The cry for 4-4-2


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If you attack in numbers, no matter what the system is you are vulnerable to a counter attack.
The problem is that not many exploit it when playing the bigger teams, they play with fear.

I didn't mean counter attacked.
I meant countered, as in reacting in opposition to.
For example if a team put 4 up front you'd counter that by going 5 at the back.
 
Man United was 20 years ago, arsenal 15 years ago.
These days it's easily countered. In your 442 if one goes up and one stays, if you lose the ball in the middle due to the opposition having 3 CMs, your are always outnumbered in the middle. Always gonna have a 2 vs 1 situation.
It's less fluid than 4231, which can become a 433 in attack, a 451 in defence.
Not as versatile imo and that is why coaches don't favour it so much.

Basically a very good description.

If you play direct football and like to play two off each other (As we used to with Phillips and Quinn) it works well. But if you try and play possession or at least a form of it, you lose a man from the key area of the pitch which means it's going to be extremely hard to dominate the middle. No ball= no control.
 
Leicester title winning side and Athletico Madrid are spot on comparisons for us like.

Who do we have playing the Kante or Griezman roles?
I watched Burnley play 4-4-2 quite well against Brighton the other day and they don't have some stellar CM, it can be done but it takes a lot of hard work and discipline.
 
The formation has a lot do with success and whilst we are really hard to beat, we barely create any chances. Away from home its a good formation, but at home we need to change the tactic to something much more attacking and do away with DM's at home. We need an option where we are not relying on fullbacks and wingers.....teams know how to contain us now and its only a bit of mercurial skill from McGeady that gets us a goal. 4321 only has 3 attacking players. 442 perhaps? I'd prefer to go 343 or 352 where we can utilise all our fast MF's and dominate possession in the opponents half, rather than our own with 4321. Those formations have 4 or 5 attacking players, which at home, with our ability, should yield goals!
 
Because it's no longer the 1930s, and if you have a spare player at the back, it stops your defence getting overloaded.
You can still leave 4 in midfield so you have a 2 man advantage there.



Imagine how bad it would've been with two

Not really as when you're in a two you know your role, how many times did we see a left sided central midfielder lost with PVA for example.
 
Don’t think we’re too disciplined with our formations..after the first punt, we’re usually scattered all over the pitch anyway.

Definitely- we’d struggle playing 442 with players like McGeady in the side. I can’t imagine him tracking back and our fullback on his side would be exposed. Our central midfield players aren’t dynamic enough either.
 
Read the excellent inverting the pyramid. Tactics constantly evolve, it is easy to combat 442 and find weaknesses. Theres a reason it has gone out of fashion
 
Leicester won the league with it, Atletico Madrid have reached the final of the champions league.

I think it can work if your two central midfielders sit deep and hit people on the counter. Morgan and Gooch wide attackers. Maybes just a shame we have Wyke and no other forwards.

4-4-2 requires very mobile forwards and very energetic, fast and mobile midfielders. The following players are ill-suited to it:

Leadbitter;
Wyke;
Cattermole;
McGeouch;
McGeady;
Maguire;

Haven't seen enough of Grigg, but maybe him too.

It's not impossible we can make a go of it - but we haven't had good results with it this year and our squad isn't the greatest fit.

I think we just need to press higher up the pitch in a 4-3-3, with only one defensive midfielder. Or maybe switch to a 3-5-2 if we want two up top.
 
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