I would fully understand if you decided not to read this article after reading the title, but I would like you to hear me out.
We started the game on Saturday in a slightly different system, which I think can be the foundation for the rest of our season and if we stick with the same back-five approach next season, it can be the foundation for next season too. We started the game in a 3-5-2 before Lewis Montsma got injured rather than our usual 3-4-3 and I personally think it could be the key to our future success. I’m going to list three reasons why I think it is the way forward at least for the rest of this season.
Bishop Starts
I think this is the biggest takeaway I had from the game on Saturday afternoon and it is something I mentioned quite a lot in my match review. Ted Bishop was probably our second-best player on the pitch and easily our best player offensively, and once he went off we struggled. He was the only player that moved the ball forward with conviction, and his quality of pass was the difference maker in creating our goal.
It wasn’t just Saturday either that saw Ted impress. I know these ratings aren’t everything but he has an average rating of 7.04 on SofaScore this season, the highest of our squad and one of only two players to be above a 7 rating with the other one being Carl Rushworth. He has six goals for us this season, which is only three behind our top goalscorer. That tally is fairly impressive considering he has spent much of his starts this season playing in a midfield two, meaning he has to be more disciplined.
That brings me perfectly to my big point about Ted. This system will suit him massively. We will have a three in midfield, with Ted alongside two of Virtue, Sanders, Erhahon or Sorensen meaning he will have more of a license to get forward and create chances with two displaced midfielders behind him. Ted is an extremely talented footballer, if you have ever spoken to an Ipswich fan you will know that. When he came through there he was touted as their next big thing. Injuries haven’t helped him but in the last two seasons, he has sort of gotten over that issue for us and made himself available for large parts of both campaigns. Last season his availability cost him in a way having to play multiple different positions but if he can have the license to play as a third midfielder in a 3-5-2 as he did on Saturday, we could see a creative Ted Bishop that we’ve been craving for a while.
It’s no secret I like Ted, but his performances back up the fact he is an important player for us and many have overlooked him at times this season.
Flexibility in Attack
There is a large majority of people who overlook formations and simply see them as either a four or a five at the back. In short, it is, but there is so much difference between a 5-2-1-2 and a 5-4-1 for example, and in our case, there are a lot of differences between a 3-4-3 and a 3-5-2.
I think the 3-5-2 gives us a lot more flexibility in attack compared to the more recognized and rigid 3-4-3 that we’ve used this season. The three centre-halves stay the same, there is no change in the way they play and their job remains the same, keep the ball out of the net. What does change is the job of the wing-backs. With no wingers ahead of them they have much more creative freedom, but they are at the forefront of the wide areas. The midfielders and two forward players create an overload in the centre of the park, which gives the left and ring wing-backs much more space to operate and penetrate the wings.
I don’t want to get too technical but it gives us a different option. If a team decides to mark the wing-backs out of the game, the midfield opens up and allows players like Ted or Ethan a chance to make a difference. It is a lot more complex than what I’ve explained but that is the base of it and why I think this system could give us a boost in our attacking play.
Obviously, it gives us more flexibility in the front players too. Having two in attack might seem more negative (it isn’t by the way) but it gives us options to play different combinations. On Saturday, we went for the option of having Ben House and then Danny Mandroiu playing just behind him, and the role that Danny played could be played by Shodipo, Vernam, Diamond or Duffy. On the flip side, we could play Luke Plange alongside House, which is something we haven’t been able to do this season because we’ve only played systems with a lone striker. This 3-5-2 system is so much more flexible and gives Mark more to think about tactically.
Some of you will switch off here, but I’ve just thought of something that a minority of people might be thinking of too. It doesn’t necessarily change the way we press either with the change in system as you can still have a ‘front three’ pressing if you like with a runner from midfield becoming the extra man. If I’m completely honest if you switched off when I said the word press I don’t blame you at all, that is the last time I will mention it in this article!
‘Hard to Beat’ Style Doesn’t Disappear
The worry with a change in system is always that you lose the hard work and core principles of the previous tactical set-up and I don’t think that is the case at all if we permanently switched to a 3-5-2.
This section isn’t going to be as long as the others as it’s fairly self-explanatory. Although much of the dynamic changes in attack and midfield. We still have three out-and-out central defenders with two wing-backs on either side of them to support. We have bodies in midfield and an attacking player to help out if we are under pressure away at Plymouth for example.
I think the principles remain the same, but it’s a better variation of the previous system for the game in possession and nothing really changes out of possession either. In short, we manage to get our best playmaker in the side and have the ability to give him some freedom, we have more flexibility in attack, all while keeping the same defensive principles that have near enough brought us to League One safety.
Final Thoughts
I thought I’d give some final thoughts to wrap this piece up as it has been quite long and somewhat technical compared to normal.
Do I think the 3-5-2 is a system that will be a success for the next three or four years? No, I don’t think so but while Mark has this group of players, we need to adapt to what suits them best and I think this formation tweak is more favourable to our squad at the current moment, which is typified by our wide attacking players, not in the best form of their careers.
Do I even think a five-at-the-back system is the best way of playing in the next three or four years? Not at all, I think the start of the season shows that Mark wants to play a more attacking game with a four at the back but he has had to adapt or else in his words, we would have been in a relegation scrap. I’d like to see a change in formation but if we are to do it, we need the players that can perform in that system.
I do hope you’ve enjoyed this piece, I’d like to thank you all for your comments on the previous match review. I don’t approve them on the site because of the number of spam comments I get and the discussion that can be had on social media but I do certainly read them and one, in particular, gave me some inspiration for this article, so just so you know I do read them and they help me form other opinions and see things from other viewpoints. Hopefully, I will be writing about a win next Saturday evening and even better, we win with a 3-5-2 and I will look like a tactical genius!