Premier League - Written by blueblood58 on Friday, September 22, 2006 19:40 | 2,100 Views | 20 Comments | Add Comment
4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-5-1??? Its All ‘Science’ To Me!!
Jose fine-tuning his formation?
Firstly I want to thank Blue Champion for inviting me to co-post to his excellent blog and his first request of me is to write a piece on tactics and specifically whether Chelsea should employ - 4-4-2, 4-3-3 or 4-5-1.
Now when it comes to tactics, you are talking to ‘old school’ here. Only known to 4-4-2 and now we have got 4-3-3 or 4-5-1, but honestly isn’t 4-3-3 and 4-5-1 the same. NO it isn’t unless you work for or support Chelsea FC.When Chelsea use 4-3-3, to everybody else its boring boring 4-5-1, but if any other club uses 4-3-3 its exciting, fashionable and in vogue and depending what type of club you are in the sea of the football world, the media can make 4-5-1 look exciting too!!
When Chelsea first won the title way back in 1955 it had to be 4-4-2 that was employed by manager Roy Bentley. During the heady years of Dave Sexton’s success: FA Cup in 1970, Cup Winners Cup in 1971 and the losing League Cup final to Stoke City in 1972, again tactics had to be 4-4-2.
You look at the players in Sexton’s days: The late Peter Osgood (Striker), the late Ian Hutchinson (Striker), the late Peter Houseman (Left winger), Charlie Cooke (Right Winger), Tommy Baldwin (Midfield), John Boyle (Midfield), David Webb (Central Defence), John Dempsey (Central Defence), Ron Harris (Capt and Right Back), Eddie McCreadie (Left Back) and finally Peter ‘The Cat’ Bonetti (Goalkeeper).
Try and get a 4-3-3 out of that lot. It was a straight 4-4-2. When you look at the team that John Neal and Ian McNeill produced with the likes of David Speedie, Kerry Dixon, Pat Nevin, Joe McCloughlin and the like, it was always 4-4-2.
Glenn Hoddle began to muddle the waters when he became Chelsea manager in that he introduced zones into his play and on the training ground and critics say after Hoddle left Chelsea to become England manager that his methods were worse than rubbish. Look at Chelsea’s League record in Hoddle’s Chelseas tenure. 13th, 13th and 11th plus a losing FA Cup final to Man Utd.
But look who Hoddle brought to the club. Yep Ruud Gullit and look who Ruud brought to the club. Vialli and then everybody wanted to come to Chelsea - Zola, Di Matteo, Poyet, Lebeouf. You name them, they wanted to join.
Vialli using 4-4-2 in its basic sense gave us the League Cup, FA Cup and the European Cup Winners Cup.
Then we had Mr Nice Guy, Claudio Ranieri. All he wanted to do was to ‘arrive’ first everytime. Claudio success was to get us in the Champions League with that famous victory over Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, which had it not happened, I may not be here to write this first piece.
But it was Claudio that really and seriously clouded the waters with tactics that nobody understood. Called the ‘Tinkerman’ he tried to fine-tune a Chelsea side at every possible moment and perhaps his ‘tinkering’ got to the players and after the defeat in Monaco and having Huth up front with Jimmy Floyd Hasslebaink at right-back sealed his inevitable fate.
So bring on Jose Mourinho. His third year at the club. Already back-to-back Premiership winners, Carling Cup winner and a winner of the Giant Frizbee Shield or in other words the Community Shield.
4-3-3 is Jose’s favoured formation, no doubt about that. But without Joe Cole and Arjen Robben or Shaun Wright-Phillips playing together Jose can’t play it and to be honest little Shaunie hasn’t quite cut it yet playing under Jose’s direction and tactical planning. Also I am sorry to say, but Shaunie needs to work on his first touch, which since he has been at Chelsea is quite appalling, but Shaun always gets my support from my touchline seat at Stamford Bridge.
I actually think that Jose has been found out with the 4-3-3 or the 4-5-1 formation as it proved during the latter the part of last season. But when you sign the quality of Ballack and Shevchenko you are hardly gonna leave them two on the bench, plus when you get Michael Essien playing superbly and Jose publicly saying the he will ‘never rest or drop’ Super Frankie Lampard, you have got no choice but to play 4-4-2.
Drogba has been supreme since he got his head together and stopped all the embarrassing diving and histrionics and Sheva’s time will come, although for his age and price tag, his clock is starting to run down!! So formation wise with Makelele or Diarra in front of the back four, the formation is really 4-1-3-2.
Football has become an art of science nowadays (and I do not have a degree to understand it all) but, just ask any ‘old school’ Chelsea supporter and all they want is for the players to give 110% for the blue shirt and the badge.
20 Comments
2. blueblood58
No. Iam saying that Chelsea have been found out playing 4-3-3 and that with the players that have joined us this Summer ie Ballack and Shev, you can’t justifiably leave them on the bench, but having said that you can’t leave the likes of Joe Cole on the bench when he regains full fitness. So I would play Cole instead of Robben when he is fit, alternate Essien and Makelele in the holding role, after all Maka is 33 plus and keep Ballack and Lampard together in the middle.
But as Ballack is now suspended for three PL matches, there is room for Cole once fit, Robben, Essien, Lampard and Makelele.
With decisions that Jose has to make, I am glad he is manager and not me LOL!!
Yeah, you’re right. All other things being equal, this season, we will stick to 4-1-3-2 with Lamps in the centre, Ballack on the right, Joey/Robben on the left & Maka/Essien as DM.
