ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

4-4-2 or 4-5-1?

Every time we have tried 4-4-2 we get stuffed. Recently 4-5-1 has been boring due to the talent of the players available. If we get Manny back, I feel that 4-5-1 will be our best formation. I always thought 4-4-2 was the way that teams won anything but to see the attacking talents of Arteta, Cahill, Pienaar and Fernandes will be fantastic. AJ will get more room for runs and will certainly get more chances. Any thoughts?
Steve Brown, Glasgow Posted 10/08/2007 at 23:46:25

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Pete
1 Posted 11/08/2007 at 05:41:01

I believe the ability of the players and their competence at adhering to structure with sufficient flexibility to press other teams is more important than the system itself. As seen under Wally Smith a slightly negative formation can become ultra negative if the midfield players are overly defensive in nature and playing style. Given the quality of current playing staff I trust that Moyes wil send the team out to inmpose themselves on the opposition rather whatever the formation and if 4-5-1 that the mid midfeilders will push up o create 4-3-3 as necessary for much of the game. Also it would be nice to see positivity throughout rather than becoming more defensive once a lead is secured, as I feel this is the way to get breed confidence. My esteem can not take the likes of 2 nil up turning into 4-2 down due to lack of confidence to continue to go for the jugular. Fortune favours the brave and with the Goodison Roar behind the blue boys we can batter all comers, with the right attitude!

Alan Clarke
2 Posted 11/08/2007 at 05:52:02

I’m not a massive fan of 4-5-1. It seems this summer, Carsley has taken on some kind of legendary status for aall the "hard work that goes unnoticed". I think he gives us some grit especially away from home but I’d like to see us play 4-4-2 at home with a more attacking style and really batter teams(especially the likes of Wigan)

My hope this season, Moyes is learning to be less cautious and with more pace in defence, play higher up the pitch and put teams under a lot more pressure. With our first choice 11, we can beat anyone this season which is the first time I’ve thought that going into a season for a long time.

Gavin Ramejkis
3 Posted 11/08/2007 at 07:14:47

I think 4-5-1 has it’s time and place when you meet a superior attacking force and want to stifle their midfield creativity and attack routes, the trouble is that after the Spurs debacle Everton started to play attacking football in a 4-4-2 formation and indeed played the most watchable football seen at Goodison for a long time. Another problem with the 4-5-1 formation is that without a player such as Cahill literally right behind AJ leaves him chasing hoofballs sent into the channels with a predictable win the ball but can’t do anything with it scenario played out over and over. A good target and holding player would release AJ into his most lethal position just in front of the box with maybe obe player and the keeper to beat, my money being on AJ to beat the last defender with the ball on the floor.

Anyway, if we can’t beat the likes of Wigan no matter how they have strengthened then our game plan for the season is wrong, these should be home bankers.

philip mcavoy
4 Posted 11/08/2007 at 07:58:20

With baines and jagielka as fullback 4-5-1 gets a lot more exciting. With their speed and crossing we can press forward much more.

Mark Pendleton
5 Posted 11/08/2007 at 08:21:26

I’d agree it’s not necessarily the formation but the players. 4-5-1 can actually be more adventurous and attacking than 4-4-2. With the latter we’ve had the tendency to go for two more solid central midfielders and the wider players tend to be more disciplined, protecting the full backs. Under 4-5-1 i think it’s a more fluid formation, still with a couple of more defensive players in the midfield, but with typically 3 of the 5 supporting the front man more. Arsenal have tended in the past to be more 4-5-1 than anything and have been one of the best, most attacking sides to watch. Bolton however have been predominantly 4-5-1 and been a very solid, defensive, side favouring the long ball to the front man. As a result i’d say we get too hooked on the "official" view of what formation we’re playing. A midfield 5 of Arteta, Pienaar, Cahill, Carsley and Neville doesn’t look negative to me and can often effectively be a 4-3-3 or 4-2-4 even during the match.

Ben Brown
6 Posted 11/08/2007 at 09:07:35

"It seems this summer, Carsley has taken on some kind of legendary status for aall the "hard work that goes unnoticed"."

Hahaha, so true.

Marty B
7 Posted 11/08/2007 at 09:08:51

4-4-2 was the formation that got us to 6th .So please lets not play 4-5-1 against relegation fodder like Wigan!
It’s a good formation to use in Europe away from home but we’re better than that in the league.
Hopefully with Manny & The Big Yak on the way plus another couple of loanees 4-5-1 in the league will be a thing of the past.
So Stevie boy let’s see some positivity we went 11 games unbeaten playing 4-4-2.
COME ON YOU BLUES LETS ’AVE IT!!!

Connor Rohrer
8 Posted 11/08/2007 at 10:03:17

The best football I thought we played last season was against Blackburn where we won 1-0. We played 4-5-1 that day but it was very attacking. The midfield consisted of Arteta and VDM on the flanks, Carsley in the holding role, Fernandes in the centre and Cahill just behind Johnson. Although we only scored 1 goal the amount of chances we created was very good. I would rather see us play 4-4-2 at home though. We only really got to grips with that formation towards the end of the season. Vaughan and Johnson up top with Carsley and Fernandes in the middle. At the end of the day whatever makes us win I am happy with.

Shaka
9 Posted 11/08/2007 at 12:46:33

has any one read the open letter by Terry Leahy? It’s interesting.

peter
10 Posted 11/08/2007 at 13:58:27

well said. if we play 4-5-1 and have either nev or carsley sitting back i think outside the top four we will have the best attcking options all all the rest, and on our day maybe as good a midfiled as the top for. once again the ginger does it and gets the good names we need and not the avarge crap the rest are buying.