Best Formation for current Chelsea Squad?

[Belgiannutt 3,201]

Like u said u built our team around our best playerss. Our best player are mata and hazard. One favorite position is left winger and the one is central am. So why are we playing 433 again

Because ramires prefers to play in a 3 man mifield, Mikel prefers to play in a 3 man midfield, Lamps prefers to play in a 3 man midfield (okay lamps won't be a first team player but he'll be used as a squad player)

A 3 man midfield would also make it easier to implement DeBruyne and Oscar into it. Because of this we wouldn't have to go and buy a DLP.

Also 4-3-3 offers a better defensive shape and if you look at our squad we have Mikel, Ramires, Lampard, Essien, Romeu. All 5 of them prefer to play in a 4-3-3 + there's already 5 of them without adding Oscar or DeBruyne + we're looking to add another midfielder. Like i said before only Mata would be effected negatively apart from that the 4-3-3 only has pro's for the rest of the team.

[OneMoSalah 8,778]

top top players can play in any system. or so they should be able to.

[Thendo 1,088]

How about the christmastree? 4-3-2-1 Rambo-Oscar-De Rossi(?)

Mata - Hazard

New ST/Lukaku

[Jase 43,479]

Also, you dont make your best players adjust to the team, but the team adjust to the best players.

Excellent post. I keep hearing let's play this formation or that so we can get the best out of kdb/Oscar. I really2 like both player but nobody do that. Clearly our best player is mata. Defensively mata is awful but he is absolutely central in the way we play. It is so obvious that he is our chief playmaker and we want him to get the ball as much as we can and in the middle is where he is best suited. So I think a flexible 4231 is still our best option

Agree with the notion there especially when Mourinho is a manager that adapts to the players he got and not the other way around. He's not a manager that has a set default formation and uses it permanently wherever he goes, like in Benitez's case who is so incredibly rigid with his 4-2-3-1. I believe that we'll continue using the 4-2-3-1 formation not just because it allows Mata to play in his best position as CAM, but also the fact that we have quite a number of No.10s that we can use as CAM if and when needed. It will be somewhat of a waste if we don't maximize that.

Moreover, while some of our players only seem to work best in certain formations, while others in another different formation, it also gives Mourinho the flexibility to adapt and change formation if/when needed for games or during them, which has been something key in his managerial career - he's always got that squad of players capable, flexible and adaptable enough to play in different formations (except maybe at Madrid).

Also, some of the players we have got now may not exactly work best in certain formations but I just don't quite believe totally that they can't improve and perform better in formations that is supposedly alien to them. Someone like Mourinho will look to get the best out of them in different formations. 4-2-3-1 will be the main formation for us still with the 4-3-3, 4-4-2 and other possible systems kept in Jose's armory which he will use from time to time in the season.

[KonohasOrangeFlash 2,607]

Because ramires prefers to play in a 3 man mifield, Mikel prefers to play in a 3 man midfield, Lamps prefers to play in a 3 man midfield (okay lamps won't be a first team player but he'll be used as a squad player)

A 3 man midfield would also make it easier to implement DeBruyne and Oscar into it. Because of this we wouldn't have to go and buy a DLP.

Also 4-3-3 offers a better defensive shape and if you look at our squad we have Mikel, Ramires, Lampard, Essien, Romeu. All 5 of them prefer to play in a 4-3-3 + there's already 5 of them without adding Oscar or DeBruyne + we're looking to add another midfielder. Like i said before only Mata would be effected negatively apart from that the 4-3-3 only has pro's for the rest of the team.

I'm sorry but common sense dictates you play to the strengths of your best player.

[Hutcho 8,443]

4-3-3, Puts Mata out wide, which isn't great.

4-3-2-1 On paper looks the way to go as we could utilise our best players positons, and not have the winger issue. But we all know we would be far too narrow, and whilst it may work against teams who actually play against us, against many teams who just sit in it would be extremely hard to break people down.

4-4-2. Doesn't utilise our best players postions and just makes no sense. Sure, it works on fifa but no point in real life as the default strategy.

3 at the back... Lets not even go there.

So 4-2-3-1 is pretty much all that is left that fits all our requirements, despite it having its own problems as well. 4-3-3 should be used as an alternate formation but i can't see it being used as our main one.

[Eggman 118]

I think Mata can play as the n° 10 in a 4-3-3 with two controlling midfielders behind him:

Cech

Azpi Terry Luiz Cole

Ramires Oscar

Mata

De Bruyne Hazard

Lukaku

In this system, the wingers do have a lot of defenisve work though which is counterproductive for Hazard. Also, you could swap Oscar with a more defensively minded player when necessary (and perhaps even with De Bruyne). De Bruyne, Lampard, Hazard and Oscar can also play on the n°10 (Mata's position).

