Back 3 or 4

[1914tyrone]

A back 4 is the most common formation in the prem and I feel a back 3 rarely works. In Hatman we have an ideal wing back, but not on the right.
I think it also reduces a forward thinking creative player. Which is where we really needed improvement.
They looked comfortable playing 3 yesterday, but I'd prefer a 4.
What are your thoughts ??

[Rowls]

It's going to be more like a back 5.

[ollieclarets8]

Never rated 3 at the back. It takes a hell of a lot of organising and you can throw any offside trap or sense out of the window.

Back 4 for me.

[Boss Hogg]

Generally prefer a 4 but at least Parker is willing to adapt and may change it around depending on the opposition. Something a previous manager wouldn’t have done.

[Colburn_Claret]

Horses for courses so we need to be able to switch, even mid game if necessary.
As we will probably be in a relegation fight i should imagine it will be predominantly 5.

[ecc]

Generally prefer a 4 but at least Parker is willing to adapt and may change it around depending on the opposition. Something a previous manager wouldn’t have done.

I agree with you, Boss Hogg. SP got horrendous stick, understandbly at the time as it took the players time to adapt to his system, for not changing his formation. He's showing he IS open-minded and pragmatic and that is, IMHO, a sign of a good coach.

The most difficult thing for some players is switching systems during matches. We'll see whether he asks them to and then whether they can do it.

[Ampth7]

Whichever way Parker goes, I think the main thing will be to not fall into this trap of playing out from the back at all costs leaving clubs like Southampton on 12 points!

Judging by last season, I think we generally had this balance right and I’m sure this will continue into this season.

[Procrastinate B]

It’s vital we stay solid, acclimatise, and go from there. So the opposite of our last stint in the Prem, which was the silliest thing I saw.

Back 5 makes absolute sense for us - and we now have a veteran goalie behind them (as well as Walker’s vast experience).

I’d rather build on a defensive approach rather than ‘learn by getting walloped’.

[Goliath]

It's a bit of a crossover, it depends on the situation. Similar to the Luton game on the first game of last season. In that game Vitinho was basically a wing back with Pires getting forward on the other side and Roberts tucking in. Although on paper it was just a standard 4231.

It's flexible because Walker can play either full back or right of the 3 and Hartman can play wing back or full back on the other side.

In that Luton game it allowed Odobert more freedom to stay forward. Parker might have a similar role in mind for Edwards who is equally crap defensively.

[BleedingClaret]

All depends on the player selections
A back 3 with 2 wing backs as played by some stronger teams is almost a flat back 3 in possession and the outer 2 players in the 3 tend to hybrid full back come wide Centre halves
It’s really for a team so strong that they don’t need to put 4 at the back but when under pressure the 2 wing backs, most likely to be secondary wingers come back to form a 5
When a weaker team attempts this plays 3 Centre Halves and a R/B & L/B that they call wing backs but mostly defend, only occasionally overlapping the winger, then it’s a really defensive system that usually gets you pinned back and the spaces between the outer C/H’s both to the central player of the 5 and to the full backs also becomes ambiguous as to whom is covering who and usually superior forward players just ghost through and everybody looks at one another and finger points.
It requires great technical players and pacy off the mark ones too.
With everyone fit we could just have the players to play it, but I’d fear for us if you start playing the Worrall’s & Ekdal’s

Walker Tuanzabe Esteve Humphrey’s Hartman
1 is injured 1 is injury prone 1 is getting on a tad

If it’s
Roberts Walker Ekdal Esteve Hartman for example it is unbalanced

With injuries
Roberts Ekdal Worrall Esteve Pires for example
then It’s a car crash

So it’s a 4 for me
Walker Tuanzebe Esteve Hartman
Extra midfielder 451
Or extra striker 442
Or 4321 even

[BleedingClaret]

I think a 5 is complicated to perfect especially against superior Premier League teams with technical players that come straight at you
I think some of the same issues apply to a 4 in the Prem and whereas in lower levels of football your full back has to stop his man getting to the byline, and crossing, I think Dyche for example tucked his full backs in and let teams go on the outside because they are much less likely to have a standard winger gets to the byline and crosses for the big man to head home type of players
So he cut the gaps between the lines and then relied on the Tarks and Mees to handle the crosses and aerial threats.
Plus showing players inside used to put them on their weak foot and frustrate them
Now they just curl it into the top corner or jink a little ball through you to a runner.
So still a compact Dyche 4 for me with your wingers having to track back
So they have to be the Anthony’s of this world

So teams are combatting the Man City type of loads of technically good small nippy players coming at you from all angles and in waves
Although I now think that is why Man City for example reverting back to the big man again

So the problems evolve too

It’s the hardest task in football for a club the size of ours to survive in the Prem but we’ve done it several times

Good luck SP