What system did we actually play on Saturday?

[Olgrligm]

I'm trying to get my head around the formation that we played on Saturday. I've seen two different theories: some people (including me) think we played three at the back, while others say we had Junior and Bocat as inverted full backs with Gooch on the wing.

My take on it was that we played Bocat as the left centre back with Gooch and Junior as wing backs, something like this:

Johansson

Wilmot Gibson Bocat

Tchamadeu Laurent Thompson Gooch

Manhoef Junho

Koumas

It's really hard to work out what that front three was doing in the first half. Junho was definitely in attacking midfield, Million was very much on the right and Koumas was playing off the last man. I'm not sure that they were very clear about it either, as there was a moment before we scored where Schumacher was issuing a lot of instructions to Junho and Thompson, while Manhoef actually came over to clarify his role. We did perk up a bit after that.

I guess that the alternative theory is that we set out as:

Johansson

Tchamadeu Wilmot Gibson Bocat

Laurent Thompson

Manhoef Junho Gooch

Koumas

That looks more logical, but doesn't seem to tally with what happened on the pitch, as Bocat stayed back alongside the other two centre backs and Gooch was playing primarily defensively, so far as I could see. I could be wrong, though.

[questionable]

media.tenor.com/r0anJ_lBFycAAAAM/benny-hill.gif

[smallthorner]

Xmas tree formation with an inverted triangle full back floating system.
Static inversions when we are attacking and pyramid movement when we are defending.

Simples.

[kustokie]

Aug 26, 2024 19:07:30 GMT Olgrligm said:

I'm trying to get my head around the formation that we played on Saturday. I've seen two different theories: some people (including me) think we played three at the back, while others say we had Junior and Bocat as inverted full backs with Gooch on the wing.

My take on it was that we played Bocat as the left centre back with Gooch and Junior as wing backs, something like this:

Johansson

Wilmot Gibson Bocat

Tchamadeu Laurent Thompson Gooch

Manhoef Junho

Koumas

It's really hard to work out what that front three was doing in the first half. Junho was definitely in attacking midfield, Million was very much on the right and Koumas was playing off the last man. I'm not sure that they were very clear about it either, as there was a moment before we scored where Schumacher was issuing a lot of instructions to Junho and Thompson, while Manhoef actually came over to clarify his role. We did perk up a bit after that.

I guess that the alternative theory is that we set out as:

Johansson

Tchamadeu Wilmot Gibson Bocat

Laurent Thompson

Manhoef Junho Gooch

Koumas

That looks more logical, but doesn't seem to tally with what happened on the pitch, as Bocat stayed back alongside the other two centre backs and Gooch was playing primarily defensively, so far as I could see. I could be wrong, though.

It looked like 3-5-1-1 with Junho playing behind Koumas. Whatever it was, it was a major departure from his stated preferred formation of 4-3-3 and didn’t work. I have no idea what was going on after the first subs and neither did the players. We’ve seen this before with the previous 3 managers trying to squeeze square peg….we were lucky we weren’t thrashed.

[jesusmcmuffin]

I think it was the Monkey Puzzle tree formation

[silsdenstokie]

What Gooch was doing on the left wing in the first half is anybodiy’s guess

[Staffsoatcake]

If it was the Xmas tree formation,the fecking lights were switched off.

[numpty40]

I'm not really sure that the recruitment team know what system the coach wants to play.
From what we have at the moment I think the best set up is a 3-4-3.

Johansson

Wilmot
Phillips
Gibson

Laurent
Moran
Bae
Bocat

Million
Koumas
Mmaee

A bit left field I agree but the recruitment this close season seems to have been shambolic.

[wakeypotter]

Aug 26, 2024 19:07:30 GMT Olgrligm said:

I'm trying to get my head around the formation that we played on Saturday. I've seen two different theories: some people (including me) think we played three at the back, while others say we had Junior and Bocat as inverted full backs with Gooch on the wing.

