mistake all over again.
Since we're going back to two up front, what are Washington and Stockley up to these days?