With the new 2016/17 Premier League just around the corner, and Francesco Guidolin a centre back away from completing his new Swansea City squad, we can look at some of the formations that the Italian may use over the next 38 games.
After being confirmed as our new manager towards the end of last season, the Italian told the media that his two favoured formations are 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 – despite using a 3-5-1-1 system to great effect at his previous club – Udinese.
The experienced tactician is well known for his ability to change formations and tactics to suit different opposition. The 4-4-2 diamond from last season is expected to be a thing of the past, it was inherited by Guidolin, rather than a product of his own choice as he insisted upon making small changes to ensure his side were solid at the back. The diamond offered that defensive protection, but it suffered up front as we were hoping to keep clean sheets and score the one goal to win games. He was proven right not to switch back to a more open 4-2-3-1 system, which he later used as his side moved clear of the bottom three.
The team began to grow in confidence, and slowly learned how to play on the front foot again. Evidence of Guidolin`s intensions and preferred style of play were for all to see at West Ham. A true demolition of a side that were targeting the final Champions` League spot. A side that featured superstar Dimitri Payet, but he failed to inspire a winning performance as his now-team-mate Andre Ayew scored one of the four goals to round-off one of our best ever Premier League performances.
It`s also worth mentioning that we didn`t have Ashley Williams playing that day – who`s departure to Everton is already worrying some of our fans. Also absent were fellow Euro 2016 players Neil Taylor and Gylfi Sigurdsson. Even Gomis came on with 8 minutes to play to add a fourth goal.
With Sigurdsson missing at West Ham, Guidolin adopted a 4-3-3 system as shown below. Ki was the player given license to push forward in attack, while Fer and Cork dropping deeper. The full backs pushed high up the pitch, offering plenty of width as Kingsley set-up Ayew`s goal brilliantly with a low, pacey cross that the Ghanian converted from close range.
The 4-3-3 worked brilliantly. It was football on the front foot, plenty of positivity with the full backs pushing forward and the likes of Routledge and Barrow causing trouble inside. At times, there were 5 players attacking the final third – the front three and the two full backs.
The new version of that 4-3-3 could be something like the below:
Guidolin tried a 4-3-3 at Leicester before the win at West Ham, and its effects were the complete opposite. He played Sigurdsson in a false nine role, but given Ki`s success at West Ham, playing in a more attacking role than he`s used to, the Icelandic could still play behind the main forward – in this case Llorente instead of the departed Ayew.
The full backs remain unchanged, both Kingsley and Naughton proved that they can offer excellent width. Both players set up goals last season with excellent low crosses from wide areas – the goalscorer being the same (Ayew) in both instances.
4-3-3 I expect will be a secondary formation that Guidolin to consider – particularly in away games that will require a different approach to those at the Liberty. At home, a constant 4-2-3-1 is expected:
The 4-2-3-1 has the formation of choice for a number of seasons now. It offers multiple lines in midfield, plenty of width and defensive support with four defenders plus at least one holding midfielder. Cork does that job brilliantly while Fer prefers to push further forward into the opposition`s half. Llorente looks like he has all the attributes to lead the line as a lone striker. In the home friendly at Stade Rennais, the new striker lacked a partner behind him. Sigurdsson is the perfect player to solve that problem.
With Borja becoming our new record signing, he can`t be left out too often. He offers a different style of striker compared to Llorente. An excellent channel runner and a more mobile forward than Llorente, the 23 year-old offers an additional threat from the bench and could be brought on alongside Llorente to boost our goalscoring chances when we`re chasing games.
Could a Leicester-like 4-4-2 be considered? I highly doubt we will from the start of games, but there`s no reason why we won`t switch a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2 when needed.
It`s hard to imagine a side without Sigurdsson or taking him off during a game when you`re chasing it, but he struggles when playing in a deeper midfield position as he showed in a 5-0 defeat to Chelsea two seasons ago. You could change the formation below to become a 4-3-1-2, which allows Sigurdsson to play behind a front two, and a midfield to protect any potential counter attack.
A 3-5-2 is another alternative, but it`s a formation that would require experimenting first, and Guidolin hasn`t used it at all during the Summer friendlies – it`s almost always been 4-2-3-1. We`ve only got three centre backs, which makes it difficult to use a 3-5-2 regularly, but it would allow for the two strikers to play together, but again, Sigurdsson is left out. Guidolin preferred a 3-4-1-1, playing a lone striker and an attacking midfielder.
Against Stade Rennais, Guidolin switched to a 4-1-4-1 which, as already mentioned, failed to bring Llorente into the game. The wingers had to supply the service to the front man, and this had to involve pinging long balls to him from wide. Either that, or the experienced striker was pulled into wide areas leaving a lack of attacking threat through the middle.
Have we missed out a formation? Which formation do you prefer? Guidolin`s squad looks capable of being adaptable to different systems and changing – particularly to add further attacking options when we might be chasing games.
Let us know your thoughts, you can also change the formations we`ve come up with below.
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