With The Obvious Lack Of Quality Full-backs around......

Could there be a future were we see the majority of the teams use a 3 CB system to make up for it?

I think most teams would rather play with a crap LB/RB than play with 3 defenders.

I hope not. Like it with 4 defenders.

No

Teams will just keep making up for it through defensive midfielders

Really???? Germany and Brazil have quality full backs. Portugals are decent. Italys are quite good and so are Uruguays.

BhritanniaBhlue wrote:No

Teams will just keep making up for it through defensive midfielders

Like AC Milan.

EarlyPrototype wrote:I think most teams would rather play with a crap LB/RB than play with 3 defenders.

Do you have reason's why you think this is ?

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:

EarlyPrototype wrote:I think most teams would rather play with a crap LB/RB than play with 3 defenders.

Do you have reason's why you think this is ?

Well apart from maybe the top top teams the smaller teams just aren't good enough defensively to play with 3 defenders imo. We have seen Barca struggles so many times playing with 3 at the back. World class teams could still play with 4 at the back and one average fullback. A back line of 3 good defenders and one average would be better for most teams than changing formation completely.

Great Leader Sprucenuce wrote:Could there be a future were we see the majority of the teams use a 3 CB system to make up for it?

Well, in the friendly against the Ukraine, Löw tried out a 3 CB system for the first half. As Germany has only one proper FB (Lahm), it might be wise to have a different option in case of emergency.

Moreover, if you look at Bayern, they sometimes appear to play with three CBs as well, as far as Lahm ventures forward nowadays. Bayern currently has a rather lopsided set-up, with Badstuber playing between LB and (L)CB to fill the holes that Lahm causes when he is more in a LM position. Boateng then is pulled more to the center and Rafinha follows, too. Probably that's why Heynckes actually prefers to play Boateng as RB as he can then take up a position between (R)CB and RB when Van Buyten is available who would be the main CB then.

If you look at it the other way round ,three CB system is useless without quality WB's.Just purely speaking from an attacking sense.Maybe i am just speaking from Juve's perspective.Could be wrong.

Are there an abundance of WC quality FB's ?No.

Are there up and coming ones ?Think so.

No 3 CB system can succeed without quality wingbacks.

Barca have a better defensive record with 3 at the back then 4, so lets not be too hasty about Barca's struggles with it. If anything, our attack is worse than the defence with the 343 formation.

But no, I dont think so.

The main reason is everyone plays 1 up front. Even teams who play "2" up front, one of them is a Rooney or an Aguero who drop off the front and into the midfield zone to collect the ball.

If you have 3 centerbacks marking just 1 striker, its a waste and you will be outnumbered in the midfield.

It can work for Barca because they play it differently, they have 4 players in the midfield despite having 3 defenders and those 3 defenders simply spread out wide to cover wing attacks. It leaves them without numerical superoity in the defence which is something ALL teams want but Barca run the risk because if they dont make mistakes in the midfield and then combined with 70% possession and high pressing its not easy to even get to take advantage of the 1 v 1's.

So in short, I wished teams did do it more often because it would lead to more entertaining games but on a practical level I dont think its possible.

Teams will rather play a converted mobile centerback out there (Maicon for Porto, Ivanovic for Chelsea, Smalling/Jones for Man Utd) then 3 at the back.

No, because it requires too much change in the tactical setup, relies heavily on WBs which are not available and hell, 3 CBs requires like an extra 2 CBs which is another position where we have a drought of talent.

Del Bosque adopted a 3-5-2 one week before playing Man Utd.

That tactical change haunts Fergie to this very day. Ever since then he's played a cagey game in Europe instead of the open 4-4-2 he used to rely on.

I think there is one place it can still thrive to a degree, Serie A.

Not many wingers, a few two man strike forces and some generally centralized game plans.

Capello's 3412 at Roma was as good as I have seen the formation done in "recent" times.

Well, on theory a 352 is a good alternative to teams that either don't have enough depth at fullback (as Germany) or are stacked with wingbacks (as Brazil).

But I suspect three man backlines since, for some time now, there haven't been any consistent winning team deploying it.

I am a massive fan of 3 at the back, Chile's formation really intrigued me back then and I may not be a barca fan but i like them to play in a 3-4-3 rather than 4-3-3


I would like us to try it at some point, I dont know if it will work in the PL, because Wigan's 3-5-2 works at times but flops the other times. It does require specialist players i.e Busquets to play deeper and then drop in at CB at times. As well as Wingers/WingBacks with Alves type qualities.

Maybe a 3-4-3 of

--------------------------Szczesny------------------------------

-----------Koscielny-----Mertesacker-----Vermaelen-----------

----------------------------Song---------------------------------------

-Sagna---------------------------------------------------Santos------

------------------------------Wilshere----------------------------------

Gervinho--------------------Van persie--------------------Oxlade


With High pressing wingers ? may not work at all though

The problem with that rg is because Wilshere is so in advance of Song, Sagna and Santos will have to come into the center at times and they probably arent he players for it.

As you said, you need very specific players for it.

Here is how Chile did it.



Notice the use of Vidal and Millar who are center players. They are both more centermids with the ability to defend in wide areas and the energy to press forward.

Very specific players. Only like a handful of them I can think of.

Basically you have to flatten out the midfield or have very unique players.

Exactly what mean. It wont work with us because we dont have the players for it.

That Chile formation was really good and the execution of it was really a masterstroke by Biesla.


I think it might work with man United because they have players who may be adaptable

For Example Carrick in a busquet role, Valencia as Alves.

When we played with 3 at the back we had Salgado and Roberto Carlos. Two of the best FB's in the game at that time.

RealGunner wrote:Exactly what mean. It wont work with us because we dont have the players for it.

That Chile formation was really good and the execution of it was really a masterstroke by Biesla.


I think it might work with man United because they have players who may be adaptable

For Example Carrick in a busquet role, Valencia as Alves.

Perhaps, but Fergie would never do it as we both know lol

But I agree, they probably have players more suited to it. I think Chelsea do aswell, especially with Cole slowly falling off.

The best thing about the Chile formation to me was that the "wingbacks" were not wingbacks at all, they have 3 different jobs in 1.

They had to defend the wings, they had to be able to protect the center and they had to come forward and provide some creativity because you dont want to rely on one player (Fernandez) for all the creativity, because if he is shut out your finished....see Riquelme for Argentina.

Overall, I dont think 3 at the back is possible in England. Mostly because its such a wing based league with so many who favour direct play and crossing. The transitions are too fast from defence to attack and you would ask far too much of those wingback players.

lol i am gonna go and make that chile formation on fifa12

Overall, I dont think 3 at the back is possible in England. Mostly because its such a wing based league with so many who favour direct play and crossing. The transitions are too fast from defence to attack and you would ask far too much of those wingback players.

Yea true, It will be a disaster with the heavy pressing from the wings and too much space on the flanks

-----------D Alves------------
-----Lucio---Silva---Luiz-----
Alves--------------------Marcelo
--------------Leiva---------------
--------------Ganso--------------
Hulk--------Damiao------Neymar


Id love us to play like this