4-3-3: The Answer to our Problems?

[Frankie 8,552]

Into July then and the new season is now upon us. The transfer window is open, pre-season training will begin next Thursday and preparations will be under way to ensure we retain our SPL crown.

 

With key club figures at pains to say our squad size must be reduced and with the year-end finances expected to be somewhere around �£30million in the red, once again Walter Smith will have to be imaginative with his squad.

 

Versatility has been his buzz-word since he returned in 2007. Players like Whittaker, Broadfoot, Dailly, McCulloch, Miller, Naismith, Novo and Lafferty have all been utilised in a wide range of positions as Rangers compete on all fronts over the last 2 seasons. For the most part, they've done OK but there's no doubt our lack of consistency on the park can be explained by a lack of consistency in selection compounded with players out of position.

 

To add to that, we've already we've had several players move on - young and old - and we'll need more to go if we're to create finance for incoming players. Barry Ferguson remains our highest earner and if we can attain a decent fee for him and Charlie Adam, to name but two fringe players, we may have some flexibility in the transfer market. Players like Beasley, Gow, Graeme Smith and Webster should also be on the move. Even so, any new players will be minimal despite the expected ~�£5-10million bounty of the CL group stage.

 

Key areas for strengthening remain a centre-back to complement 'Madjestic' Bougherra and perhaps allow Davie Weir an easier path to retirement. Meanwhile the wide areas of our midfield remain a problem - especially the left side - as the use of up to 10 different players there last season showed us. Therefore, a left-sided midfielder in the vein of Chris Brunt may indeed be our priority if we do manage to move on the surplus high-earners. Of course the �£3million fee over his head places doubt on our ability to not only sign him but entice him to Glasgow ahead of richer EPL clubs in terms of wages.

 

Thus, with the doubt over who leaves and our budget, how can the manager be flexible with a necessary reduction in squad size and minimal funds to find new players? To add to that dilemma, the fans will expect a better standard of football, more consistency and less defensive play when we do play in Europe. As usual, the pressure on the manager will be high.

 

As such, the answer may ironically lie in another head-ache that will come his way once two of our main midfielders are fit. Both Kevin Thomson and Maurice Edu are injured after being important components of our side last season. While neither player can be considered as tough as a Souness or an Ian Ferguson; their controlled aggression, strength in the tackle and mobility were imperative to allow the creative players such as Mendes and Davis to do their stuff. Therefore, the quicker they both return the better - though Thomson looks the more likely to make the season opener at Ibrox against Falkirk.

 

However, what happens when Edu also retains fitness? Can we really afford to keep such an exciting young talent on the bench for another season? After all, it's doubtful that a central-midfield pairing of he and Thomson would be creative enough in the absence of genuine wingers in the squad? This is where the 4-3-3 formation comes in and I'll contend that makes sense for several reasons:

 

- Playing Edu and Thomson in deeper 'holding' roles means we have a more solid unit for the tougher games without compromising on our need to retain attacking players.

 

- Davis could move inside from the right to play in a free role behind the attack. His creative play is his strongest suit and he is all too often isolated on the right. With Mendes sitting behind him alongside Edu/Thomson we also have a player capable of picking him out when he does find space.

 

- Our current lack of wide players means we don't have to play a Naismith, Miller, Novo or Lafferty in unfamiliar roles they're not as effective in. Instead they get to concentrate on their preferred attacking positions and compete for the two slots up front (or one if Boyd continues to score goals).

 

- We also get the best out of John Fleck. The lad is a prodigious talent so we shouldn't be minimising that by shunting him out to left midfield. Let him compete with the senior players for the free role and we'll see the best of him.

 

- The midfield positions are easily interchanged or rotated to ensure freshness and strategic flexibility when required depending on opposition. 4-5-1 can still be utilised if the situation really demands it.

 

- We free up space for our full-backs to get forward. Steven Whittaker is a player that is at his best roaming forward with space in front of him. No winger allows both him (and to a lesser extent Papac) to support in space with players around them to help them keep possession (not their strongest suits) more effectively.

 

- The strategy above means we may not need to sign a left-midfielder or even another defender given the added protection for the defence. Any money could be kept back for January when new players are often needed more desperately.

 

 

4-3-3: The answer to our problems - or a way for the board to hide decreasing squad quality and the manager to go overly defensive again in Europe?

 

You decide!

[Gribz 846]

I like the 4-3-3. And it does solve problems in our midfield.

 

As you mentioned we dont have a natural effective winger at the moment. We have been lucky over the years with great wingers from Cooper, Walters, Laudrup and McCann but the past few years has seen us play players out of position.

 

Steven Davis would definatly benefit from 4-3-3. He suffers IMO playing wide right despite still doing a good job. He would be much more effective in a free role in the midfield.

 

Having 1 holding midfield (with a back 4) is more than enough in the SPL and that will let the other 2 midfielders join in with the front 3 to go forward.

 

But having a front 3 can bring up the Kris Boyd debate again. He is only suited to a 4-4-2 IMO. When playing a 4-3-3 you sometimes need 2 of your strikers to come wide and your main striker to come deep at times.

 

I definatly think we have the personnel to have a 4-3-3 and cause teams a lot of trouble. Having 3 pacey forwards automatically makes the opposition defence cautious. As they say the best defence is a good offence, so having 3 strikers like Miller, Lafferty and Novo would give defenders a nightmare IMO.