My take on it was that we played Bocat as the left centre back with Gooch and Junior as wing backs, something like this:

Johansson

Wilmot Gibson Bocat

Tchamadeu Laurent Thompson Gooch

Manhoef Junho

Koumas

It's really hard to work out what that front three was doing in the first half. Junho was definitely in attacking midfield, Million was very much on the right and Koumas was playing off the last man. I'm not sure that they were very clear about it either, as there was a moment before we scored where Schumacher was issuing a lot of instructions to Junho and Thompson, while Manhoef actually came over to clarify his role. We did perk up a bit after that.

I guess that the alternative theory is that we set out as:

Johansson

Tchamadeu Wilmot Gibson Bocat

Laurent Thompson

Manhoef Junho Gooch

Koumas

That looks more logical, but doesn't seem to tally with what happened on the pitch, as Bocat stayed back alongside the other two centre backs and Gooch was playing primarily defensively, so far as I could see. I could be wrong, though.

Definitely not 3 at the back

[blackpoolred]

On further thorough analysis - I can confirm that it was 3 Stoke players versus 11 WBA players

[cheadlepotter]

Johansson
Laurent Wilmot Gibson
Thompson Bocat
Nobody Manhoef/Tchamadeu Junho/Gooch
Koumas

At times in the first half. It was a farce.

[benjaminbiscuit]

The intention was that gooch played as the left sided midfielder to stop furlong essentially where burgur might have been.

[scfc5]

Junior and Gooch were wing-backs and Bocat left-sided centre-half in a back 3 I’d say.

Thompson and Laurent sitting. Junho and Manhoef behind Koumas, but those 3 were quite flexible.

[stokest5]

Whatever system it was supposed to be it didn’t work. A few simple passes we were sliced open. Seemed like players would run for the ball then stop, getting confused that another is going for it. I’d prefer it if we mastered the basics of a style and built on it.

[terrorofturfmoor]

Whatever formation it was, it was horrible to watch, and even worse when the subs came on!!!

[bayernoatcake]

I don’t think the players knew and I’m fucked if I could tell you.

[Deleted]

Bocats heatmap shows that he was quite wide in possession in our half and pretty narrow in their half which screams inverted full back, but who knows?

Junior's heatmap is harder to decypher since he was all over the place.

Compared to other full backs in the league this weekend, Bocat's is quite different.

[numpty40]

Aug 26, 2024 20:57:10 GMT terrorofturfmoor said:

Whatever formation it was, it was horrible to watch, and even worse when the subs came on!!!

I don't think I've ever seen a more ridiculous series of substitutions from a professional coach and in a bizarre way its almost comforting that a group of thrown together out of position footballers managed to see the game out in those last 15 minutes without taking a tonking.

[chuckrocky]

Aug 26, 2024 19:52:23 GMT wakeypotter said:

Aug 26, 2024 19:07:30 GMT Olgrligm said:

I'm trying to get my head around the formation that we played on Saturday. I've seen two different theories: some people (including me) think we played three at the back, while others say we had Junior and Bocat as inverted full backs with Gooch on the wing.

My take on it was that we played Bocat as the left centre back with Gooch and Junior as wing backs, something like this:

Johansson

Wilmot Gibson Bocat

Tchamadeu Laurent Thompson Gooch

Manhoef Junho

Koumas

It's really hard to work out what that front three was doing in the first half. Junho was definitely in attacking midfield, Million was very much on the right and Koumas was playing off the last man. I'm not sure that they were very clear about it either, as there was a moment before we scored where Schumacher was issuing a lot of instructions to Junho and Thompson, while Manhoef actually came over to clarify his role. We did perk up a bit after that.

I guess that the alternative theory is that we set out as:

Johansson

Tchamadeu Wilmot Gibson Bocat

Laurent Thompson

Manhoef Junho Gooch

Koumas

That looks more logical, but doesn't seem to tally with what happened on the pitch, as Bocat stayed back alongside the other two centre backs and Gooch was playing primarily defensively, so far as I could see. I could be wrong, though.

