Back to Basics

[Sammy Chung was King]

That's how you do it,4-4 f..king 2 as Mike Bassett used to say,everybody knew their job,nice and solid,and something to build on for the next fixtures.
Though i would very rarely say a draw is a good result at home,MK are one of the few teams i'm relatively happy to draw with from this league,i see them as a better side than the leaders Bristol city.
In this league it's not necessary to be a tactical genius,put your best players in their positions,work very hard and with luck running your way you will win far more than you lose.

The problem this season isn't just the defence,it's also how hard the players in front have been working,today they showed they can defend as a team,against the most talented side in this Division for me.
Personally my thoughts were turning to 3-5-2 with the players we have,but 4-4-2 gives you the chance to create partnerships,and is ideal if you have been struggling.

Full back each side,two centre backs,one holding midfield,one attacking,winger each side,two strikers,really simple,the spine of the side looks much stronger,the ball players can concentrate on their jobs more if they can trust the defensive players.
The side has got a nice balance to it,keep playing it and gets some cohesion going,a good start against a good side,well done lads and Paul Dickov.

[dickos1]

442 is no good when your playing against a side that has 5 in midfield.
Anyone who has ever played centre mid will tell you if the opposition have an extra body in the middle of the park it's almost impossible to get a grip on the game

[DonnyNoel]

Two of the best performances I've seen this season (Chesterfield and Scunny) were 4231. Whilst a 442 can be very solid we've been toothless with it most times we've used it so far. I wouldn't mind seeing it with De Val and Wellens though.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

It's not so much the formation, it's doing all the principle basics of football well. Keeping it simple and that worked well yesterday. That needs to be the mantra from now on. Games may not be as entertaining but if you hold the opposition to nil, you give yourself a chance. Remember Burnley last season? Very unspectacular but very effective.

[TheFunk]

Both Burnley and Leicester got promoted last season playing 442. For me too many people try to over complicate what is basically a very simple game to play. On Tuesday our midfield 5 struggled to compete with their 3.

[IDM]

With the attacking midfielders we have, we should be able to swap between 442 and 4231 in the game, either with the players on the pitch or with subs.  If Main is the CF, then Tyson (or Robinson when on form) can be the 2nd striker in 442 but could also drop out wide in 4231.

[Sammy Chung was King]

442 is no good when your playing against a side that has 5 in midfield.
Anyone who has ever played centre mid will tell you if the opposition have an extra body in the middle of the park it's almost impossible to get a grip on the game

I Have played in many a team who were overrun in midfield,it's a nightmare,that's why personally i think the 3-5-2 will cover most of those eventualities,the problem with any formation and rigidly sticking to it is do you change your formation to match the opposition,or do you stick to what you are doing.
Any formation is only a success if the players can adapt to situations presented,i do think you need to have a starting point and 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 are good points to start.
People know their jobs,when you play 4-3-3 you have midfielder's who don't know whether they are supposed to go or stay,when you are struggling as a team,simplicity helps you get results.

3-5-2 is ideal because all you do if a side is playing 4-3-3,you tell the holding midfielder to drop in even more close the space,that then takes you to 4-4-2,you can easily interchange between these formations without difficulty.
Putting people where they feel comfortable leads to greater consistency,formations are a small part of the game,players decide whether a formation works or not.
It's a simple game,if players know their job it makes things easier,beat your direct opponent and have the intelligence to drop in to fill a gap when one's left,in other words work as a team,Saturday was a team performance,when the confidence returns we will win games.