What to do when an extremely stubborn team (aka a team from Serie A) comes to play against Arsenal, and we find it extremely difficult to break them down, and the there is absolutely no time left, and still our strikers seem to be misfiring?
I think the answer is a 4-3-3 formation with an absolutely different set of players…
I saw Van Persie and Thierry Henry play for their respective countries this weekend and then an idea struck my mind. This idea stems from nipuna’s post earlier this week and also from the fact that a team needs to play to their strengths and not on their weaknesses in the extremely tough matches, were we on the back foot.
Wenger already has tried the 4-4-2 and 4-5-1 both with great success. but what about a 4-3-3? I know this topic was taken up by some person last season, but this time, we have got a team that perfectly suits this formation.
We all keep on saying that van persie needs to play in the current team, keeping in mind the fact that he can consistently score goals. But as everyone knows he has a tendency to disappear suddenly and then resurface again to score some amazing goals.
It is also a known fact that his style suits the 4-3-3 better than the 4-4-2 or the 4-5-1, and that is one of the primary reasons for him scoring consistently for Holland.
Also Adebayor has the required strength and the tenacity to play as a central striker. What with his ability to easily win headers and pass the ball to the wide player next to him, he can be a perfect central striker.
It is also a known fact that Henry can easily fulfill the third slot in the front line. He likes it and it becomes even easier for him to dazzle through the left flank and score one of his trademark goals.
So there we have a front three, who can perfectly compliment each other and also form a deadly combination———
Henry——————–Adebayor ———————Van Persie
Ljungberg/Rosicky ———–Gilberto/Cesc/Baptista———— Hleb/Walcott
I would like Ljungberg (YES!!I am one of those who believe he still has a lot to offer) to be on the left flank, because on bigger pitches he can go to the extreme left and can form a deadly formation with Titi, same with Hleb he should be on the right because Eboue could be the right winger and Hleb could easily cut in players and provide the through balls to any of the three upfront.
We can place Gilberto or Baptista in the centre to be the pillars of the midfield. The only problem is where to place Cesc, but then this is a 4-3-3 formation and not 4-2-2 or a 4-5-1, and as stated this is a formation that has to be used when we find it extremely difficult to break down A STUBBORN opposition.
And if this formation needs to work effectively then it is damn important that we have extreme pace in our game {especially on the flanks},hence the requirement for Ljungberg and not Rosicky. ALSO with Titi on that flank the necessity of Rosicky is sort of diminished.
4-3-3 also allows Adebayor to pull back a bit and act as a supporting striker to both Van Persie and Titi ,the fact that he is extremely hardworking also supports this theory. If Wenger ever decides to try this out in a crunch sitation,then it will definetly be a great success and I am personally very sure of this. This can also act as a very effective PLAN C.
With this I end this post and also hope that my fellow friends reflect on it
And give their respective thoughts.
18 Responses to “PLAN C? A 4-3-3 FORMATION”
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October 12th, 2006 at 7:21 am
Alex, I pretty much agree 4-3-3 seems to quite suit us. The key word: FLEXIBILITY.
In fact, when we play in Euro these days, AW doesn’t really employ a ragid 4-5-1. When we are attacking, we have the two wide players pushing up. So in a way, we have already started playing the 4-3-3 in Euro.
anyway, in a sense, i do not fear of the Italian sides that much. Our track record against the Italian have been excellent. Titi in particular, seems to enjoy playing the Italians, particular in their home soil.
The team i worry most are Bolton. Against them, we can throw the formation out of window, 442, 433, 4321.. doesn’t really matter. To beat them, we have to match them with heart and power. They are the big club slayers. Not only us, Chelsea, Liverpool the likes all had a hard time playing them, particular at Reebok.
October 12th, 2006 at 7:50 am
4-4-2, 4-4-3, it’s mostly rubbish. If you are struggling to break down a team playing 4-4-2 then Wenger will have a quick word with a midfielder, tell him to push up, and hey presto you have 4-3-3. He can do this in the first minute or the last minute. How many times have you seen Wenger go virtually 4-2-4 in the last 10 minutes to snatch a result, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t. Substitutes can change games, not formations.
Too much attention is paid to formations, either it’s defensive or attacking. Anything in between is small details. Especially if you have players of Arsenal’s calibre, if they play very well they will win and if they play like crap they will lose.
October 12th, 2006 at 9:08 am
Lets hope the players dont have the same fear as the fans as playing Bolton.
