3-5-2 - Are we now more suited to this formation? (1 Viewer)

KersleyDigs

Well-Known Member
I had a big problem with it when we started to lump long balls up to Tudgay and Jackson, but with new personnel, ie: if we get Madine in on a perm, I actually think we could play it effectively if we had someone to hold the ball up and allow full backs and other attacking players to get forward.

It seems that SP played the formation when we didn't have the players to use it effectively, yet now we have a few different players that are perhaps better suited, he isn't using a 3-5-2? We have loads of strikers and number 10's, but we play with no traditional number 10 and only one up top. We have loads of centre backs yet only use two?

I would say in Phillips we have a decent right wing back, but perhaps with his injury record bringing in another right wing back could allow us to play this well and also allow Haynes the freedom to get back to what he does best - getting higher up the pitch and getting crosses in!!!

I really think this would work:

------------------------Allsop--------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
------------Willis----Pennington----Johnson-----------
Phillips------------------------------------------Haynes
-------------O'Brien--------------Fleck------------------
-----------------------Maddison--------------------------
--------------Madine-------------Nouble-----------------

In our squad we have:

3 keepers
5 centre halves
2 attacking full backs/wing backs
0 traditional wingers
2 box to box central midfielders
2 holding central midfielders
3 number 10's
6 central strikers

Pressley really needs to find a formation, stick with it and sign players for it or play to the players strengths, ie: not try to play with wingers when we have none!
 

LB87ccfc

Member
I had a big problem with it when we started to lump long balls up to Tudgay and Jackson, but with new personnel, ie: if we get Madine in on a perm, I actually think we could play it effectively if we had someone to hold the ball up and allow full backs and other attacking players to get forward.

It seems that SP played the formation when we didn't have the players to use it effectively, yet now we have a few different players that are perhaps better suited, he isn't using a 3-5-2? We have loads of strikers and number 10's, but we play with no traditional number 10 and only one up top. We have loads of centre backs yet only use two?

I would say in Phillips we have a decent right wing back, but perhaps with his injury record bringing in another right wing back could allow us to play this well and also allow Haynes the freedom to get back to what he does best - getting higher up the pitch and getting crosses in!!!

I really think this would work:

------------------------Allsop--------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
------------Willis----Pennington----Johnson-----------
Phillips------------------------------------------Haynes
-------------O'Brien--------------Fleck------------------
-----------------------Maddison--------------------------
--------------Madine-------------Nouble-----------------

In our squad we have:

3 keepers
5 centre halves
2 attacking full backs/wing backs
0 traditional wingers
2 box to box central midfielders
2 holding central midfielders
3 number 10's
6 central strikers

Pressley really needs to find a formation, stick with it and sign players for it or play to the players strengths, ie: not try to play with wingers when we have none!

In a nutshell, no and would still not improve under this formation or personnel mentioned, Maddison as shown on numerous occasions is not ready to start a match at this level. Totally out his depth when starting, ok as an impact sub, rather Swanson or Obrien in the hole behind the striker.
 

SkyBlue_Bear83

Well-Known Member
No both wing backs are poor, basically Pressley fucked up the summer recruitment which means we now don't really suit any formation.
 

Mary_Mungo_Midge

Well-Known Member
In order to score, from what I saw last night, I'd suggest the following formation:

- 1 -
- 1 -
- Everyone else in the squad -
 

covcity4life

Well-Known Member
i would have no issue with reverting back to 352

but as that showed before it disappeared......pressley can fuck any formation up.
 

stupot07

Well-Known Member
I had a big problem with it when we started to lump long balls up to Tudgay and Jackson, but with new personnel, ie: if we get Madine in on a perm, I actually think we could play it effectively if we had someone to hold the ball up and allow full backs and other attacking players to get forward.

It seems that SP played the formation when we didn't have the players to use it effectively, yet now we have a few different players that are perhaps better suited, he isn't using a 3-5-2? We have loads of strikers and number 10's, but we play with no traditional number 10 and only one up top. We have loads of centre backs yet only use two?

I would say in Phillips we have a decent right wing back, but perhaps with his injury record bringing in another right wing back could allow us to play this well and also allow Haynes the freedom to get back to what he does best - getting higher up the pitch and getting crosses in!!!

