For many years English football was played in a 442 formation and at high pace. At our international level speed always seemed to take precedence over skill. For this reason players like Robson were chosen before Hoddle. At international level we always seemed to do well in friendlies and many qualifying matches and then fail in the finals. The finals of international competitions are always in hot Countries and in the summer. This has always raised the issue to me that different formations and styles are suited to different climates.
The teams that dominate international football play variations of 4231, 433, 4222, 451 etc and they vary/control the pace. EPL teams dominated in Europe for many years with 442 even though we failed at International level. The top of the EPL is now dominated by foreign managers. However, I question whether the success of foreign managers is more to do with the amount of money they spend and the quality of the squad they have as opposed to the fact that they are better than English managers.
To remain consistent throughout an EPL season requires consistency against tough teams throughout a cold winter. The only team that has done this consistently since the start of the EPL is Man U. They are the only team at the top with a British Manager. However, they have achieved a balance through foreign coaches and technical staff.
Spurs have so far performed OK under AVB but the long winter is ahead of us.
I believe that we need to be flexible with our formations and players we use need to suit the formation.
So do you agree that different formation suit different climates.? What formations do you think we should use? Do you think that we will ever learn this lesson at international level?
Formation, style & climate
posted on 6/11/12
players suit formations...now rightly or wrongly...thats the case.
the way we set up now...as i see it...with the wide men pinched in...is negating our greatest assets...PACE.
lennon looked lost on sat...not sure what runs he shld make...and when.
didn't move the ball quick enough....was it just 1 of those days..or has avb instructed this...
evidence i've seen...suggests its av's instruction.
posted on 6/11/12
1 - yes
2 - 4-4-2
3- no
posted on 6/11/12
First and foremost you need to assess your team's strengths and build your side from there. Find a system that gets the best out of them, and any changes in style or formation shouldn't be to the team's detriment - what works with one group will not necessarily work with another.
There are many ways to play 'one' striker - ie a system with not always with only one striker per se, but with only one striker actually playing as an orthodox striker. Some have other strikers playing nominally wide. Some have two wingers. Some have 3 attacking midfielders behind a striker.
4411 isn't a new phenomenon though, even in England. A couple of examples, Teddy would tailor his game depending on his partner, and play deeper. Beardsley was a #10, or in-the-hole, whatever you like to call it. Alternatively you have an attacking midfielder doing this job, like Lampard and Gerrard did for their clubs. This needs a good hold-up CF though.
If you play with two proper wingers who are best with chalk on their boots, and we do, then 4411 is the variation that suits best. Your wingers are midfielders rather than forwards as they are in a 433, and have much more time and space to do what they do best.
With regards to the front two, it means if Defoe plays then Adebayor or Dempsey must play. Siggy is a more orthodox midfielder, so if he plays it then it has to be Adebayor as the JD and Dempsey can't play that role well enough.
Games like Saturday we look like we are playing 4411 if you just look at the team sheet. If you watched the game though you'd see we were playing a 433, with the Bale and Lennon pushed on (and inside), the FBs becoming the width, and Dempsey being more a midfielder. This suits nobody.
posted on 6/11/12
Junction - you nutshelled my essay
posted on 6/11/12
Junction / HRH,
If I understand your comments correctly, you are saying that we have a team that suits 442 or the like and trying to get the same players to play 433 or 4231 will not work. I agree to an extent, however, to win the league I think we need to be flexible and tactical and switch between formations. This is probably done best by Man U. If we keep the players we have now and add AVB's players we will then have the ability to switch better than we have done before, but we also need AVB to consider 442 when needs must. To me this means that AVB is definitely the right manager for the job at present but needs to develop to remain the right one in future. This also means to me that we need his players sooner rather than later before irreversible damage is done. Is this a fair assessment or do we just need our best players back?
posted on 6/11/12
like i say...players SHLD be good enough to adapt to different systems...
but the plain facts are most are not....
and its early...but i'm sensing the same stubborness from avb that chels accused him of.
not going 2 up top when your 1 down with half hr to go is fackin' madness.
posted on 6/11/12
4 4 2
posted on 6/11/12
Sage
For me, to play that 433 (or 4231 like Chelsea, very subtle difference for me) you need the 'wide' players coming inside and getting involved, players who are happy to get the ball in tight situations, not necessarily facing the other goal, and play intricate football.
Dempsey, Lennon and Bale aren't this type of player.
Siggy would be more suited in the central role than Dempsey, but not with Defoe up top. Dembele could do it. Falque couod probably play centrally or in one of the 'wide' positions in a 433. Dos Santos was perfectly suited to it, and Rafa too. We don't have the players for it now though really, unless we want to drop Lennon and push Bale to LB
posted on 6/11/12
Good article. In the past it can be seen that Spurs normally do well during the winter period. I put this down to us having pacey wingers who seem to always be at the peak at there form at the December period (Bale was phenomenal last December), last December the only team to beat us was a Stoke side with two pacey wingers in Pennant&Etherington, maybe there style suits the cold best. Warmer weather is more of a playmakers game it seems.
posted on 6/11/12
Just a quick note to thank those that replied to this post. General consensus appears that we must unleash our pace for the optimal benefits of our team or at least with the cold weather it will keep players and spectators warm and respectful to each other.