4-3-3 long term ?

[madras]

I wonder if Keegan has been using 4-3-3 as it gets the best out of what we have and had different plans for next season...but maybe his head is being turned a little ?

 

D'you reckon he sees 4-3-3 as the long term (ie next season) plan ?

[Happy Face]

Definitely sounded like he sees owen playing behind the front 2 long term, so if he stay, I guess so.

[madras]

Definitely sounded like he sees owen playing behind the front 2 long term, so if he stay, I guess so.

thats the great thing about the formation at the minute..i done even see owen as playing behind a front two.

 

if we cant work it out what chance has the oppo ?

[Parsley]

Personally no but we'll stick with it to the end of the season. If what the papers say is true, we're looking for wingers who need width and just don't feature in a 3 striker 4-3-3 like we're playing at the moment so it looks like we're going back to a wider formation on that basis.

[Mick]

We might keep 4-3-3 for this season and mix it next season if we can bring some quality in.  Today is probably the best I've ever seen us play the formation and hated it before kick-off but it worked well against another team with the same formation.  I'm not sure how well it would have worked if Spurs had started off 4-4-2.

[Thespence]

At least it is a 4-3-3 rather than, a bullshit 4-3-3 which is really 4-5-1

[Dave]

At least it is a 4-3-3 rather than, a bullshit 4-3-3 which is really 4-5-1

 

Beat me to it.

[Wullie]

At least it is a 4-3-3 rather than, a bullshit 4-3-3 which is really 4-5-1

 

 

Not many teams play one of those.

[madras]

At least it is a 4-3-3 rather than, a bullshit 4-3-3 which is really 4-5-1

 

 

Not many teams play one of those.

yet according to some owen is playing behind a front two ?

[Mick]

At least it is a 4-3-3 rather than, a bullshit 4-3-3 which is really 4-5-1

 

With allardyce 4-3-3 was an excuse to go 4-5-1, with Keegan it's attack attack attack and it's so refreshing.

[Guest]

At least it is a 4-3-3 rather than, a bullshit 4-3-3 which is really 4-5-1

 

 

Not many teams play one of those.

 

Pretty ironic actually that the last time we played this formation was after Keegan left. (when Dalglish used all of Tino, Ferdinand & Shearer in the run-in and got us upto 2nd)

[Dave]

It's more like a 4-3-1-1-1 really. Viduka stays central up top, Martins roams all over, Owen works back and forth through the centre and midfield.

[Mick]

yet according to some owen is playing behind a front two ?

 

It's not a front 2 and it's very fluid, which I like as we keep the opposition defenders wondering what will happen next.

[Wullie]

Whatever it is, it's working and not only getting the best out of the three strikers but also the midfielders who, today at least, dominated wide areas as well as the middle which is unbelievable considering how poorly three of them have played at times this season.

[Mick]

Whatever it is, it's working and not only getting the best out of the three strikers but also the midfielders who, today at least, dominated wide areas as well as the middle which is unbelievable considering how poorly three of them have played at times this season.

 

Today was the first time we've had nobody on an off-day, they all played well.

[Rich]

The flexibility is the key, as Mick has alluded to.

 

These days, it's all rigidity and one-dimensional from the top to the bottom of the league, only the really good teams excluded (Man Utd are the prime example, with Arsenal close behind.)

 

I can't stand "functional" football, with no freedom for the players, and I believe the Man Utd "way" of playing is far harder to defend against (they have an ever-changing fulcrum and the whole midfield buzzes around all over behind them.)

 

This formation, with better players, could be very exciting indeed.

[Dave]

The flexibility is the key, as Mick has alluded to.

 

These days, it's all rigidity and one-dimensional from the top to the bottom of the league, only the really good teams excluded (Man Utd are the prime example, with Arsenal close behind.)

 

I can't stand "functional" football, with no freedom for the players, and I believe the Man Utd "way" of playing is far harder to defend against (they have an ever-changing fulcrum and the whole midfield buzzes around all over behind them.)

