The Wanderers have had a mixed set of results lately which has brought into question the effectiveness of our recent formation, 3-5-2. It started well with a 4-1 win against a poor Walsall side, though I'm doubtful over the validity of that result, due to the fact that Walsall were so bad with the ball and especially as it took two corners and two screamers to give us the goals. That is admittedly, a very negative take on the game, but it is worth considering. Rochdale at home followed, a dire long ball game but ultimately a crucial 3 points. Whilst we didn't concede there were still a few nervous moments in that game. The defensive worries were truly unraveled in our last two games however, shipping four goals altogether. This signals to me that we are no more defensively solid with three centre backs than we are with two. With Andrew Taylor playing left wing back, three at the back works... just about. With Dean Moxey however, I am always fearful. Compounding the defensive worries is the lack of attacking threat we show in this formation. Le Fondre has barely had a sniff in any of the games I have seen him play, which is worrying seeing as he is a 'fox in the box' style striker with a target man partner alongside him to help knock balls on. This could be Le Fondre being rusty from a lack of playing time, however, I think the formation doesn't suit him. Josh Vela seems to have dropped off the pace too, in this three at the back system. Because our midfield is so packed it makes space in the opposition half very limited, which in turn makes it hard to provide Le Fondre an alternative style of service. Personally I would like to see us return to four at the back, give Wabara a run out, if he can reach the average full back standards that Lawrie Wilson has been displaying then I would think it preferable to play the system our players are most confident in. Returning to four at the back leaves a big decision however, who is dropped? We could either play two strikers as we have been doing, or drop one. If Madine is still out then playing Wilkinson alone up top would be suicidal, playing Le Fondre or Long however, doesn't exactly fit Parkinson's direct playing style. Therefore I think 442 would be more likely. Below is a slideshow of possible formations and team selections that we could play. What do you think, should we stick to our new formation and bed it in, or revert to our normal style?
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We could all do with some football talk. After Dean Holdsworth & Ken Anderson brought their boardroom spat into the public domain, coupled with our dire accounts being published, it is no surprise the supporters are anxious and angered. 4411 This I think is the most likely option. We could play 442, but Parkinson is a manager who likes to stick with what he knows. Vela has been playing consistently well at Centre Attacking Midfield and I can't see Parkinson changing this by dropping him deeper into the Centre Midfield role and having two Strikers. Derik is the most likely option at Right Back, and whilst he isn't naturally a full back, he has played there this season. People have given him stick for his performances at Right Back, but I think he is a safe player and would do a decent job filling in. If we did play this formation the only changes I could see would be Madine or Long in for Le Fondre. I suspect Madine is more likely than Le Fondre to start up top, but ALF may have gained some more fitness and convinced the manager this week to start him. I would also like to see Solomon in at Left Wing but again I think Parky will stick to what he knows, as he knows Morais from Bradford. Likelihood - 8/10 4231 Very similar to the previous line up, the difference being higher wingers, and more defensive minded Central Midfield roles. I put this one in because I was surprised that Henry was dropped to the bench for Long against MK Dons. I'm not entirely sure why this was, as Henry seemed to be coming into his own, but competition is always good in a squad, and Parkinson may feel that attack is the best form of defence on Saturday. Who knows, it could even be Solomon or Clayton in for Morais. For the record, I would play Derik at Central Defensive Mid if we had a fit Right Back. Maybe tomorrow we will sign a free agent and that'll sort everything out. Until then however... Likelihood - 7/10 352 I'm warning you now, these final two formations I consider to be extremely unlikely, but seen as our first choice full backs on both flanks are injured, I would say it is possible. With this formation we have Vela in at CAM. Perfect. Target man Madine knocking down long balls to Le Fondre. (Or Long). Perfect. And our Central Midfield would be the same as it has been all season. Perfect. Despite it being unlikely, I would welcome trying three at the back. It has worked well in the Premier League, with Tottenham and Chelsea both finding success with it. However, this is League One, and we don't have Moses, Alonso, Walker or Rose equivalents. Would Henry and Morais have enough pace and enough gas in their engines' to cover the wings defensively and on the break? I doubt it. They would have to focus on one or the other, and both being midfielders, I imagine they would be liable to being caught out on the counter attack. I suppose Moxey could play Left Wing Back, but I would like Morais to be given a chance if we played this formation. Good luck to Walsall breaking down, Wheater, Derik and Magic Mark Beevers, with Spearing and Thorpe providing cover, should we adopt three at the back. I think it's worth a go especially against a team at the lower end of the league. If we are shambolic in the first half, it would be simple to change to four at the back for the second half. Likelihood - 3/10 343 Extremely unlikely we would actually copy Chelsea's system like for like, but it's worth throwing out there. Whilst Vela would lose his lone CAM position which he has made his own, he could be part of a very dangerous attacking three, interchangeable with several players. I think everyone behind Vela and Long would stay the same should we go with this formation. However, we could either go with a target man as in the previous formation, or go for pace and technical ability by dropping Madine, and putting Le Fondre up top. Solomon would work well on either side, and I think Vela could play the Right Attacking Midfielder or Left Attacking Midfielder role equally well. Max Clayton would also fit well in this system, playing as one of the two Attacking Midfielders. Unfortunately, we won't use this setup in my opinion. Parkinson will most likely stick to four at the back. Football is unpredictable though. Likelihood - 1/10 Vote here on which option you would choose. Deadline day was a day of mixed feelings for many Wanderers' fans, as the club sacrificed their top goalscorer, the man who has had a hand in 30% of Bolton's league goals this season Zach Clough. For some, this on its own was enough to totally ruin the wonderful return of Adam Le Fondre. Many more were at least disappointed with the reported figure of around £3Million being accepted for Clough. Some even turned on the 'Macron Messi' himself with the now customary 'snake' comments and emojis flooding in, alongside wishes of good luck from calmer Bolton fans.
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