Ideally, I would like to see them play with a 4-3-3 with only one (beast of a) defensive midfielder:

Cech

Azpi Terry Luiz Cole

<insert beast here>

Ramires

Oscar

Mata

Hazard

Lukaku

But this is, of course, a very offensive system.

[Drogzola 283]

I think this thread will prove why players that are able to play either in the center of midfield or out wide are valuable.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

We should play formation that allows you extra man, 12 players total.

[jmarlow 458]

as long as Mata is our best player we cant play 4-3-3 as Mata has to play as the number 10 and not out wide!

[22mek22 133]

We should not just have 1 formation. It totally depends on the opposition and the squad we start the season with.

The best thing about Jose was how flexible he is with his formations, mainly during the game.

We may start with a 4-2-3-1, however this can all change in the game

[1chelsea 864]

I see you guys reading into Jose mind hope u done anything ease from that.........you know

Sent from my iPhone using Genjutsu

[Leif 6,006]

A 4-3-3 doesn't always mean a defensive midfielder with 2 central midfielders. A 4-3-3 would work fine for us. Look at Arsenal's 4-3-3. They often have Arteta - Wilshere sitting, with Cazorla just slightly ahead of them in a deeper no'10 role (where Mata in theory would play). It's not a 4-2-3-1, but it's similar.

Really though, when you break it down, there isn't much difference between the 2 formations.

[English Freak 456]

A 4-3-3 doesn't always mean a defensive midfielder with 2 central midfielders. A 4-3-3 would work fine for us. Look at Arsenal's 4-3-3. They often have Arteta - Wilshere sitting, with Cazorla just slightly ahead of them in a deeper no'10 role (where Mata in theory would play). It's not a 4-2-3-1, but it's similar.

Really though, when you break it down, there isn't much difference between the 2 formations.

We could use something like:

Rambo ---- Oscar

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

KDB ----Striker-----Hazard

[Hutcho 8,443]

If you play Mata as the AM in a 4-3-3 then its exactly the same as a 4-2-3-1.

Put it this way. If i was to say lets play 4-2-3-1 with this:

Oscar Ramires

KDB Mata Hazard

Whoever

Then i would get laughed off from people saying, that we have no defence, and would get raped on the counter.

So what difference is it if you play:

Oscar Ramires

Mata

KDB Whoever Hazard

None, as mata would play the exact same role currently as those formations are pretty much the same thing.

Whatever formation we play, we will need a defensive minded midfielder in there.

[Leif 6,006]

Defensive midfielders are a thing of the past IMO.

Neither Alonso or Khedira are holding midfielders. One's a playmaker, one is a box-to-box player.

Schweinsteiger is more like a playmaker who can tackle (Like Alonso) and although he goes forward much less than Khedira, Martinez ventures forward much more than what a blueprint of a defensive midfielder would.

Arteta and Wilshere are both playmakers who can tackle, which when combined with yet another playmaker right in front of them (Cazorla/Rosicky), makes them such a lovely team to watch.

Gundogan is a playmaker who can tackle, often paired with Bender who's certainly more of a box-to-box midfielder than a holding player; only he's told to restrict his runs forward clearly.

I don't want a Makelele type player anymore, I don't want a Mikel, I don't want a Busquets (even he acts like a playmaker often). We need to be more inventive or be 'hip' and follow the trend other teams are starting to take on.

Even United often play a 4-2-3-1 like us (It's a myth that they always play 4-4-2; a myth some idiots believe in), especially last season when it was like - Scholes, Carrick; Valencia, Rooney, Kagawa; RVP - and they do that without typical defensive midfielders. Both Scholes and Carrick are again playmakers.

It's no coincidence that these teams (or pairings) I've listed are probably the most devastating when it comes to attacking efficiency in world football and they don't use holding midfielders.

Even Juventus have a bloody playmaker deep in the form of Pirlo who's an average tackler which works since he has such hard working players around him. 0 defensive midfielders there.

We need to change our 4-2-3-1 if we stick to it and alter the 2 defense-minded player pairing drastically.

[Start 22]

Either 4231 or 433, I have a feeling Jose will play 433 (attacking) a lot, with Mata just behind whatever striker we have. Oscar will go deeper for sure this season I reckon.

Oscar - Ramires

Mata

Hazard - ST - KDB

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

Oscar - Ramires

Hazard - Mata - KDB

ST

[Magic Lamps 11,655]

It's amazing how everyone thinks Oscar will play in the pivot. He is even less capable of that than KDB, both are CAMs that can play on the wing. Their defensive work is just not the standard a player in the double pivot at a top club should have.

Secondly Mata is not our best player. Hazard is. We should play a 4-3-3 cos it delivers him from defensive duties.