 

This formation, with better players, could be very exciting indeed.

 

Man Utd don't even have a formation beyond midfield iyam. Tevez, Rooney, Ronaldo, Nani et al just play where they want.

 

Apparently it works fairly well for them...

[johnnypd]

i think if we want to play this formation next season, we might have to replace viduka, as, apart from the goal vs fulham, he's not been as impressive as the other two and we can't really rely on him from a fitness perspective.

[Lenny]

At least it is a 4-3-3 rather than, a bullshit 4-3-3 which is really 4-5-1

 

 

Not many teams play one of those.

yet according to some owen is playing behind a front two ?

 

Our 4-3-3 is more 1 off of 2 strikers rather than 2 off of 1 which Allardyce was playing, which was in effect 2 wingers off 1 striker. I dont particularly think Owen is playing behind the 2; Martins and Owen seem to switch, but it looks like on most occassions we are keeping 2 up at all times.

 

... if that makes sense!

[Nobody]

Owen deserves so much praise for how well this formation works, IMO. He's taken on his new role with perfection, and what makes it even more impressive is that it's not only a new role for him, but it's a very rare (if used at all) role in football as a whole. He's almost covering two positions at once, one as an attacking midfielder and one as a striker.

Got no idea whether it's the way to go long term, but short term, i.e rest of the season, I don't mind seeing this formation for all our games.

[Mick]

 

Man Utd don't even have a formation beyond midfield iyam. Tevez, Rooney, Ronaldo, Nani et al just play where they want.

 

Apparently it works for them...

 

It works well if you get the right players but it's still good to have people on the bench who can come on and change formations as and when required.

[Dave]

 

Man Utd don't even have a formation beyond midfield iyam. Tevez, Rooney, Ronaldo, Nani et al just play where they want.

 

Apparently it works for them...

 

It works well if you get the right players but it's still good to have people on the bench who can come on and change formations as and when required.

 

Oh aye, it helps that those players are all fucking brilliant of course.

[Rich]

The strikers are tracking back though, to be fair, so it still does have some solidity to it. It isn't just a 4-3-3 where the strikers hang about upfield.

 

There have been quite a few occasions where the opposition has been playing it around just inside our half and it's been Viduka, Martins and Owen doing the closing down, rather than the midfielders.

 

I'm amazed with it, to be honest, very surprised it was attempted and even moreso that it has worked.

[Guest rebel_yell12]

yet according to some owen is playing behind a front two ?

 

It's not a front 2 and it's very fluid, which I like as we keep the opposition defenders wondering what will happen next.

 

The success of the new formation, I think, is based on Martins' ability to roam unpredictably driving a few defenders nuts, while Viduka is a focal point (more stationary and traditional) whilst Owen arrives late in the box from the midfield to pop in a goal.  See his missed chance last week, and his goal this week -- both a late arrival in the box that his teammates predicted but the defenders didn't pick up until too late.  Viduka is the most easily replaced of the three, imo -- just a big target player who has some goal threat.  Martins' random pace and Owen's ability to appear in the right places is harder to find in another player.

[Rich]

The flexibility is the key, as Mick has alluded to.

 

These days, it's all rigidity and one-dimensional from the top to the bottom of the league, only the really good teams excluded (Man Utd are the prime example, with Arsenal close behind.)

 

I can't stand "functional" football, with no freedom for the players, and I believe the Man Utd "way" of playing is far harder to defend against (they have an ever-changing fulcrum and the whole midfield buzzes around all over behind them.)

 

This formation, with better players, could be very exciting indeed.

 

Man Utd don't even have a formation beyond midfield iyam. Tevez, Rooney, Ronaldo, Nani et al just play where they want.

 

Apparently it works fairly well for them...

 

They do usually start out in set positions I think, and the changes usually occur when they aren't getting any joy, but that's the sort of thing that we need to be looking at doing ourselves. Like you've said, it helps that they're fucking brilliant.