4. blue leader
Excellent analysis blueblood !!. Your ‘old school’ information are very interstering. Yes.. Chelsea has never been media hugged. They are only used for critism. You play 4-3-3 they say its very attacking.. you play 4-2-2 they will say its very traditional. But after Jose entry its always 4-3-3 which was a winning combination.
But given the present players i don’t think we can stick on to the same formation. I think the 4-1-3-2 should be the best formation available forthem.
D D D D
DM
AM AM AM
FC FC
I think JC and Robben should take the wingers role while Ballack or Lampard should share the centre midfield role.
Essien or Make should play the Defencive Midfield role.
Sheva, Kalou and Drogba should be play their as usual.
But i want Robben and Joe Cole should play together. This will be a deadly midfield attack.
Actually we should not have a formation and decide the players. We should play a formation which fits for the players.
Considering the present bunch of players its better to have a 4-1-3-2.
5. Anonymous
gk
cd cd
rd ld
dm
rm lm
mf
mf
dc
6. Anonymous
4-3-2-1
7. Anonymous
4-1-2-2-1
8. Anonymous
2-5-2
9. Omar Shire
after huge cristism of 4-3-3 being very boring, i think Maurinho is wise to pick 4-1-3-2 because its hibird of atack and defensive, essien at the back of Lampard, Ballack , Robben and Drogba & Sheva front has proved to be deadly so far, but sheva is not in form which so i hope Joe Cole to be front.
10. Blue Dreams
………………………………………….Cech…………………………………………..
…………………………Carvalho…………………………Terry…………………..
……….Feriera………………………………………………………………Bridge….
……………………………………………Essien……………………………………….
…………Robben……………………Lampard……………………J.Cole…….
………………………….Shevchenko……………….Drogba…………………….
11. blue champion
Little too late Blue Dreams! Cech could be out for this season!
12. blue blues allez blue
Damn, it is sad that 2 goalkeepers are lost at same match, but hope hilario can fill their boots.
and, 4-1-3-2 is the deal
13. GOONER
Let me tell you blues something: Lampard, Essien, Makelele and Ballack should not be playing together in any formation.
Your team lacks so many things, like witdh and others, its frustrating to watch you play.
Essien is a box-to-box midfielder who should be doing his job as such, I think he’d fit in a 4-4-2 formation with another player of his same qualities, such as Diarra from Real Madrid.
In a 4-3-3 formation he could also play as a DM, but there’s makelele and quite frankly he’s so much better at it.
Now to play Lampard and Ballack together you’d need to play a three man or five man midfield, in which if its a three man midfield, they’d play as the two AM or creative midfielders with a DM behind them. And if it was a fiveman midfield it’d be the same but with two wingers on the sides.
If I was JM and I had all my players available I’d play a 4-3-3 such as:
………………………………….Keeper
………………….Carvalho…………….Terry
Ferreira…………………………………………………..A. Cole
………………………….Makelele/Essien
………………..Ballack…………………….Lampard
..Robben………………………………………………….J.Cole
…………………….. Drogba/Shevchenko
14. Anonymous
Frustrating to watch us, like it is for me to watch gooners make 100 passes for nothing? I’m sure you didnt see us demolish Barca.
15. Dream Team
mhhm, i think gooner u should watched barce game, because the blue boys showed how much they excellent at every position from 4-1-3-2, Makelele was at defence, while Lampard-Essien-Ballack were Box-To-Box offensive/defensive.
i think Sheva should be at bench, play at reserve hit some goals to get confidence.
…………………………………………Hilario……………………………..
…………………….Carvalho…………….Terry………………….
….Boulahziz……………………………………………….Cole…….
……………………………….Essien…………………………..
…..Ballack…………………Lampard………………J.Cole……..
…………………Robben……………Dorgba………………..
16. amin Yare
Tonight barce vs Chelsea Line-up: Up-front must be for Robben and J.Cole as they are clinical finishers.
…………………………………….Hilario…………………………….
…………………Carvalho……………………..Terry…………………….
…..Boulahaziz…………………………………………………..A.Cole….
……………………………………..Essien…………………………….
….SWP………………………Lampard…………………Ballack…..
…………………………..J.Cole………………..Robben……………….
17. Anonymous
—-Hilario——-
X
X X
X X X
X X
X X
X
a melhor formacao para ganhar o campeonato 1-2-3-2-3
18. Anonymous
—-Hilario——-
X
X X
X X X
X X
X X
X
a melhor formacao para ganhar o campeonato 1-2-3-2-3
19. joao valentim
————————
X
—-X—————————–X—–
–X———————–X————————X–
—X————————X
–X————————————————-X-
o futuro? –X—
20. blue hustle
i play with 3-4-3
———-cech———-
-belleti–terry–alex
wright.P–lampard–mikel–malouda
shevchenko-anleka–drogba
BRILLIANT
Very good post Blueblood58. In essence, you say, the current situation is that, unless there are injuries to the midfielders, we would have to play 4-4-2 only. This is because cannot keep Lampard or Ballack or Essien or Shevchenko or Drogba. But this also means that we might have to bench Joe Cole and Robben. If all the following players are fit which formation would you choose:
a. Shevchenko
| Quote This Comment | Add Comment | Go To Top | Back To Home | Gravatar | BC Shout | BBC Radio | Refresh |b. Drogba
c. Lampard
d. Ballack
e. Essien
f. Makelele
g. Joe Cole
h. Arjen Robben