| 3 centre backs, trends in formation. 09:21 - Jan 18 with 1134 views | FDC |
Watching MOTD I noticed that a lot of premiership teams played with 3 centre backs this weekend, and it was picked up on the Guardian Football Weekly podcast this week too.
Got me thinking, what drives these changes in convention? I guess longterm trends in physicality and fitness have something to do with changes over time, but unless I've missed something the trend for 352 or 343 is fairy recent, and footballers haven't suddenly changed shape this season!
Is it a case of one team somewhere adopting a new formation, which has a knock-on effect of other teams setting up in a way to defend against it? |  | | |  |
| 3 centre backs, trends in formation. on 09:49 - Jan 18 with 1102 views | ozexile |
I would say after watching Spurs last season and this that a lot of teams are trying to copy their style. At the weekend Rose was basically playing the whole match in midfield. |  | | |
| 3 centre backs, trends in formation. on 12:10 - Jan 18 with 1033 views | runningman75 |
3 -5 -2 seems to be trendy at present but you need decent wing backs, Spurs have Walker and Rose. Leicester tried it against Chelski but Marc Albrighton is not a natural wing back. | | | |
| 3 centre backs, trends in formation. on 12:23 - Jan 18 with 996 views | smegma |
First team I recall playing 3 centre backs was Aston Villa circa 88-89. The manager was one Graham Taylor.
But he was a dinosaur according to some 'experts' . | | | |
| 3 centre backs, trends in formation. on 15:44 - Jan 18 with 922 views | robith |
A consequence of 2 things
- Any success breeds imitation. This has been brewing since the 2014 World Cup when some limited teams had big success with a 3 at the back approach. This is amplified by Chelsea and Spurs at the moment
- The kinds of players academies have been producing coming through. It's expected more and more that full backs should be capable of playing wing back like an auxiliary winger. Centre backs are given more technical coaching from a younger age so you're more likely to get a CB who can step out and pick a pass |  | | |
| 3 centre backs, trends in formation. on 17:28 - Jan 18 with 854 views | A40Bosh |
Where is Neil_SI when you need him?
I have been taking an interest in this because of the "complexity" of this concept of the 3 -5 -2 or 3 -4 -3 formation, and is my understanding correct, that we are using it more effectively in the last couple of games where we have used it as it is allowing Hall to step out of the back "3" to act as a holding/progressing midfielder, leaving Ned and Lynch covering the traditional centre back area and then the two wing backs either pushing forward or falling back depending whether we retain possession or not. Watching the Reading highlights it looked like a case that any time they tried to bring the ball forward into our third, it looked like we were parking the bus because you had 5 across the back and then Manning and Mas in front of them with Pawel and Mackie pressing the players if they were trying to come down the flanks?
If that is the case then it seems to be working to some extent |  |
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| 3 centre backs, trends in formation. on 18:05 - Jan 18 with 813 views | bob566 |
full backs, wing backs are the most important position in football now. How many chances do walker, rose, seamus coleman produce?
The days of the ray Wilkins pinging passes have come and passed us by. Two fit runners in the middle who can pass it to full backs who overlap.
If the two in the middle are athletic but able to chip in with a few too then that helps e.g. pogba or ya ya. | | | |
| 3 centre backs, trends in formation. on 18:22 - Jan 18 with 779 views | Lblock |
Ollie has ALWAYS said how important full backs and the channels are in the modern game - said that in his first stint and again a few years back.
See how high up Bidwell was "defending" last Thursday and just how progressive we were on the right hand side due to Furlong, Wsolek and Mackie pressing high up and working that channel brilliantly
To reintroduce Perch here would be a backward step - he's always been a poor CB or DCM for me anyway
The other attribute that is an absolute must these days is pace, pace, pace |  |
| Cherish and enjoy life.... this ain't no dress rehearsal |
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| 3 centre backs, trends in formation. on 19:02 - Jan 18 with 738 views | francisbowles |
| 3 centre backs, trends in formation. on 12:23 - Jan 18 by smegma |
First team I recall playing 3 centre backs was Aston Villa circa 88-89. The manager was one Graham Taylor.
But he was a dinosaur according to some 'experts' . |
Weren't we doing it that season under Jim Smith with Parker, McDonald and Maddix? | | | |
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