Supporting a team who use it week in, week out, I love it when teams switch to 3 CBs to try to match us up.Unless it’s a default formation that team is working on every day in training (i.e. Conte, Poch used it for some time). Otherwise it’s all to easy for attacking players to drag the defenders around out of their positions as they haven’t got a clue on what they supposed to be doing in certain situations, just confuses the hell out of most CBs.
Do you agree?
No doubt but I highlighted this point in the OP that it should only be used when it’s your default tactic.Works fine for us. Only issue is if there are injuries and you need some quality back ups.
But you see that doesn't happen that often, teams generally don't have all of these things at once. There isn't a lot of fullbacks that can handle the flanks on their own, there isn't a lot of CBs comfortable covering as far as the sideline and most DMs are really good at sweeping that deep without the security of both CBs. The issue with a genuine 343 is that it creates all of these things at once. I noticed that often teams actually play with a back 5 with only one of the fullbacks pushing forward.Too much is made of the formation business, IMO — oftentimes they're not rigid structures that must be strictly adhered to, but very basic outlines of the way you way to impose yourself on the game (or in a reactive sense, counter the opposition). There's no reason why a modern team with ample resources shouldn't be able to implement dos-tres-quatro formations in any given game — the key is to have a coach that can lucidly convey/implement his instructions to foster a sense of cohesiveness and automatism over time, and a group of players that are versatile and tactically astute in a balanced framework...so that they can seamlessly switch between apparent “shapes”.
e.g. Mönchengladbach can use a 4-3-3 or a 4-3-2-1 or a wide/wide diamond in-game on the basis of their 4-D-2 template under Rose and Marić — and they haven't even been at the club for long. And when you think about it, a 3-4-3 is not vastly different from a 4-3-3 if you have a defensive/holding midfielder who can double up as a sweeper, #8s that are competent in offense and defense, and fullbacks that can pretty much handle flank on their own.
https://spielverlagerung.com/2016/03/07/how-to-create-a-game-model/
The problem with United is not that we use different formations infrequently, but that we do not seem to be particularly well drilled or organized (even in primary shapes that are inconsistently executed), and the 3/5 man defense setups we tend to employ are frequently too restrictive or labored — especially when we use 3 centerbacks that can't carry the ball at a high level or pass between the lines to create wrinkles in the opposition's organisation, or wingbacks that are probably more suited to a side-centerback role in the setup. The coaching and selection of personnel needs to be be much better/eclectic.
Bissaka is actually quite poor when he finds himself centrally, he doesn't know how to defend there. He needs the line to do his thing. People assume that he'd be good there because he's big and generally defensive, but not every defensive fullback can seamlessly become a center-back (even a wide one).Rojo and Bissaka are ideal outside centre backs stylistically if not quality wise
I'd agree with that.Bissaka is actually quite poor when he finds himself centrally, he doesn't know how to defend there. He needs the line to do his thing. People assume that he'd be good there because he's big and generally defensive, but not every defensive fullback can seamlessly become a center-back (even a wide one).
True, a purist's version of the 3-4-3 can be very tricky to employ because it requires specialization in several departments. But then, you will rarely find ready-made pieces to execute every formation you might want to implement with the flourish of the wand, especially if you want to use textbook versions (which a lot of coaches don't). A lot of times you can induce better conditions by engaging in trial and error to see if things finally click, and I reckon the onus in on the management/staff to foster a positive environment of learning, identify/develop sufficiently versatile players, improve the general positional play and re-calibrate certain individuals to at least reach a somewhat effective/consistent level in a myriad formations.But you see that doesn't happen that often, teams generally don't have all of these things at once. There isn't a lot of fullbacks that can handle the flanks on their own, there isn't a lot of CBs comfortable covering as far as the sideline and most DMs are really good at sweeping that deep without the security of both CBs. The issue with a genuine 343 is that it creates all of these things at once. I noticed that often teams actually play with a back 5 with only one of the fullbacks pushing forward.
