Any Tactical Experiments You'd Like to See This Pre-Season?

prenzlauerbear

prenzlauerbear

Well-Known Member
Gerrard's 4-3-3 has the SPFL sussed — that's how the team will line up come the first competitive game and rightly so. But pre-season is time for match fitness and experimenting if nothing else.

Watching England at the Euros, a big part of their exceptional defensive record was down to Kyle Walker and his recovery pace. Playing at the right side of a three, it allowed Maguire to step into duels higher up the pitch, safe in the knowledge that Walker would bail him out should he be beaten. It was straight-forward but ridiculously effective.

I look at Tav and, while he's not a monster like Walker, he's certainly not slow. To play that role you need to be mobile and athletic. That's the captain. Given the emergence of Patterson, I wonder if Southgate's system has given the staff food for thought, particularly with a view to European games against top teams where you might require some extra legs at the back.

There are obviously downsides to any shift. It would stymie us in an attacking sense (as good as Patterson is, he doesn't offer the same threat yet) and Tav is often an aerial out ball for McGregor.

Intrigued to hear any other tweaks folk would like to see. Kent as a false 9? Balogun sitting? This is a safe space where no suggestion is too ridiculous.
 
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Said for a while that I thought Gerrard hinting at a change against then at end of season when he played Kent central behind the two of Morelos and Roofe.
 
There’s been a hint that we could start trying out a 4-3-1-2. That would depend on available personnel surely, like whether Roofe is available.

There has been a hint that they might find a way to play Tavernier and Patterson together too.
 
I think he might try for 2 up front, or 2 in behind like Hagi and Kent where one will drop and one will go up with Morelos/Roofe, he will stick with 3 in the middle because he’s just got to. I think we get better joy when we don’t play with wingers (if they are still called that) but with 2 “floating” attackers ahead of the middle 3.

He’s got a hell of a lot of options, a huge squad to choose from as well as ideas that will work and some won’t but the biggest weapon in his armoury now is that experience of winning the title, that knowledge will drive him and the staff on to do what they can to keep that feeling going.

Either that or he won’t change…
 
brain said:
There’s been a hint that we could start trying out a 4-3-1-2. That would depend on available personnel surely, like whether Roofe is available.

There has been a hint that they might find a way to play Tavernier and Patterson together too.
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We were excellent when we played the 4312 against the manky mob.

Complete control of the midfield and they couldn’t handle Kent in the no10 role.

I think the only way Patterson and Tav play together is we we go 343 and Tav plays a RCB role.
 
4-3-3 (and all the minor variations) has served us really well, but if we get to the Champions League proper we are likely to come up against much higher quality teams, so it might be useful to experiment with 3 centre-halfs.
Stevie G tried that for half a game against Motherwell in first season but don't remember ever trying since.
Doubt we need to try that domestically though so giving it a try in pre-season would be good.
 
I used to despise this idea and when people would bring it up but I do think we should use pre season to test Tav in the 8 role to try and allow Patterson more time at RB, just to see if it works or not
 
More shots from the edge of the box!

If Tav plays "8" where do Lundstram/Arfield/Jack play, assuming Steve Davis is slightly deeper? This also kinda assumes that Kamara is offski.
 
Never really focus on tactics leave that to the experts like emma hayes on telly, but i thought we did change our style a little last season with 2 centres in the middle....theres games where the one forward gets isolated and you have to change it. Kent is also at his best in the middle.

4-4-2 has always been a great formation in our league and British football.

I would be shocked if we dont find a way to get Tav and Patterson into the side to at least see how it goes, the lads too good to be sitting out games in scottish football waiting for a chance in the cup against alloa hes really a 10m quid star already.
 
We’ve spent 3 years perfecting a well drilled style and formation

tweaks would be of course more shots in and around the box little things like that
 
There's nothing particularly different that I'd like to see as such. We've seen evidence of tweaks to the approach over the 3 seasons and I think we'll see more of that as the options we have continue to evolve.
 
Punt it!!!


More seriously, I liked the glimpses we saw of 4312. Would love to see a way of translating the almost relentless possession and pressure we have in the majority of games into even more goals. Maybe that might be the way to do it.

I also wonder if we might tinker again with something like a 352 or 343 for some European games. Three at the back and four or five in midfield is becoming the norm for many teams. I worry a little that if we come up against better teams with five in midfield that it will put a lot of pressure on our three in there. Yes, I realise that the wide forwards and full backs can step in to cover, but it’s not the same as setting up like that.
 
4-2-1-3

We have two players made for that attacking midfielder role in front of 2 holding.

And I think we would see them at their best instead trying to fit them into different positions
 
I think the only way to keep everything in balance is to stick to playing the best players in their best positions. So no shoehorning Patterson in, he plays when Tav has done the damage, then bring the boy on, not changing a “well drilled team” into a sideshow.
The 4-3-1-2 with Kent playing a free role behind Roofe and Morelos screams danger to any opponent because Ryan can drive and weave his way to the box, and either shoot or lay on an assist. Then you have Hagi to step in to that role, along with a guy I think will make a big noise this season, and that is Scotty Wright.
Hagi can also play deeper, with his range of passing, as he did taking Davis place towards the end of the glorious campaign, and the newest additions have still to make a mark.
The defence should not be touched, they are a Blue brick wall, so other than bringing Niko back to fitness, I see it as a duel between Fil, Leon and Jack for the starting spot next to Connor.
 
We won the league last year because we weren’t as ridged with the formation as the previous two years

They now somehow need to improve the quality of the squad players to take us to the next level
 
Hagi in center midfield would be an interesting pre-season one. He played a blinder in the last game of the season there, spraying the ball out wide left and right with accuracy. Reminded me of Trevor Steven.

Got absolutely no idea if it would work or not, but it does make for an interesting experiment even from the point of view (as i'd expect) as a backup in that role.
 
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