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Opinion: Is Our Formation Too Rigid?

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Every club needs a style of play that they always go to so that everyone works for each other on the team and therefore, everyone is aware of their jobs both when attacking and defending. Birmingham City under Rowett certainly do have this structure in place. Defensively we do look well organised and everyone knows what they’re doing. Also in an attacking sense, we like to play out wide and get crosses in. I must start off by saying this is needed.

But we need a Plan B,C,D and E when we attack. It is very good to have a defensive structure and the same back 4 playing consistently together. Defending is an art whereby it is a unit and they have to work in motion together. This is also true in attack but it doesn’t matter who is in which position.

What I am getting at, is that I believe that sometimes we are a bit rigid in our formation. Cotterill will always stay out wide, Donaldson and Fab centrally and even though there is individual movement, there is not movement across lines. What is there to stop Fabbrini pulling out wide and allowing Cotterill to drift inside with the ball. This gives him more options and Cotterill can strike the ball from a better angle whilst Fab will occupy the defence.

A lot of times last season, teams have really defended deeply against us and in order to break them down we have used the wingers and full backs trying to put a cross on Donaldson’s head. This tactic works but it needs to be mixed up and give us that unpredictability. As a defender, especially those who are used to man marking, then it is difficult to track runs and players who are constantly switching.

We have the players to really work this tactic and make it achievable but we need to adapt to the opposition and how they are set up. But it is always good to try and switch during play. Maybe even the defensive midfielder would make a late run and someone else drop in so that the opposition don’t know who to track or mark.

I’d just like to see a bit more fluidity amongst the attacking players rather than the wingers playing within tramlines and always looking to cross it in.

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