Back 3 Feasibility

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NYCBlue57

Player Valuation: £225k
Let's assume we had a one off game we had to win (Europa League final?) where we didn't have another game for 6-7 days. Let's imagine everyone was fit. If we were facing two strikers, like Manchester United is playing now, what do you guys and gals think about playing a wingerless formation that features three at the back? I imagine with all our best players it would look like this:

Howard
Stones -- Jags --Distain
Coleman -- McCarthy -- Barry -- Baines
Barkley
Lukaku -- Mirallas

Would it be better than playing 4-3-3?

Howard
Coleman -- Jags -- Distain -- Baines
McCarthy --Barkley -- Barry
Lukaku --Naismith -- Mirallas

What's our end game? Building around Stones, Barkley and Lukaku. What's the best formation for the future?
 

Just see United and how well that works. To easy to get behind and attack and unless your centre halves are completely on the same wavelength then they will be caught out every time the other team spring the defence.
 
Wouldn't be averse to us trying it, as sometimes it could be tactially necessary, but generally it's a waste of a player for us with our current outfit.
For the lesser teams who've tried it like Wigan or Utd :p, it's a decent idea as it allows them the security whilst attacking. But they are likely to lose the ball in dangerous places, requiring that extra security.

We are a team of (supposedly) higher ability and we don't give the ball away too often, so it's essentially a waste of a man, especially when we have JM playing like he is recently.
 
Martinez was a big advocate of 343 at Wigan

Worth remembering that our shape whilst in possession is essentially a 343 most of the time anyway - McCarthy or (more usually) Barry drops in between the centre backs and the full backs push forward into midfield.
 
We play it a lot of the time in possession (Barry dropping) so it's good when you suddenly lose the ball as it leaves the other team with less options up front for a counter most of the time.

But as a base I don't think it's good simply because you have to rely on the wing backs being disciplined in tracking and the CBs being one. Which as United have shown is not easy.
 

I don't think we've got the players for this. You need to have three top class centre halves for it to work and we don't.

Four at the back with us turns into three sometimes with Baines and Coleman bombing on and Barry sitting but I wouldn't like to see us start with it personally..
 
We used it at home against city last season and it was working well until Aguero had to go off and City chose to bring on a midfielder instead of a striker as we were quite dominant there despite not having Barry playing.

In certain circumstances think it is a good formation especially if we use some of our CBs who are more comfortable on the ball, be interesting to see with Stones and Galloway as the outer two with Alcaraz/Jags or even Barry at the centre.
 
I think this formation works only if you've got suitable full backs for the job. We have in my opinion and I'd love to see us play with 2 strikers as well
 
3-5-2 is a good Plan B for our system when our wingers are injured (i.e., now), but 4-2-3-1 is RM's bread and butter. 4-2-3-1 requires investment in players with attacking flair to operate behind the striker. Those players are often less effective played out of position and in a 3-5-2, there are fewer places to play them if your fullbacks are occupying real estate further up the pitch.

3-5-2 also requires more depth at center half. If Browning and Galloway progress like we hope they will, we'd have 3 quality CBs that would fit a 3-5-2 well, but we'd still need some depth.

We don't have the finances to pay both types of players right now so even presuming everybody is healthy, the 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 should only be a Plan B.
 

We already play with the centre backs going out wide with a midfielder dropping in deep to collect the ball. Kind of a back 3 already don't you think but not with the conventional 3 CB's. Playing the way we play at the moment scares me anyway at times, one mistake and we're in real trouble on the ball.

Good job we've got the 'fastest' player in the Prem to rectify any mistakes.....
 
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