We have played them enough to know how to beat them, and believe it or not we have beaten them in the Reebok.
A solid big back four, you would want Gallas at LB, Lauren at RB with Senderos and Toure at CB.
Fabregas should be on the bench and Diaby should replace him with Baptista next to him. Freddie on a wing, and perhaps Walcott for a bit of pace.
Adebayor should be the main striker, Robin may get sent off or involved.
Henry could play but if he is not 100% then add Rosicky and you have a big, determined team that would not be intimadated by Bolton or any team in the league.
Lehmann
Lauren Toure Senderos Gallas
Walcott Baptista Diaby Rosicky Freddie
Adebayor
October 12th, 2006 at 9:23 am
“it is damn important that we have extreme pace in our game {especially on the flanks},hence the requirement for Ljungberg and not Rosicky”
That’s an oxymoron.
I agree that the key is flexibility. We have IT in this squad. We have so many options, it’s scary. It’s upto AW and the team to work them out and use it appopriately.
I also agree that the key games will be the ones against the likes of Bolton. Watford on Sat will be the first test in this respect. They are a direct and physical team. And we are returning from an international break.
October 12th, 2006 at 9:43 am
Still waiting for THE BEAST to be unleashed.
October 12th, 2006 at 9:54 am
I like the 4-3-3 but with the way we attack from the full backs ( Eboue or the LB) the flank will be busy and crowded … which will leave us with less space to do work.
Arsenal depends a lot on releasing the backs to attack hence playing a rigid 4-3-3 with 3 true strikers could not be the answer. Our mids in the line up, with HLEB/Theo or Freddy/Rosiscky where all play way on the width … imagine the flank.
If this formation, we will need CM more than outside mids.
in the MID I would use : Cesce, Babtista, Gilberto … Hleb can play bit central too.
I like the 4-3-3 but switching from 4-5-1 or 4-4-2 ..say by asking Theo to push up and keeping TITI and Ade or VP up there .
October 12th, 2006 at 9:55 am
I watched the England game, then i look at our squad, i am so glad that we have had probably more OPTIONS than a whole country added together.
First, let me make it clear, i’m by no mean against England. In fact, i were a massive fan of England for more than a decade until late 90s. i remember hating Maradona to gut after he scored the hand of God. And jumping all over the place when Michael Owen scored against Argentina in 1998 WC.
My passion towards England has declined since 1998 WC. Not because they weren’t winning (they never won any major tournament anyway since i arrived at this planet earth), but the fact their players seem to get more and more hyped up over the years.
It’s easy to blame the England coaches (i did too), but the fact is - what can McClaren prossibly do with this set of so-called “golden generation” (more like golden generation in terms of the money they made, good at digging gold)?
Lampard and the likes seem to be a set of different players when they are playing for their clubs. The team is so desperately relied on Owen and Rooney. Peter Crouch, regardless of he score or not, pushed the England back a few years. As his presence would suck the England menatilty into LONG BALL gung ho.
Plan B? They got no plan B. And since Sven era until now, they still can’t find a settled formation.
Worst still, the players refused to FIGHT. I saw a lot of ppl been saying Owen H.’s presence could have made a difference.
Now, let’s put things into prespective. Owen H. is a hardworking midfielder, yet he’s by no mean a top class defensive midfielder in a Vieira mold (at his prime). Owen H.’s biggest asset is his WORKRATE.
And anyone who cares to fight could have offered the same WORKRATE. Afterall, workrate has nothing to do with talent, it’s 100% made up by HEART.
When a nation being crying the loss of a WORKHORSE then u got a serious problem with the national team.
What were the other players doing on the pitch? The way i see it: perhaps because most of the England starting XI are the STAR players of their own club. They are STARS, and they are too good a player to do all the DIRTY WORKS. Or maybe.. they are just too busy on writing a book.
October 12th, 2006 at 3:53 pm
i know it's a bit off topic but i'll reply to andez…
as far as the players being hyped up, I don't really think it's their fault… only Becks cuz he seemed to go out of his way and draw attention. HOWEVER, BECKS PLAYED HIS HEART OUT EVERY GAME!!!
I supprt Holland since birth, but I've always had a soft spot for England and want them to win ALWAYS. I think benching Beckham was the silliest thing Stevie Mac could've done and now he's paying the price… 3-5-2 ??? with neville?? don't get me wrong, I don't like the guy, but he's great at ManUre as a right back.
