Blog written by DanLyles
Published: 23rd July 2022 10:30
“I don’t speak to players a lot about 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3 or 3-5-2 and think it’s about them understanding their roles and responsibilities on the pitch, as well as the spaces we want to attack and where to defend.â€
I initially mistook Kieran McKenna's elusive comments, back in December, for a lack of a clear philosophy. How wrong was I?
When I hear or read people debating whether they have just seen Ipswich playing in a 4-2-3-1 or a 3-4-2-1 formation, I quite often think they are all correct. It's not an optical illusion. McKenna has set up his Ipswich side to seamlessly transition between both formations during games.
Turning the cog
The differences between the two formations are far more subtle than I, and I'm sure many others, had realised.
In both formations our goalkeeper, two central midfielders and lone striker are constants. The seven players almost encircling Dominic Ball and Sam Morsy are the variables. They rotate their positions in unison, almost like a cog, by a certain number of degrees or metres. Back and forth, clockwise and anti-clockwise, depending on the formation.
Flexibility
This gives McKenna a huge amount of in-game tactical flexibility. He can tailor his formation to counter or exploit an opponent’s perceived threats or weaknesses. For example, he might simply prefer to match up the opposition tactically, backing our players to win their individual duels. McKenna might implement a high press on a back three man-for-man with his two dual 10s flanking a lone striker. Then press a back four with a 4-2-3-1.
The opponents left-back might not venture forward, encouraging Wes Burns to play as an orthodox right winger. Conversely, they could play as an attacking left-back or wing-back. Burns may wish to engage them deeper as a fellow wing-back, defending diligently, before 'standing up' his counterpart and bursting into the space vacated behind them.
A flexible formation can be extremely confusing for both opposition coaches and players. But it obviously necessitates advanced coaching from the proponent, who requires intelligent and adaptable personnel. This complicates the recruitment process and can be more problematic lower down the football pyramid.
Janoi Donacien, for example, must be equally comfortable as a right back in a back four and a right sided centre back in a three-man defence. Luke Woolfenden and George Edmundson have very specific roles as a sweeper and a left-sided centre back in a three-man defence, but then must swiftly form a partnership at the centre of a four when required.
New signing Marcus Harness has been identified as a technically gifted and versatile player, who can play as a number 10, a right winger or as an inside-left and inverted attacker. He could potentially fill in for Burns as a wing-back if he goes to the World Cup too.
Like in December, McKenna would not be drawn on specific systems but does loosely refer to duplicate roles, keeping the hybrid system under his hat: “We’ve spoken to Marcus about his role. Obviously, we don’t want to give too much away because the season’s coming up, but we’ve got a couple of base roles for him that we see him being very, very productive in.â€
Confession
I had previously championed attacking left wing-backs Conor Grant (currently of Plymouth Argyle) and Nicky Cadden (now Barnsley) as solutions to address the balance of the side. I was thinking of a Wes Burns equivalent on the left to make us less predictable, lop-sided and easy to shut down. No longer would teams simply nullify Burns and then nullify Ipswich.
In hindsight, this showed a complete lack of understanding of McKenna's tactical intricacies. Grant and Cadden are attacking midfielders or wingers with, as far as I am aware, limited defensive inclination or ability. They do not want to spend substantial game time as a left-back in a hybrid system.
Adaptable supporting act
Greg Leigh, and potentially Leif Davis, have been targeted because their profiles satisfy both the left-back and left wing-back roles. Being comfortable adapting as the cog rotates or swings between a 4-2-3-1 and a 3-4-2-1. These two, I am led to believe, can defend and have the physical prowess and technical ability to support the attack.
However, the notion of Leigh, Davis or even another, having to be the left-sided Burns and yielding similar goals and assists is unrealistic. We cannot expect somebody playing as a full-back/wing-back to match the attacking output of Burns, who is simultaneously playing as a more advanced wing-back/winger.
Ideally, they will provide the defensive stability of Dominic Thompson as a full-back. But when playing as a wing-back, rather than repeatedly cut the ball inside or backwards, I hope their instinct is to overlap or underlap, then deliver a telling cross, produce a through ball or even shoot.
Leigh managed a very respectable two goals and five assists (in all competitions) in a relegation-threatened Morecambe side last season and will probably expect these numbers to increase in a more dominant and attack-minded team.
Still, I would argue, given their defensive responsibilities in this hybrid system, our new left-sided specialist should be perceived as a supporting act to Harness and our glut of attacking, rotatable talent. Much in the same way as Donacien provides a platform for Burns to play a starring role, albeit with a slightly different dynamic, on the right.
Starring roles
In both his roles, I envisage Harness (and Tyreece John-Jules) primarily playing as an inside-left, operating in the half spaces, and cutting in on to his stronger right foot. He may rotate with the other dual 10 at times but I think it best that Harness (12 goals and seven assists) and Burns (13 goals and seven assists) occupy different sides of the pitch. This should make us a more balanced and less predictable attacking force, armed with a ball carrier and line breaker, who yields impressive numbers on either side.
Excitingly, we now have three attackers (including Conor Chaplin with 11 goals and three assists) behind a lone striker, who all got into double figures for goals (whilst also chipping in with assists) in their last campaign. There are other candidates to emulate them too, notably John-Jules and Kayden Jackson.
To conclude
This coming season, Ipswich could potentially offer a threat from their left to match that on their right. But it won't always be symmetrical nor as simplistic as finding the left wing-back to emulate our Welsh wizard on the opposite flank.