O
ver the last two seasons Swindon have been one of the most technically assured, fluent teams in League 1. Swindon fans have been utterly spoilt by the football on offer.
Unfortunately, at present, this
is no longer the case with Walsall currently reigning supreme in this regard. Swindon’s
possession based style remains, but it is sterile. Thus far, Swindon have only been fluent in
the second half against Bradford and in spells against Port Vale. They are not outplaying teams as they did in
most games last season.
Admittedly, we are only eight
games into the season and the new players will need time to adapt to Swindon’s
demanding playing style, and in the case of Louis Thompson, Ojamaa and Ajose
they are lacking match fitness. Any criticism
of the team and management should therefore wait until we are a further
into the campaign (but because I hold myself in high regard I’ll weigh
in with mine a little earlier!).
The most obvious explanation for
Swindon’s performances (apart from the ‘bedding in’ period) would be that
Swindon no longer have the players with the requisite technical quality to
reach the performance levels of previous campaigns. Certainly, losing players of the calibre of
Stephens, Luongo, Byrne and Gladwin, and expecting the footballing levels to be unaffected, would be blinkered. To other non-Swindon
supporters this would be the obvious explanation and perhaps offering
other explanations is therefore over-complicating matters unnecessarily. Naturally, this explanation for Swindon’s
recent performances is rarely cited by Swindon fans, particularly those with
unrealistic expectations.
One criticism amongst Swindon
supporters for the current performances, which I think has some weight, is the
change in formation from 3-5-2 to 4-3-3.
Mark Cooper seems to think that playing four at the back suits his
current group of players and would argue that pundits/commentators attach too
much importance to formations in any case (which has merit). Some would contend that Swindon no longer
have the players to play 3-5-2 with no-one in the squad capable of playing as a
right-wing back, without Nathan Byrne and the injured Kevin Stewart, except for
the green Bradley Barry and possibly Will Randall.
My view is that playing 3-5-2 still
suits the current squad in light of the restrictions imposed on team selection
by having to play players on loan; the squad imbalances with a surfeit of deep
lying central midfielders (Kasim, Traore, Rodgers, Williams (if not at centre
back) and Marshall) and number 10s (Robert, Ojamaa and J.Stewart); and four
good strikers, but no number 9s. My first XI for Swindon with everyone fit in a
4-3-3 formation from right to left (leaving out K.Stewart while Louis Thompson
is on loan) would be: Vigouroux; N.Thompson, Branco, Turnbull,
Ormonde-Ottewill; Williams, Kasim, L.Thompson; Robert, Obika/Thomas, Ajose; a
line-up which has problems.
Firstly, playing at right-back
negates Nathan Thompson’s influence on Swindon.
Last season, as a sweeper, N.Thompson (and Stephens) were pivotal in
Swindon’s build up play from the back.
Indeed, in the second half against Bradford, Swindon were so much more
assured in possession with a back three of Branco, N.Thompson and Turnbull,
which quickly filtered through the side.
Secondly, Ormonde-Ottewill, who
is confident going forward, less so defensively, would be more suited to a
left-wing back role.
Thirdly, given that Swindon are
seemingly obliged to play on loan Williams and Turnbull, one of them will be
played out of position assuming that Branco and Kasim play (which they should). As Turnbull is a centre back – lacking the
pace to play left back – his inability to overlap and provide the requisite
width in the 4-3-3 means that the wide left-sided front player has to offer the
width instead thereby isolating the central striker in the front three. In a 4-3-3 formation the full-backs need to
provide the width for the formation to function effectively in an attacking
sense. N.Thompson is capable of doing
that, Turnbull isn’t. Alternatively, playing
Williams as the holding midfielder in a 4-3-3 means that Kasim has to play more
as a box-to-box midfielder and further up the pitch, negating his strengths. Similarly, playing Williams to the right of
Kasim is problematic as he too is unsuited to the right/left of centre role in
the central midfield three.
Fourthly, playing three up front
does not suit Swindon’s attacking players.
Robert and Ojamaa are more effective centrally and all of Swindon’s
strikers prefer playing in a front two (which probably applies to most strikers,
I concede). Ajose, Hylton and Obika are
not particularly effective out wide.
Similarly, neither Obika nor Thomas are natural number 9s. Given Thomas’s size, superficially, it is
easy to bracket him as a number 9, but, as Birmingham fans will tell you, he is
not particularly adept at holding the ball up or dropping deep. He plays ‘on the shoulder’ and, ideally, would
prefer to play alongside a target man.
Playing 3-4-1-2 would suit the
majority of Swindon’s current crop of players.
I would play from right to left: Vigouroux; Branco, N.Thompson,
Turnbull; L.Thompson, Kasim, Williams, Ormonde-Ottewill; Robert/Ojamaa; Obika/Thomas,
Ajose/Hylton. This system would involve
playing Louis Thompson as a right-wing back.
Norwich played him at right-back for parts of pre-season and I would be
confident that he could play as a right-wing back as he has the requisite
qualities: quick, energetic, great at winning back possession and defensively
minded. Clearly, playing him as a
wing-back would be a bit of a waste as he is more suited to a central role, but
the overall balance of the team would, I feel, be better.
Of course, suggesting that a change
in formation is a ‘silver-bullet’ to Swindon’s travails is simplistic. Swindon
ought to improve in time – though probably not reaching the technical heights of
last season – and the current malaise is not that bad. Additionally, the 4-3-3 has tightened Swindon
up defensively with Swindon generally looking more organised and cohesive off
the ball (the Barnsley game aside). Branco,
in particular, has been superb. There
are very few quick, technically assured, good in the air, physically imposing, 6’4”centre-backs
in League 1. Clubs higher up the
football pyramid will probably be monitoring him.
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