I really think this would work:

------------------------Allsop--------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
------------Willis----Pennington----Johnson-----------
Phillips------------------------------------------Haynes
-------------O'Brien--------------Fleck------------------
-----------------------Maddison--------------------------
--------------Madine-------------Nouble-----------------

In our squad we have:

3 keepers
5 centre halves
2 attacking full backs/wing backs
0 traditional wingers
2 box to box central midfielders
2 holding central midfielders
3 number 10's
6 central strikers

Pressley really needs to find a formation, stick with it and sign players for it or play to the players strengths, ie: not try to play with wingers when we have none!

No, I don't think 352 would work. Phillips is injured, Pennington will likely go back after his loan spell, we have no pace, neither of those strikers run in behind.

Who are you classing as the box to box midfielders, defensive midfielders and who are the 3 number 10's?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - so please excuse any spelling or grammar errors :)
 

LB87ccfc

Member
Pressley was the one decided to change the formation during the middle of pre season and subsequently this dictated what positions we tried to strenghten

Maybe so but if you and others think Pressley does the wheeling and dealing at the club then they are mistaken, Waggott has one hell of a part in this.

He is dictated too and made to get on with it, trying to find formations with players Waggott has drafted in on the " every penny of the Callum Wilson money will be invested into the playing squad"
 

Gaz71

Well-Known Member
Pressley said he had been watching a lot of German football and would like Coventry playing in the same style as Borussia Dortmund(3-5-2), Dortmund are currently joint bottom of the Bundesliga, so he's nearly achieved his goal!
 

Alan Dugdale

New Member
What made it work for Swindon?
1) A dynamic keeper, comfortable with the ball at his feet, who his defence are comfortable with, who releases the ball quickly - we don't have that.
2) Young, quick defenders, comfortable in possession, who still do the pro tuggging, pushing thing when needed.
3) Wing backs who bomb forward, and stay wide even when the ball is on the opposite side of the pitch, creating more space when in possession as with their first two goals - we play safety first with wide players urged to tuck in who don't commit too far forward.
4) They have young, fit, athletic midfielders who all get up in support of their forwards allowing a multitude of attacking options. Our midfielders struggle to get up and down, are not fit enough and don't support our forwards.
5) Their 2 forwards operated close together, looking to work off each other, whereas we leave Madine isolated, and have whoever is playing up with him playing too wide to effectively work off him.

Swindon is a good template for us, but it needs a complete change of mindset from Pressley, and a big change in personnel in certain areas of the team.
 

LB87ccfc

Member
What made it work for Swindon?
1) A dynamic keeper, comfortable with the ball at his feet, who his defence are comfortable with, who releases the ball quickly - we don't have that.
2) Young, quick defenders, comfortable in possession, who still do the pro tuggging, pushing thing when needed.
3) Wing backs who bomb forward, and stay wide even when the ball is on the opposite side of the pitch, creating more space when in possession as with their first two goals - we play safety first with wide players urged to tuck in who don't commit too far forward.
4) They have young, fit, athletic midfielders who all get up in support of their forwards allowing a multitude of attacking options. Our midfielders struggle to get up and down, are not fit enough and don't support our forwards.
5) Their 2 forwards operated close together, looking to work off each other, whereas we leave Madine isolated, and have whoever is playing up with him playing too wide to effectively work off him.

Swindon is a good template for us, but it needs a complete change of mindset from Pressley, and a big change in personnel in certain areas of the team.

So basically the side we had last season and was ripped apart by Waggott and co.
 

SkyBlueSid

Well-Known Member
Forget formations. The situation is that the players we have are journeymen, kids and loans. They are not good enough and the manager is flailing around in desperation. No matter what formation he chooses, it changes nothing. Tinkering with 4-4-2, 3-5-2, 4-3-2-1 or whatever is simply rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.
 

skybluegod

Well-Known Member
We only have 2 different players from when we played 3-5-2 in madine and pennington? Why do we suddenly now suit the style of formation. I don't think it matters what formation we play, because our midfield is horrendous. they don't create and they don't score, except JoB
 

Gazolba

Well-Known Member
Forget formations. The situation is that the players we have are journeymen, kids and loans.
And that's exactly what Swindon have - and they hammered us. The formation is definitely a factor. Not the only factor. The biggest factor is the manager. Our manager's formations make our players look much worse than they are and saps their confidence.
 

SkyBlueSid

Well-Known Member
And that's exactly what Swindon have - and they hammered us. The formation is definitely a factor. Not the only factor. The biggest factor is the manager. Our manager's formations make our players look much worse than they are and saps their confidence.

