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XI For Ipswich Tuesday Night

I'd rather play Kelly for 60 mins and assess where the game and fitness are, than bring him on as a sub. Yesterday exposed what happens when one midfielder isn't fit and the other gets booked early. Can't have that.
 
One of the reasons we've been so dominant in midfield this year is because Gorrin's effective shielding of the back four has allowed Brannagan and Baptiste to play their more natural roles of box-to-box midfielders, with both more effective breaking from deep with the ball than playing further up the pitch. Abandoning that system and having, say, Gorrin and Baptiste as a 'double pivot', or pulling Browne, who I don't think has ever been a CM, back into the two in front of Gorrin would rob us of a lot of our potency imo.

One thing that might be interesting would be to have a sort of lopsided 4231, with Baptiste and Gorrin in front of the back four, but Baptiste given more liberty to push higher up the pitch. I'm not totally sure how you would address the resulting imbalance - perhaps pull Ruffels forward and in slightly, to play along the same line as Gorrin and have Long tuck in when we're without the ball and essentially becoming a 3241? This would totally neutralise the fullbacks as attacking outlets and so drastically alter the way we play, but it might be the best way to get the most out of our current fit attacking and midfield players until CB and/or Kelly are back to full fitness.
 
One thing that might be interesting would be to have a sort of lopsided 4231, with Baptiste and Gorrin in front of the back four, but Baptiste given more liberty to push higher up the pitch.
We tried this at the start of this season and it didn’t work. AGAIN. Gorrin works best in front of the back four alone, free to patrol, which was also a tactic that changed things in the second half of last season. It also prevented Brannagan from being as advanced as he needs to be to get the best out of him, and meant we struggled to create as the wide players were always isolated and couldn’t do anything but either pass backwards or hope a full back overlapped, who in turn often just aimlessly crossed it to nobody. Don’t forget how awfully this season started in terms of points to games over the first 8 or 9 fixtures, and what the formation and tactics were during that time.

The 4231 thing has to go. If it comes back yet again just to fit players in on paper, what’s the point.
 
We tried this at the start of this season and it didn’t work. AGAIN. Gorrin works best in front of the back four alone, free to patrol, which was also a tactic that changed things in the second half of last season. It also prevented Brannagan from being as advanced as he needs to be to get the best out of him, and meant we struggled to create as the wide players were always isolated and couldn’t do anything but either pass backwards or hope a full back overlapped, who in turn often just aimlessly crossed it to nobody. Don’t forget how awfully this season started in terms of points to games over the first 8 or 9 fixtures, and what the formation and tactics were during that time.

The 4231 thing has to go. If it comes back yet again just to fit players in on paper, what’s the point.

4231 could be used if Gorrin isn't available but I agree Gorrin has to be left as the lone DM in front of the back 4 if he is playing.
 
41221

Eastwood
Long // dickie // Mousinho // Ruffels
Gorrin
Baptiste // Browne
Fosu // Holland
Taylor
 
We tried this at the start of this season and it didn’t work. AGAIN. Gorrin works best in front of the back four alone, free to patrol, which was also a tactic that changed things in the second half of last season. It also prevented Brannagan from being as advanced as he needs to be to get the best out of him, and meant we struggled to create as the wide players were always isolated and couldn’t do anything but either pass backwards or hope a full back overlapped, who in turn often just aimlessly crossed it to nobody. Don’t forget how awfully this season started in terms of points to games over the first 8 or 9 fixtures, and what the formation and tactics were during that time.

The 4231 thing has to go. If it comes back yet again just to fit players in on paper, what’s the point.
I agree! I think this is all stuff I mentioned in my post. But then how else do you set up the midfield, assuming CB and Kelly not fit? Sykes could presumably slot in to a midfield 2 in front of Gorrin, but clearly not his best position.
 
Please don't play Mackie. Robbo will though just to prove us wrong
 
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