Definitely not 3 at the back

We 100% started with a back three, in fact it more was like a back five as Gooch and Junior dropped level with the three centre backs when we didn’t have the ball.

We changed to a back four when they scored their first.

[numpty40]

Aug 26, 2024 21:08:20 GMT @theonlooker said:

Bocats heatmap shows that he was quite wide in possession in our half and pretty narrow in their half which screams inverted full back, but who knows?

Junior's heatmap is harder to decypher since he was all over the place.

Compared to other full backs in the league this weekend, Bocat's is quite different.

I'm still trying to understand how some thought that Junior is a better full back than Hoever, It's one of life's mysteries I suppose.

[scfc5]

Aug 26, 2024 21:08:20 GMT @theonlooker said:

Bocats heatmap shows that he was quite wide in possession in our half and pretty narrow in their half which screams inverted full back, but who knows?

Junior's heatmap is harder to decypher since he was all over the place.

Compared to other full backs in the league this weekend, Bocat's is quite different.

I get what you mean. But isn’t an inverted full-back supposed to come into central midfield when he inverts? Bocat never did that. He’d run forward 20 yards quite wide with it, then pass it backwards to another centre-half.

[Deleted]

Aug 26, 2024 21:30:30 GMT scfc5 said:

Aug 26, 2024 21:08:20 GMT @theonlooker said:

Bocats heatmap shows that he was quite wide in possession in our half and pretty narrow in their half which screams inverted full back, but who knows?

Junior's heatmap is harder to decypher since he was all over the place.

Compared to other full backs in the league this weekend, Bocat's is quite different.

I get what you mean. But isn’t an inverted full-back supposed to come into central midfield when he inverts? Bocat never did that. He’d run forward 20 yards quite wide with it, then pass it backwards to another centre-half.

Yes, but I think it's a clear symptom of players that are being asked to do something they can't, and they're making a right pigs ear of it.

Again, I could be wrong.

[kev4chaz]

It was 3-at the back to start with Shambles and Gooch wing backs to start.Bocat left sided of the 3 .
After that fuck knows.
All i know is i never want to see it again.

[Olgrligm]

Aug 26, 2024 21:08:20 GMT @theonlooker said:

Bocats heatmap shows that he was quite wide in possession in our half and pretty narrow in their half which screams inverted full back, but who knows?

Junior's heatmap is harder to decypher since he was all over the place.

Compared to other full backs in the league this weekend, Bocat's is quite different.

Where do you find heatmaps?

[chuckrocky]

Aug 26, 2024 21:40:44 GMT Olgrligm said:

Aug 26, 2024 21:08:20 GMT @theonlooker said:

Bocats heatmap shows that he was quite wide in possession in our half and pretty narrow in their half which screams inverted full back, but who knows?

Junior's heatmap is harder to decypher since he was all over the place.

Compared to other full backs in the league this weekend, Bocat's is quite different.

Where do you find heatmaps?

I use Sofascore.

[Veritas]

We were absolutely rubbish but at no point were we playing 3 centre backs.

[chuckrocky]

Aug 26, 2024 21:45:51 GMT Veritas said:

We were absolutely rubbish but at no point were we playing 3 centre backs.

We 100% did. I sit in block 32 so was level with our defensive line.

We changed to a back four as soon as they scored their first. You could even see Gooch going around and holding up four fingers to the other players while we were waiting to kick off after getting instructions from the manager.

[lancashirelad]

I thought we started 5- 2- 3 (his plan B set up) then the subs it was musical chairs except the keeper and Gibson stayed in the starting positions. Sadly Schuey has a habit of returning to a back 3 and at home it kills us then when his plan B does not work it is roll the dice no other plans. Schuey please just stick to Plan A 4-3-3 then slight adjustment if not working.

[ceejays]

4231. The main problem was the 3. ( Manhoef Junho Gooch) were narrow affording wba oceans of space down the wings bizarre set up .

[maninasuitcase]

The dropped pie formation.

Take one fresh pie (filling of your choice)
Go to bedroom and open window.

Drop pie out of window.

Hey presto, Saturdays formation