Do Football Formations Really Matter?
Blog member Corned Beef Futbol made these interesting comments yesterday...
Football fans are obsessed with formations, in particular the formation which is displayed by media outlets.
This idea that Jaissle simply has to change one set of abstract numbers to another, will somehow miraculously change our 'fortunes' is pretty naive imo.
It got me thinking...
Does 4231, 433, 352, 4411 etc., have any real effect on performances?
Alf Ramsey, Italian Coaches & Daniel Farke Would Say "Yes"
I'm sure there are many more examples where managers and coaches would say that formations can have a big effect; but let's have a quick look at why the three above would nod their heads in agreement.
Sir Alf Ramsey's revolutionary 4-4-2 system helped England win the 1966 World Cup.
The great Italian sides of the 90's famously deployed defensive systems often using five players at the back and just one striker, and that became the foundation of their success.
And what about Daniel Farke at Leeds United?
After a difficult run of results last season, he switched to a 3-5-2 system, helping transform Leeds' performances and making them one of the Premier League's top point gaining sides since Farke changed formation.
But, Formations Aren't Everything
No formation will compensate for defenders making mistakes, midfielders giving away possession or strikers missing chances.
But that doesn't mean formations are irrelevant.
Quite the opposite.
A formation provides the framework within which players have to operate.
Corned Beef Futbol also made this comment...
The positions of players constantly change during the match depending on being in or out of possession, and whether they press or not and how they follow, playing rotating etc
Absolutely correct.
But that doesn't mean that a formation set up is only something that appears on a media teamsheet.
Attacking and defensive positional play, in game transitions and movements, and player responsibilities with and without the ball all differ in depending on a formation.
Take Jaissle's 4231 formation...
The key in analysing whether it can be effect are the players in the 2 and 3 who, as in nearly all games at most professional levels, will be those most involved in controlling, or not controlling, the possession, tempo and outcome of a match.
IMO, the key starting point in any system is that it should be defensively solid.
If you defend as a team, restrict chances, and are difficult to score against that can often mean only one goal is needed to win a game.
That was never more proven than with George Graham's title winning '1-0 to the Arsenal' sides of 1989 and 1991 and in season 93-94 they recorded 11 victories by 1–0 across all competitions, including their European Cup Winners' Cup final victory over Parma.
OK, I accept that the Arsenal comparison is an extreme, but currently Newcastle under Jaissle are anything but difficult to score against with only one clean sheet this season, being unable to prevent goals even from lower league teams in the cup.
Is It The System Or The Players?
IMO it is the players.
Let's take a typical starting line up in the the 2 and 3 that I believe are the key to an effective 4231 formation.
Nico and Steur in the 2. Barnes, Wissa/Willock, and Murphy in the 3.
Where are the defensive qualities that can provide a first barrier to the oppo, help protect the back four, and make us difficult to play and score against?
I don't see it, and neither do most fans or the opposition who have carved through us like a well sharpened knife on a Sunday roast - and we've served chances and goals up on a plate as a result.
If we keep doing that, the oppo will be dining out on Newcastle for sometime yet with Jaissle picking up the tab.
Is 352 The Answer?
I think it has to be better than what we are serving up now.
We debated that in detail yesterday; but the main point was that a five in the middle bolstered by using wing backs like Dedic, Miley and Hall and big Jo in the 5 immediately gives us a stronger defensive look, at least on the proverbial paper.
It also means we play three CB's which means we get Big Dan back in the team without having to drop Botman and losing his bit of pace and passing ability.
Playing Osula and Barnes or Pardo in the two gives us a mix of power, height and pace up front.
Conclusion
Corned Beef Futbol raised an interesting subject for discussion.
In summary;
If the players don't have the quality no formation will be effective.
But, if you try putting decent quality square pegs into round holes they won't fit.
I believe that's where we are now with Jaissle's 4231.
Change the formation to fit the qualities we have...
And performances and results could also change.
Just ask Daniel Farke.
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Last Post: Needs Must: 352 Needed To Stem The Tide
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As bamba goes . I dont think any of us know enough tbh. He has played very little , and like steur played very little senior football to date. It could be his english , it could be getting his head around to tactics , maybe he's deemed not physically ready for the prem , maybe he needs work technically . The dutch and french league respectively is a massive step up down physically and intensity wise to the premier league. Steur physically needs to fill out but has a wonderful set of passing skills and technically looks very good. What i seen of bamba he may well be over 6ft but he weighs 68kg according to google. He'…
Would love to know what the deal with Bamba is.
Was top of the charts for ground duels won (for any player that played over 500 minutes) in Ligue 1 last season. Was also right at the top for tackles won, had good dribble success rate and good passing accuracy numbers.
Seemed like he would gradually be the perfect defensive cover for our midfield, with stats like that at such a young age and fairly decent league.
Yet he has barely got a kick.
Is he just not showing much in training? Failing to settle? Seems very odd that he's not getting any chances. Especially when Steur, 2 years younger and only played about 300 minutes more senior football, got…
I think one issue in the lineup is that in midfield we have only 1 ball winner - Big Joe. Sometimes Miley but it's not close.
Joelinton is not a player that can be relied upon to not get himself in trouble - whether a rash challenge, trying to play out of a press and such. His touch is too suspect to have the ball close to our box so he can't really play as the 6.
Nico is not a physical presence.
I also think Miley needs to play in MF. Dedic or Tino are the right back/wingbacks.
Steuer comes on as sub.
We need Burn back on the pitch. Botman can be dropped.
Back 3 of Thiaw-Schar-Burn
Of course the formation matters. But it means nothing if the players selected for that formation either don't understand their role or are not skilled to play the role. That's the point.
So if we say we're playing 4231 and we pick Willock and Nico as th midfield, we're not playing 4231 but 4123 or 4114 or who knows. And it's not a question of quality, more of suitability.
If a company recruits someone for an engineering role and that person is trained as a salesperso then, yes, the engineering department has one more recruit. But they can't do the job.
As for Villa - they put square pegs in square holes. They didn't start with all their first choice…