 

Depending on who we sign this summer then id favour the 4-3-3.

Edited July 1, 2009 by Gribz

[Frankie 8,552]

I think Boyd can still fit into a 4-3-3 easily enough and it is because of his goal threat, I'd ensure he retains a partner like Miller or Lafferty who can do the running while Davis/Fleck/Naismith are deployed further forward to also support the main striker.

 

For the most part Boyd did show improvement in his work-rate and link-up play last season so hopefully that will remain the case this season. Certainly, having more competition for his berth would help and I feel a 4-3-3 would keep the pressure on him to deliver.

 

That should make both sides of Boyd debate happy...

[Big Spliff 0]

Interesting idea, sounds nice. How would this work though, against teams playing 4-4-2 or even 4-5-1 against us? Due to overall lack of flair and quality in the SPL, much of our games seem to be played in the midfield and to be out-numbered wouldn't help us when it turns into a scrap.

 

I know 'we are Rangers' etc but being outnumbered is being outnumbered.

[Gribz 846]

Interesting idea, sounds nice. How would this work though, against teams playing 4-4-2 or even 4-5-1 against us? Due to overall lack of flair and quality in the SPL, much of our games seem to be played in the midfield and to be out-numbered wouldn't help us when it turns into a scrap.

 

I know 'we are Rangers' etc but being outnumbered is being outnumbered.

 

When teams play a 4-4-2 they will almost certainly have 2 wide players, so we have 3 central midfielders winning possession straight away against the oppositions 2 central players. We rely on our full backs looking after the 2 opposition wide players.

Plus 2 of our strikers can come into wider positions when we dont have the ball which sets out a 4-5-1.

 

4-3-3 is a win win for me.

[Frankie 8,552]

Interesting idea, sounds nice. How would this work though, against teams playing 4-4-2 or even 4-5-1 against us? Due to overall lack of flair and quality in the SPL, much of our games seem to be played in the midfield and to be out-numbered wouldn't help us when it turns into a scrap.

 

I know 'we are Rangers' etc but being outnumbered is being outnumbered.

 

I agree concentrating our play centrally could make it easier for other teams to defend against us. In fact it happens already - even under a 4-4-2 because we don't use any natural wide players.

 

All the more reason for a 4-3-3 if we can't afford these required new wide players, because of the extra attacker where a player like Davis can find the space necessary to bring others into the game. There is also nothing stopping a Lafferty or a Miller utilising the wide areas so we're not restricted to a centrally dominated outlook.

 

Edu's injury status means a 4-3-3 is unlikely initially but it is certainly something I'd like to see explored especially if we don't have the funds to bring in players more naturally suited to an orthodox 4-4-2.

 

Essentially I want to see teams worry more about our threat than us theirs.

[Big Spliff 0]

When you think about patterns of play and all the permutations (got the ball , not got the ball) its actually quite hard to write it all down without missing things

 

It's like the 4-5-1 thing supposedly actually being a 4-3-3 when you have the ball. But unless you have the right players who make the right moves, it basically doesn't work like that. When Boyd was stuck up front on his own so much (or Darcheville, Cousin etc) it rarely looked like 4-3-3, which is why Smith was getting so much stick and we were dull to watch. So Frankie, you did well!!

 

Don't get me wrong, I'd love the excitement of 4-3-3, as I think most people would, If it's what we went for, I'd support it fully but there's no point in kidding on it's a fully flexible system when in reality nothing ever seems to work out like that.

[Zappa 0]

I'd like to see us give the 4-3-3 formation a run of games, but it would probably be best or at least safest, to introduce it in our cup matches. I like the idea of Davis roaming freely behind the strikers & I think Mendes could play that role too. Also, as you said Frankie, that role would also suit Fleck quite well, so he'd be challenging for a place there. It's not a dissimilar concept your suggesting as to what we seen Spain & Brazil using in the Confederations Cup, whereby their full backs constantly bomb forward as attacking wingers. We know that SP & SW both like to play the more attacking minded full back roles, so I really don't see what we'd have to lose by making full use of them. As for the LW & CD positions, I'd rather see us buying a partner for Bougie & using Davie Weir for Cup games & in the event of one of the regular central defenders getting injured.

[Super_Ally 0]

Just so long as it's not Gribz 3-5-2 sign me up.

 

I don't agree Sasa is an attacking full back Shroomz, though he has made a definite effort to improve in this respect.

[Tannochsidebear 2,405]

In almost every SPL game we come up against a well-organised defensive unit with 2 narrow banks of 4.

 

Our struggles to break these sides down came from an inability to get in behind these defences due mainly to a lack of genuine width. Davis and whoever was playing wide left failed to take on and beat the full back and instead sent the ball back inside and we tried again.

 

A 4-3-3 with only the full backs giving us width would be a disaster in the SPL IMO, especially with Edu and Thomson both holding. 1 holding player is sometimes 1 too many in the SPL, especially at home and I believe we have to choose between Edu and Thomson for a central midfield role next season. The amount of games we will have with CL action, coupled with injuries and suspensions, means I think both players will have a lot of games to play.

 

We need width, have done since Walter came back, and no amount of messing about with the formations can change that.

 

4-4-2 is the success story to be crowned champions, that is our bread and butter, and we have to avoid the errors of last pre-season, and bring in the right players to allow us to play, or we have to accept another season of square pegs in round holes due to the finances if we cannot get rid of enough deadwood.