I would field Becks on the right, Joe Cole (when healthy if not Downing), Hargreaves and Gerrard in the middle…. Lampard plays cuz he's Chelsea… that's it. He hasn't had a good game in about a year I think.
Rooney… keep him… Crouch is who i think should be replaced. I agree with you about the long ball thing…. no point. I believe Rooney and Walcott can bring England much success in the next decade.
peace
October 12th, 2006 at 10:48 pm
the objective of this post was to ask your opinion on the
frontline of titi————adebayor-=——=–van persie.my imagination went wild thinking these three upfront.so i wanted to know what you people thought about this
October 12th, 2006 at 10:56 pm
I’d go along with that, as I don’t think Henry is an out and out centre forward as such. He’s certainly not at his best with his back to goal with some big goon up his arse. In midfield I would plump for Cesc,Gilberto and Rosicky. I don’t see how you could possibly leave any of those 3 out. The rest (Ljunberg, Walcott, Baptista and possibly Hleb), are impact players to use if and when.
October 13th, 2006 at 1:21 am
I am not a big fan of England. But I think their best mid four is Joe Cole, Hargreaves, Gerrard and Beckham/Lennon. Up front, Rooney should play with Andy Johnson. AJ has tremendous work rate and that should help Rooney. The back four has never been a problem. For GK, they don’t really have any options. Robinson is the best of the lot.
October 13th, 2006 at 1:30 am
I was about to ask people what should be the team for the Sat game when I read on Arsenal.com that Eboue, Ljunberg and Baptista are out for the next two games; Eboue for 3/4 weeks. That is a blow. But we have a deeper squad this season, so we should be able to cope.
I am guessing the team will be 4-4-2 with Henry and Ade up front. In defence, it will be Gallas, Djourou, Toure and Hoyte. Let’s see if Hoyte performs better in his preferred right-back position. In midfield, I think Rosicky will be preferred to RvP on the left because of the 4-4-2 (despite RvP’s rich vein of form).
October 13th, 2006 at 2:05 am
Henry has, once again, been nominated. If he doesn’t win this year, will he ever? I see Cannavaro and Buffon as the closest contenders.
October 13th, 2006 at 4:17 am
I too am worried about our formation this saturday, these int. breaks always seem to take us a step behind, and let’s face it, our attack without Eboue is going to lack something that i don’t think Hoyte can produce, just think of his last 3 assists.
I do see our defence the way nipuna put it, i’m just worried this will turn out to be a game like our first 2 home games with Watford just sitting back and maybe taking the lead through some set piece and then for us to struggle the rest of the way, hopefully the players Wenger puts on the pitch will be focused enough to get the win, especially against a possibly a relegation team AT home, i mean these are the sort of must-win points if we wanna seriously contend.
October 13th, 2006 at 6:05 am
I would not be surprised if Djourou played RB, Toure and Senderos at CB and Gallas at LB.
I would however like to see Walcott get a half and perhaps henry rested for this one.
October 13th, 2006 at 8:16 am
I dont think we will ever have these three on as as forwards from the start, perhaps the last 15 mins of a game we need to win.
It is all well and good having a great strike force but you need to get the ball to them to score goals.
Off topic, I noticed Rosicky taking the corners for the Czech republic, they were good and hopefully he could do this for Arsenal so our strikers are in the box, to score goals.
October 13th, 2006 at 4:02 pm
Arsenal play something akin to total football. We have 7 or 8 attacking players on the field at any one time. When Clichy gets back we will have 8 or 9. Breaking down opposing defenses isn’t about where the players stand at kick off. It’s about mixing the play and your attack up. If there is any fault in the Arsenal team right now it’s that sometimes we get into our grove and we don’t mix it up - although, I must say that we are starting to see more diversity, crosses, shots from distance, etc. One thing I would like to see us do more of, especially when teams pile numbers in the box, is using some of our pace (i.e. Walcott) to take the ball to the endline - behind the defense - and cut it back. Too often we are content to pass the ball around the top of the penalty box and then try to penatrate through a wall of people. Bringing it behind the defense and cutting it back stretches and turns defenses and allows our players to run onto the ball while facing the goal. Plus, defending when you are facing your own goal is a nightmare.
October 13th, 2006 at 5:27 pm
If he had scored against Barca in CL to lead Arsenal to victory I think he would have been a lock to win it. I think he deserves it after being a runner up twice, but am not sure if he will win it. I just hope that Ronaldino does not win it again.
With his gaol against F.Islands, he only has four to go to become France’s all time leading scorer.