3-5-2 is it worth giving it a try in these tight games?

[alias75]

We tried it a few times last season and it seemed to work very well, now with 4 top quality CBs could it be worth trying this formation or changing to it when the games 0-0 and we're looking for a goal?

 

The obvious advantage in playing this way is you get an extra attacking player on the field. Personally id have wingers rather than fullbacks in the wide positions, since id maybe switch to this formation in those games where we're dominating the play and not coming under much pressure defensively. If you started a game with 3 CBs then there is an argument for playing fullbacks in the wide positions.

 

Yesterday given the players we had on the field there was the opportunity to go 3 at the back, take Aurellio off and play Carragher at CB, and stick on another forward. So we keep the 2 holding type midfielders to help cover in case we're hit on the break and we keep Gerrard in that support striker position where hes been pretty effective, but we get an extra forward on the pitch.

 

Personally id fancy our 3 CBs plus Mascherano to handle most teams, especially those that play 1 up front, and in Agger we have somebody capable of carrying the ball from the back.

 

I guess the main negative is we might lose something from the wide positions if the opposition are 4-5-1 or 4-4-2 but since our fullbacks don't get forward that much i wonder how much we'd lose out in that respect.

 

 

........................................Reina...........................................

 

.....................Skrtel..........Carragher..........Agger...................

 

..............................Mascherano.....Alonso......................

 

Benayoun............................Gerrard..........................Riera

 

..............................Torres......Keane / Kuyt......................

[Sion]

What about something like this against teams that come to defend.

 

------------------Reina-----------------------

 

--------Skrtel - Carra - Agger-------

 

Kuyt ----------Alonso--------------Aurelio

 

Gerrard---------Keane----------Riera

 

---------------Torres -- ----------

[Gunga Din]

i think a 4 at the back, with Aurelio at LB getting forward when we are attacking, and Carra or Arbeloa at RB coming in to play a 3 at the back can allow us to fluctuate between a 3 and 4 at the back pretty easily depending on how the game is going at a particular time

[Earl Hafler]

i think a 4 at the back, with Aurelio at LB getting forward when we are attacking, and Carra or Arbeloa at RB coming in to play a 3 at the back can allow us to fluctuate between a 3 and 4 at the back pretty easily depending on how the game is going at a particular time

 

I thought we might do that yesterday, with Carra tucking in alongside Sami and Skrtel and have Gerrard cutting in from the right.