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OneNightInGayParis
Guest
Must take issue with a couple of the points here.
Correct, McLaren didn't have a good game. However, the problem was using 3 defensive minded midfielders in a 4-3-3, rather than McLaren's performance per se. Neither Mendy nor Welsh were much more effective.
In the absence of Labadie, Les should have played a more attack-minded midfielder - this would have been Fraughan, rather than Blanchard.
There are plenty of arguments against (and for) the 4-3-3 formation, but I disagree with the ones you have selected:
Don't get me wrong, Les is doing some things wrong and needs to work on them:
Having listened to the game online, McLaren's name was mentioned about 3 times which sums up his contribution really. There's also a clear colleration between McLaren playing and Rovers not winning - it's like starting the game with 10 men.
Correct, McLaren didn't have a good game. However, the problem was using 3 defensive minded midfielders in a 4-3-3, rather than McLaren's performance per se. Neither Mendy nor Welsh were much more effective.
Parry's decision to play McLaren ahead of Blanchard is bizzare, stupid and ridicoulous. Blanchard has been one of our best players this season and must be part of the team every game if we have any chance of staying up.
In the absence of Labadie, Les should have played a more attack-minded midfielder - this would have been Fraughan, rather than Blanchard.
There are plenty of arguments against (and for) the 4-3-3 formation, but I disagree with the ones you have selected:
- It provides no width.
- Enoch is isolated upfront (or whoever else draws the short straw and plays upfront)
- We can't keep possesion as the system is so rigid and relies on hoofs down the line or through the middle.
- Both Akins and Jennings spent a lot of time glued to the touchline on Saturday. Every ball out by Gulacsi was, once again, aimed for Akins' head on the right wing. If anything there was too much width, which was why Enoch was isolated. I would suggest that if, say, ITM had played instead of either Jennings or Akins he would have been closer to Enoch.
- Enoch's isolation was partly due to the above and partly due to the fact that there were no attacking midfielders coming through. This wasn't the case against Brighton where, certainly in the second half, Labadie played this role to great effect. This is down to team selection not to 4-3-3.
- The Brighton game again dispelled this; led by Wootton's example Rovers played the ball out from the back and reduced the number of horrible long balls. We looked massively more effective and it was unfortunate that Wootton did not have a good game on Saturday. My point again is that this is not 4-3-3 but either deliberate (God forbid!) or due to lack of ability in the team.
Don't get me wrong, Les is doing some things wrong and needs to work on them:
- Pre-match needs sorting out. The players don't look focused or together in the warm up and appear to be ambling in 10 minutes before kick off without a care in the world. We are starting matches in the same fashion, and are conceding early - Brentford, Colchester, Charlton, Yeovil and Bournemouth have all been ahead in the first 10 minutes. Apart from being on the back foot, this makes it more difficult for the crowd to get into the game and get behind the team.
- 4-3-3 will not work with 3 defensive midfielders.
- Our defenders need to be more confident on the ball and try to keep it on the ground. We are so much more effective as an attacking threat when the ball is played out on the deck.