Would five at the back help defensively?

[Mitch Ward's Minder]

No, we've done it before and it always fails. Better being top heavy and pressing from the front as opposed to sitting back and defending badly

 

[Cameron Manning]

he could start by binning of his “everyone in the box” mentality

It comes to something when Lampard set us up defensively miles better

Did he? Surprised if he did.

 

[Terrarian]

A bit off topic but about defence; I have been a bit surprised not more managers/coaches don't use the Davide Ancelotti method of defending free kicks, I thought it was a pretty solid method. It gives the defender more opportunity to attack the ball rather than backing off and not getting decent distance on the header.

5 at the back is a no no with our personnel for me. I'd rather not have Keane or Godfrey anywhere near the starting XI.

 

[Evertonthat]

…I always think playing 3 CBs is an admission that 2 aren’t good enough. It’s a waste of a player.

I actually think the back four lack cover. Much better in the 2nd half today when Gueye sat noticeably deeper.

I'd agree with this. Also, play to our players strengths. I'd actually play Onana deep and let Gana and Doucoure chase and close down. Get the midfield set up better to protect the back 4 and it will help massively.

 

[MikeH72]

No, adding Michael Keane or Ben Godfrey to the team will not help defensively.

 

[The T-Dex]

…I always think playing 3 CBs is an admission that 2 aren’t good enough. It’s a waste of a player.

I actually think the back four lack cover. Much better in the 2nd half today when Gueye sat noticeably deeper.

This weird thing of having Onana sit and Gueye attack blows my mind.

 

[Verbal Kint]

442

Dumb things down

 

[siddharth]

3 at the back or not, we definitely need to improve our positional play or it will not matter. Five at the back may help, but we may be without one of our wide players cause a 2 person midfield is no good. Might then only work if both DCL and Beto both start.

 

[Toffeepot]

would help the FBs but only if the 3rd CB was Coleman
The other two couldn't help an old lady cross the road

 

[TimHowardsBeardJuice]

Always hate 3 unless the side is drilled in it from day one of camp and the players are acquired with that system in mind.

Most defenders have spent more time in a back 4 and no matter the choice of tactics or shape in front of them, they have a basic idea of where they’re supposed to be. The idea of “hey, let’s switch the formation” obviously comes up only in desperate times, whether in the last ten minutes of a game you’re clinging to or after dropping three or four in a row etc. - so the defenders are under even more pressure than usual and it’s not a good time to have them doing something unfamiliar.

 

[NathDogg]

Don’t want Keane/Godfrey in the side so no.

Any back 4 formation with a proper holding midfielder and we’d be good I think.

I think doucure has to be dropped personally; gana as dm just sitting there, covering the fbs and defence; onana and jimmy G cm box to box; any of the available wingers and Beto/DCL at cf.

Or a 442 with dcl and Beto causing murder up top might be decent.

 

[ChesterBlue]

We wouldn’t have conceded at all on Saturday if we were better tactically. What killed us was the massive space between the midfield pressing high, and defensive sitting deep which was a recipe for disaster. It was slightly sorted in the second half when having Gueye sit deeper, but at that point the damage had already been done.

 

[Canuck Darryl]

Depends which five…doesn’t it?

 

[Davideeyore]

5 goalkeepers yeah

 

[formerly manx toffee]

Fullbacks would help and a defensive midfielder