Why Are We Playing 4-2-3-1?

[OneMoSalah 8,778]

Hahahahahahahaha STATS?, hahahahahahahaha, jesus christ, stop digging that hole. Michu and Van Persie have the same amount of goals, i guess that means Michu is just about as good as Van Persie then.

I don't quote Zolayes, he always quotes me, he's a 70 year old man who argues with people on here who are over 50 years younger than him, great life he must be living mind. Not to mention Zolayes can't hold his own, he only ever shows up when everyone else is arguing with me, full definition of a coward. Always has been, always will be, and no matter how much power he has with the mods and admins, he will never make me care one bit. As he's already taken a disliking to Muzchap just because he likes me, if that's not childish then i don't know what is.

I'm a great poster, just get used to it, most people are just blinded by hatred. Think how much rep i would've had if 90% of the forum actually liked me, yep that's right mayne, I'm going for gold.

Maybe there should be a bellend of the month award because you'd win it. Anyway I'm done with arguing over a laptop, time to get back on topic and not ruin this thread.

[Kojo 4,676]

Maybe there should be a bellend of the month award because you'd win it. Anyway I'm done with arguing over a laptop, time to get back on topic and not ruin this thread.

Your about as funny as AIDS.

[Ramzi 233]

Your about as funny as AIDS.

What the hell happened to you? You used to post such good comments now you're like a child.

[Beepu 1,714]

Dang, alot of us here needs to have some humility and some chill pill. Chillax bros!

[SeB 1,281]

Here's a video my french mate @flotoniutti made for his website http://www.chroniquestactiques.fr/, he's the emerging French Zonal Marking.

Here's what he did yesterday on how Madrid has to cope with Ronaldo's lack of defensive work against Valencia. That's exactly our case this season with Mata/Hazard

Here's the video:

He explains how Valencia could build from the back, typical 3v2 situation at the back. The way the triangle at the back tries to distribute the ball forward toward the channels and how that's not possible on the left with Özil who does track back. And how that's possible on the right with Ronaldo leaving Pereira completely free to push forward & provide support

Due to Marcelo being outnumbered on the left, Modric drops to help on the channel. Thus if he nullifies the inbalance situation, he leaves Dany Parejo free to dictate the play from deep. Benzema then drops in Parejo's zone, what leads to recovering the ball and the fast break where Madrid scores

What's funny when we think about Chelsea's situation until December is that on both flanks, nobody tracked back and there was no Modric to drop as additional third midfielder. And still people blamed the defence for poor defending !!

That's exactly what I was saying over and over again in the summer and how I knew we'd make a shit season

[bushman 2,043]

I agree with the switch to 4-3-3. Everyone knows 4-2-3-1 is a counter-attacking formation, and that's good and all but only when you have players like to play on the counter. What we have right nows is a bunch of midfielders that play much better when in possession. 4-3-3 is the way forward for Chelsea if we're going to persist with possession football, in my opinion.

May I just pointed out ? Current Chelsea team do not have players to play 4-3-3. So stop embarrassing yourself here.

[Kojo 4,676]

To be honest playing 4-2-3-1 is very stupid. 4-2-3-1 is an attacking formation, it requires lots of quality, although we may be effective going forward we bend over for teams when they counter us.

[OneMoSalah 8,778]

May I just pointed out ? Current Chelsea team do not have players to play 4-3-3. So stop embarrassing yourself here.

We don't have the right players for 4-2-3-1 as we don't have an actual playmaker or DM at the moment (Romeu injured, Mikel ACON). 4-3-3 is a better system for keeping possession and its much more balanced than the 4-2-3-1.

A 4-3-3 with an inverted MF 3 might work but still effectively a 4-2-3-1 really.

Rami---------Mikel

-----------------------

--------Mata--------

[bushman 2,043]

We don't have the right players for 4-2-3-1 as we don't have an actual playmaker or DM at the moment (Romeu injured, Mikel ACON). 4-3-3 is a better system for keeping possession and its much more balanced than the 4-2-3-1.

A 4-3-3 with an inverted MF 3 might work but still effectively a 4-2-3-1 really.

Rami---------Mikel

-----------------------

--------Mata--------

Well, I doubt it.

If we do not have the right players for 4-2-3-1, then does Rafa knows about it ?

Somewhere along the line I read Rafa was instrumental in inventing 4-2-3-1 in Spain.

However,I am not sure of it.

[OneMoSalah 8,778]

Well, I doubt it.

If we do not have the right players for 4-2-3-1, then does Rafa knows about it ?

Somewhere along the line I read Rafa was instrumental in inventing 4-2-3-1 in Spain.

However,I am not sure of it.

Instrumental in inventing it? I doubt it, it is just a varied 4-4-1-1, it was about before Rafa was. Anyway, he used it a lot yes. Valencia, Liverpool and Inter during his reigns were all 4-2-3-1 and so is Chelsea. Its his preferred formation obviously.

Ideally in the pivot you want a player next to your holding MF who can build and control the game from deep but who can still provide killer passes when chances are there, spray the ball into space in wide areas to move teams about etc. and right now we don't have such a player.

