After watching another poor City away performance at the weekend, on Canary Cast – the podcast I’m on with fellow MFW writer Joe Hinchliffe – we looked at the Wolves team and noted how they were better than Norwich in every department.
As well as having better players, I was impressed by Wolves’ defensive solidity and how Nuno Espirito Santo learned from his mistakes in the previous fixture. Wolves can be defensively solid while still playing good football, so it got me thinking, is it the current formation that’s holding Norwich back?
The 4-2-3-1 is what Daniel Farke has used for the majority of his Norwich tenure. This allows two defensive midfielders to cover the marauding full-backs and for the three attacking, introverted midfielders to leave space out wide to be used by said marauding full-backs. They become the outlet.
As shown last season, when City have a lot of the ball this formation works perfectly, with the three attacking midfielders able to have the freedom in the final third to create for the lone striker, usually Teemu Pukki.
In Farke’s first season we all know the struggle the team had in scoring goals. This was largely down to the forwards Farke had available to him and their playing styles. City created a number of chances in the German’s first season but just could not take them. Pukki changed all of that last season with his 29 goals.
This season has been a different story. Norwich haven’t had as much possession against stronger opposition and even when they have had more of the ball than their opponents, the press has been far more aggressive. Burnley (a) and Brighton (a) are two perfect examples.
A big issue has been the formations City are lining up against. In the Championship, a lot of teams played two central midfielders or three deep-lying central midfielders, meaning that whichever combination of Tom Trybull, Mario Vrancic, Kenny McLean or Alex Tettey were chosen, they had more time and space to move forward with the ball from those deeper positions. McLean or Vrancic, in particular, were able to drift forward and offer even more options in advanced positions.
In the Premier League, a lot of teams play with three attacking midfielders like Norwich, and playing against a far more aggressive press has meant City, time and time again, have given the ball away in poor positions. And only having two defensive midfielders against the opposition’s three advanced midfielders has meant another playing needing to come out of position to help cope with the overload. The knock-on effect has been that City are then short in another area, which has often been exposed.
With Norwich sitting back more often this season and the wide attacking midfielders needing to track back and support the defensive midfielders, it has meant the central attacking midfielder (Ondrej Duda currently) and Teemu Pukki are often the only attacking threat and left isolated.
Duda and Pukki, for all of their qualities, are not quick, ball-carrying players like an Onel Hernandez, meaning City struggle to get out quickly on the counter-attack. Against Arsenal, City had Hernandez on the pitch and scored a couple of goals on the break due to his ball-carrying abilities.
But, due to inconsistent displays and injuries, Hernandez has only started seven times and without another player of a similar style in the squad, they have struggled to counter-attack with any real gusto.
For me, a formation that has been used by Farke in the past could be the answer in this league: 3-4-2-1.
He went to this formation in his first season for a number of games and while offensively City didn’t look great, the side kept five clean sheets in a row for the first time in the club’s history. We also saw this formation a few times last season, usually in the last 15 minutes in games – for example, Forest at home and Bristol City away, where Onel Hernandez again played a key part at wing-back.
I believe if Norwich hadn’t had such cruel luck with injuries this season, Farke would have tried this formation to see if it could make the team more solid. I feel that with two other centre-backs alongside him it would allow Ben Godfrey to step out with the ball and have more options ahead of him.
Max Aarons and Jamal Lewis wouldn’t be as exposed as much in wing-back roles, instead they would simply have to offer width as and when it is needed. In midfield, you have a choice of being able to stick with two central midfielders or, like Wolves did against us, drop an attacking player and have three in there so you are not overworked or outnumbered in the most vital area of the pitch.
Finally, up front you could then have a Josip Drmic playing alongside Pukki in a 3-5-2 or have two attacking midfielders in a 3-4-2-1. The beauty of this formation is it can branch into a number of others with a couple of tweaks, depending on the opponent you’re facing.
These formations have become popular since Antonio Conte came to Chelsea and won the league, mainly using that same shape. This year Sheffield United, Wolves and Newcastle use a version of it and tweak it in every game.
Newcastle, while looking a fairly poor side, are structurally solid and I feel with Norwich’s attacking talent we could reduce the number of chances we give away in games and would have a better chance of seeing games out.
While I’m not saying it’s the answer to all of our problems, I think in this league it would help reduce the number of issues we seem to have in-game.
Thankfully though, I only have to write about these things and not actually implement them!
Hi Jacob.
That’s a very good summary.
I would agree that a fit and firing Onel Hernandez should feature even if only because he is the only player we possess with genuine pace.
But then of course you’d most likely have to drop Todd Cantwell to accommodate him. Who’d like to make that call?
Given the athleticism of Max Aarons and Jamal Lewis I’d like to see us try a 3-5-2 which could also morph into a 3-5-1-1 at next to no notice.
Can’t try it tomorrow night though – only two fit CBs.
And nothing to do with the formation, couldn’t we leave somebody on the halfway line for opposition corners?
Martin;
Your final comment really strikes a chord with me.
I’ve never been able to understand the logic of having everyone back for a defensive corner. To my mind, bringing everyone back just invites further pressure since you have no outlet unless your goalkeeper can get the ball.
Leaving just a Pukki; Cantwell or Buendia (or anyone) on half-way at least means there is someone to chase the ball or close down the defender, without really weakening our defensive set-up.
O T B C
Yes indeed John.
Pukki’s only my height [around 5’9″] so what he can offer defending a corner against, say, the likes of Virgil van Dijk I really do not know.
But if he floats around the centre spot he takes two defenders out of the equation to monitor him so that’s two less to defend against.
I used to love it when Chris Sutton stayed up, waited for the long clearance from Ian Butterworth or John Polston, pushed it out to Foxy and met the cross in the middle. FA Cup v Notts County was the perfect example but there are others.
Simple, but so, so effective.
Hi Martin,
Thanks for the kind comments as always. Yes the centre back issues have tied Farke’s hands behind his back all season really. It is such a shame as I do feel like this formation would give us much more flexibility, as like you said 1 formation can change into another very quickly/easily.
Regarding the corners it is frustrating isn’t it. The whole zonal marking is a frustration of mine as well but that discussion is for another article on another day!
I have always thought that Daniel’s Achilles heel is his inability to change his approach either in preparation for, or more particularly during a game. His woeful use of subs is well documented on this site. When you consider that we’re only six or seven points from safety you have to wonder what could have been the position with a bit of flexibility or experience.
I do feel he has had it difficult this season in terms of being able to dramatically change formation with the injuries. Saying that though I do feel his stubbornness does hold us back at times and this season does feel like a bit of a missed opportunity!
Perhaps if he had someone with a bit of experience in his coaching staff it would help.
Hi Jacob
The injuries this season have really held city back and so was the lack of spending.
When the injuries to the CB happened I can’t understand why city didn’t try and recall Raggett who is having a good season at Portsmouth unless there was a no return option.
The formations that have been mentioned just might have been the solution if Farke have the players to implement them, can he now change to get more points on the board or will he think it is a weakness not to continue his masterplan.
As for next season one player out on loan is getting rave reviews down in Swindon by the name of D.J a wing with speed to spare according to their Manager Wellen and the SD Jewel, so will he be given a chance.
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Hi Alex
Yes I was talking to a mate about Raggett and also was amazed we let him go, he must be better than Tettey at cb which we unfortunately saw against Watford. DJ has had some bright spells after a couple of serious injuries so will hopefully be looked at in pre-season!
A sound proposal, Jacob!