Swindon beat us because they were better than us in every part of the game. They may have loanees but they are a bloody sight better than ours. They looked fitter, quicker and better coached and organised too, so that is down to their manager and coaches, I would certainly agree with that. But these are professionals playing in a poor league where fitness, discipline and willingness to give 100% are the biggest factors. Slight changes in formation make no difference, and can even confuse the more 'challenged' players, as I well remember from when I managed Sunday League teams years ago.

We have a mediocre squad but an inspirational manager may well get more out of them and keep us up. I get the impression these lot don't respect Pressley at all and a new face is required. Getting them to work their bits off every week is more important that tinkering about at the edges with the same jaded players.
 

Littlewood Cov

New Member
I had a big problem with it when we started to lump long balls up to Tudgay and Jackson, but with new personnel, ie: if we get Madine in on a perm, I actually think we could play it effectively if we had someone to hold the ball up and allow full backs and other attacking players to get forward.

It seems that SP played the formation when we didn't have the players to use it effectively, yet now we have a few different players that are perhaps better suited, he isn't using a 3-5-2? We have loads of strikers and number 10's, but we play with no traditional number 10 and only one up top. We have loads of centre backs yet only use two?

I would say in Phillips we have a decent right wing back, but perhaps with his injury record bringing in another right wing back could allow us to play this well and also allow Haynes the freedom to get back to what he does best - getting higher up the pitch and getting crosses in!!!

I really think this would work:

------------------------Allsop--------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
------------Willis----Pennington----Johnson-----------
Phillips------------------------------------------Haynes
-------------O'Brien--------------Fleck------------------
-----------------------Maddison--------------------------
--------------Madine-------------Nouble-----------------

In our squad we have:

3 keepers
5 centre halves
2 attacking full backs/wing backs
0 traditional wingers
2 box to box central midfielders
2 holding central midfielders
3 number 10's
6 central strikers

Pressley really needs to find a formation, stick with it and sign players for it or play to the players strengths, ie: not try to play with wingers when we have none!


Good post i think you have a fair point as we dont have any decent wingers
 

b-mena_skyblue

New Member
I have been saying for months to anyone who will listen (which admittedly isn't many) that we should play 3-5-2.
The squad is so imbalanced, we dont really have a choice.

Pressley made some mistakes with the formation. Firstly, he didnt seem to realise that wingback is a specialist position and u cannot just stick any defensive minded full back with lack of mobility in there. Secondly, he allowed the fans to bully him into changing systems.
By switching formation we wont solve all our problems, like having poor players, but maybe get the best out of a bad lot. I would play haynes and obrien wing back until philips is back. Our central defenders (with the exception of webster) arent too bad. Johnson, willis and pennington have all played full back so should help.
The biggest issue with this formation is it takes a lot of practice to get the fluidity or intelligent footballers. Have we the time or intelligent players?
All that being said, we are in a transfer window so if we rebalanced squad, perhaps 3-5-2 would no longer be essential.
 

b-mena_skyblue

New Member
I have been saying for months to anyone that will listen (which admittedly isn't many) that 3-5-2 is by far the best option with this squad.

The problem earlier in season was pressley made mistake of thinking a defensive minded or immobile full back can play wing back. Wing back is a specialist position.
haynes and philips much better suited to role. Pugh and clarke were terrible choices.
Secondly, pressley let the fans bully him into changing to 4 at back when we have zero options to play wide.
Changing formation will not solve all of our issues but might get best out of bad bunch.
However, we are in transfer window and cash positive, so maybe squad can be rebalanced.
Biggest issue is 3-5-2 needs work on training ground or intelligent footballers. Do we have either?
 

b-mena_skyblue

New Member
I have been saying for months to anyone that would listen (which admittedly isn’t many) that 3-5-2 (or 3-4-2-1) is the only option for this squad. There is no balance to the squad at all.

The issues early season around formation were Pressley made the mistake of thinking that you can put any defensive minded or immobile full back and play them wing back. It is a specialised position that requires certain attributes that Clarke and Pugh do not possess.

*

Bearing in mind we are in a transfer window so perhaps they could rebalance squad with the cash we have available (lol) but otherwise, revert to 3-5-2.

Play Obrien wing back until Philips is back and Haynes on the other side. We have decent centre halves (Webster excluded) so it would be playing to a strength.

Biggest issue for me is you either need a lot of work on training ground to get fluidity correct in offensive and defensive positions or intelligent footballers. Not sure we have either but can it get any worse? It certainly wont solve all the issues i.e of bad players but might get best out of a bad bunch.

*

Pressley should never have allowed himself to be bullied by fans to switch when he knew full well we did not have options to play any other way. Asking Nouble to track full backs/wing backs is ridiculous. *
 

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