Would five at the back help defensively?

[Blue peter]

Yes it would as long as they can be any team’s five and not ours

 

[OneTrueLegend]

we have tried it before and it was rubbish. I think we would need at least 2 new CB's and 2 new wing backs to make it work. I think Branthwaite could play in a 3, and Tarky, but Keane certainly cant.

We have set the team up not to play 4411 or 4231 with wide players. I think unless we have all 4 wingers injured, thats how we will play

 

[pfim]

We have a bunch of poor defenders. Putting more of them on the pitch at the same time is a bad idea.

 

[Calvin]

I think a 3/2/4/1 is the best formation for the squad that Everton has at this moment in time.

 

[Mrbluenose]

Pick your 11 best players.

Pick a formation that works best for those 11 players.

That approach doesn't result in 5 at the back.

 

[Kirkles]

Would help if the midfield didn't run round like headless chickens and we had someone actually sitting infront of the back 4 all of the time.

 

[JLW]

Instead of putting more defenders on and making sure the players are “Dyche fit” how about learning the lads how to pass a ball to each other instead of chasing the ball!! You use far less energy and have to defend far less.

Pass and move
Pass and move

Simples

 

[Brendan Janus]

1-10-0-0 might help !!

 

[zebedee]

Can't see the formula. The gap between DM and CB is too large you can drop a bomb in the middle and still have room. Don't even get me started about the wide positions don't have an answer ATM I'll load my championship manager 96 squad up.

 

[Calvin]

Pick your 11 best players.

Pick a formation that works best for those 11 players.

That approach doesn't result in 5 at the back.

Pickford
Coleman/Pats. Tark/Branthwaite. Tark/Branthwaite

Garner. Gana

Harrison. Doucoure. Onana. McNeil

Beto

There’s a few possible combination for the 3 at the back. Branthwaite and Tarkowski fill 2 of the 3 places. The other could be filled by Coleman when fit, Patterson on the right of the 3.
The rest of the formation in my opinion gets the best players in their best positions.
And I think it also plays the strongest, most balanced midfield both defensively and offensively.

 

[Rooney_Tunes]

Problem is we don't have a holding midfielder at the club
Gana, Dacoure & Onana are not holding midfielders.

We havnt had anyone play that role properly since Barry

Garner?

 

[siddharth]

Garner?

Good call for garner in that holding role, but gana has also done a decent enough job in there. The problem I feel is that none of the other midfielders are able to move into positions where you can receive the ball from the holding midfielder. And if the holding midfielder has to carry the ball themselves, they become more of a box-to-box type especially if we play a little higher line which is what we have now essentially.

 

[Calvin]

Good call for garner in that holding role, but gana has also done a decent enough job in there. The problem I feel is that none of the other midfielders are able to move into positions where you can receive the ball from the holding midfielder. And if the holding midfielder has to carry the ball themselves, they become more of a box-to-box type especially if we play a little higher line which is what we have now essentially.

I think Onana is the midfielder to take the ball from the defensive midfielders and progress play. In a box midfield 4 I think it could work.

Garner. Gana

Doucoure Onana

 

[siddharth]

I think Onana is the midfielder to take the ball from the defensive midfielders and progress play. In a box midfield 4 I think it could work.

Garner. Gana

Doucoure Onana

Fair enough, Onana can carry the ball well and is very comfortable with the ball at his feet and does so in the current midfield the same way Doucoure arguably does when we break forward recently. However, we are heavily reliant on individual play and 'luck' for creating any chances now and that needs to change. A major hurdle for that is even if Doucoure moves into positions where he receives the ball, it feels as if our team acts as if it is not sure if we are in possession or not and that is crazy.

In this particular scenario you have suggested, I am more in favour of Garner and Onana carrying the ball together and Gana dropping in deep with Doucoure just being Doucoure.

For me, I would rather have one of the current wide players in place of Doucoure but Doucoure seems to offer something only Doucoure offers to Dyche's gameplay that we have not figured out what it is lest we forget those 3 matches during the red card last season.

 

[Tipp blue]

How about a 7-1-2-0 formation...