If you look at Modric's stats from the season before that summer we wanted him, never really got a lot of assists and goals but was the most important player in that Spurs team because he was dropping deep getting the ball into players in space who then got assists. We need a player similar to him.

[bushman 2,043]

Instrumental in inventing it? I doubt it, it is just a varied 4-4-1-1, it was about before Rafa was. Anyway, he used it a lot yes. Valencia, Liverpool and Inter during his reigns were all 4-2-3-1 and so is Chelsea. Its his preferred formation obviously.

Ideally in the pivot you want a player next to your holding MF who can build and control the game from deep but who can still provide killer passes when chances are there, spray the ball into space in wide areas to move teams about etc. and right now we don't have such a player.

If you look at Modric's stats from the season before that summer we wanted him, never really got a lot of assists and goals but was the most important player in that Spurs team because he was dropping deep getting the ball into players in space who then got assists. We need a player similar to him.

Sometimes, I do wonder whether he knows any other formations. Last night, he stuck shitty Torres to play a bit wider.

Why not play with two strikers instead ?

[OneMoSalah 8,778]

Sometimes, I do wonder whether he knows any other formations. Last night, he stuck shitty Torres to play a bit wider.

Why not play with two strikers instead ?

Because Soton were played a 4-3-3 I think and going 4-4-2 gives them an extra man in midfield, even if they were playing 4-2-3-1 it gives them an extra man if their AM drops. 4-4-2 is also better suited to a more direct approach which we were only trying at like the 89th minute.

[Jase 43,479]

Sometimes, I do wonder whether he knows any other formations. Last night, he stuck shitty Torres to play a bit wider.

Why not play with two strikers instead ?

He did actually switch to 4-4-2 eventually. Can see that with Ba and Torres upfront, Mata and Hazard wide and we were just lumping the ball forward to bypass Southampton's midfield.

[bushman 2,043]

He did actually switch to 4-4-2 eventually. Can see that with Ba and Torres upfront, Mata and Hazard wide and we were just lumping the ball forward to bypass Southampton's midfield.

He did ? I saw Torres plucking away wide, then.

Anyway, our striking force is not adequate. Take a look at Manu 4 striking options. No wonder they are scoring in bunches.

The way I see it. Rafa might not be the ideal coach & he is going soon. However, the team is too thin in my view. So much wastefulness is seen. Many of Chelsea´s youths are playing elsewhere.

[SeB 1,281]

Well, I doubt it.

If we do not have the right players for 4-2-3-1, then does Rafa knows about it ?

Somewhere along the line I read Rafa was instrumental in inventing 4-2-3-1 in Spain.

However,I am not sure of it.

He was one of the first to use it on a regular basis in Spain in the 90s indeed. That's his favourite system and that's also the only one we can play at the moment due to the amount of options we have in the squad: 3 reliable options at CM -> you can't play a system with more than 2 CM

[communicate 2,703]

Here's what he did yesterday on how Madrid has to cope with Ronaldo's lack of defensive work against Valencia. That's exactly our case this season with Mata/Hazard

What's funny when we think about Chelsea's situation until December is that on both flanks, nobody tracked back and there was no Modric to drop as additional third midfielder. And still people blamed the defence for poor defending !!

That's exactly what I was saying over and over again in the summer and how I knew we'd make a shit season

I think rb prefer to defend with 442 with st and am to close down high up . I actually saw oscar and hazard tried to track back even though their defending are just awful.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

In answer to this topic in a really blunt fashion: we are playing 4-2-3-1 because Benitez is a clueless prick who is too scared to change his system.

With the players we have, we should be playing 4-1-4-1, in my opinion. Granted it would be a narrow midfield as Mata and Hazard like to play centrally, but that is no real change as our natural width is supplied by the full-backs.

Essentially this is the same system we played under Ancelotti, but with an obvious change in personnel. Under Carlo the wide players offered more width which explains why we were then a better side offensively. However, it is the same principle:

Under Ancelotti:

Cech

Belletti/Ivanovic - Carvalho/Alex - Terry - Cole/Zhirkov

Mikel/Essien

Kalou/Joe Cole/Anelka - Essien/Joe Cole - Lampard/Ballack - Malouda/Zhirkov

Drogba/Anelka

Under Benitez:

Cech

Dave/Ivanovic - Cahill/Ivanovic - Terry/Luiz - Cole/Bertrand

Luiz/Mikel

Hazard/Moses - Lampard/Oscar - Ramires - Mata/Bertrand

Ba/Torres

When you consider the change since 2009, player-for-player, there isn't that much difference, besides the new 'wide' players being narrower. Essentially you can almost see it as a diamond:

Mikel - Ramires

Hazard - Mata

Lampard

The ability to switch between a flat-back midfield four with Mikel deeper, playing a five-man diamond, or even pushing the wingers up on into a 4-3-3 enables versatility. It makes sense, Rafa.

[Funkyflashman 187]

I really hate the 4231 and the obsession that comes with it.

Increasingly fed up