Under the management of Jim Gannon, Northwich Victoria (EvoStikNPL Division One North.) have now gone fourteen games undefeated and has placed the club in Ninth position in the league after a poor start to the season.

The recent victory over AFC Mossley proved once again what a tactician Jim Gannon is, just minutes from kick off he commented ” I was going to play 442, but now I have seen the pitch and how bobbly it is we have switched to 4-3-3. This will allow for the big three strikers to “get service” from the long ball. Well this proved to be the case as the Vics went 3-0 up after 36 mins, going on to win the away game 2-4.

After the game Jim Gannon spoke to the Northwich Vics website :- A fine victory again Jim, four goals scored away from home and further extends the unbeaten run to fourteen matches. How pleased were you with the performance overall?

You should always be pleased when you get a good away victory. No matter what level you play at, away games always pose a greater challenge. I felt the players were in good spirits before the game, and the level of energy and focus was up a level from previous games. It seemed as if they were refreshed after the extra day’s rest over the weekend. I think that transpired into the first half performance and we found ourselves in a 3-0 lead at half time. I was a little surprised to see us lead 3-0 as many of our previous games had been very tight affairs for long periods. This game was no different and was fairly even as both teams adjusted to the opposition shape and the condition of the pitch. But once we scored I felt we showed a ruthlessness to exploit Mossley’s defensive weaknesses. We turned up the intensity of our pressure and once again we executed and finished several set plays with great efficiency.

I always felt that the second half would be much tougher. Having previously watched Mossley several times, their management are quick to make tactical and personal changes to chase the game. Three substitutes from them at the start of the half and a more aggressive team shape meant that they had the better of the second half possession and territory. However, despite conceding a poor goal I felt we were always capable of another goal as they played further up the pitch. Gary Burnett became an increasing threat, and his pace caused a number of troubles. The referee should have awarded a penalty when he was taken down clear through on goal but soon afterwards he got his deserved goal. Effectively the game was over and it was just a question of being professional and seeing the game out. Mossley’s captain got a late second but overall I felt we deserved the win and it was pleasing to get another three points which have helped move us up the League and now broke above the top ten into a solid ninth position.

Questions asked by Jamie Dewsbury.

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Will The 4-3-3 Ever Be Popular In England?

There will always be much discussion and debate about formations. In fact recently it seems that many are talking more about systems of play than the individual star players. Perhaps this is a sign of the growing knowledge of the fans and pundits at what coaches are trying to achieve when they set a team out in a certain way. You don’t need to be Andy Gray with fancy gadgetry, or a highly paid TV pundit with a one minute analysis on Match of the Day, to have a good grasp of team formations and their patterns of play.

Throughout England and most notably with the English National team there is an almost strict adherence to the 4-4-2. With the right players it is a good system, and with players who break off their shape it can still allow flair players to express themselves. I guess the main buzz words associated with 4-4-2 are solid, simple and straightforward. Coaches always express the view that players understand it and the roles within it. Managers are also painfully aware that playing anything other than this leaves the manager and his team open to criticism from the narrow minded philistines, who know nothing else but 4-4-2.

However, it is interesting that over time we have seen some managers shift their thinking from 4-4-2 towards subtle variations of the 4-3-3 such as the 4-2-3-1 without the fans even recognising it. For example, when teams like Manchester United and Arsenal starting using a ‘dropped-off’ or split striker such as Cantona and Bergkamp the emphasis of their play drifted towards linking play through the central midfield attacking areas. The archetypical target man epitomised by Niall Quinn became extinct at clubs such as Arsenal under Wenger. In modern football it is hard to fully appreciate the position of players such as Fabregas and Messi, who similar to Cantona, Totti, Del Piero, Kaka and many others roam the central midfield and attacking areas with a freedom to attack at their discretion. The employment of these ‘trequartistas’ (Italian for three-quarter players!) often is alongside a pacy front runner who constantly threatens behind, such as Cole with Cantona, Henry with Bergkamp, Inzaghi with Kaka. They are not used with a big target man. Is it more successful? I think so. Well I think England have a perfect strike duo in Rooney linking attacks, with Defoe penetrating. For me, and many, the big man and little man playing off scraps (such as Rooney playing off Heskey) are both wasteful and ineffective.

I guess you’re probably wondering why I referred to this subtle difference in shape as a 4-2-3-1 rather than a 4-4-1-1. When Manchester United played Cantona with Cole they also played two aggressively placed wide players – Beckham and Giggs. Arsenal had Overmars and Pires. It is open to debate why these players were able to play higher in support of attacks. The opposition were probably, in the main, more defensive, allowing them to attack more regularly. However, excellent athletic central midfielders such as Roy Keane and Gilberto for Arsenal covered larger areas of the central midfield and allowed teams to play without the ‘two banks of four’ defensive mindset of the 4-4-2. The wide attackers had more licence to attack and often played as high as the low lying central attacking player thus making the team often resemble the 4-2-3-1 structure.

Arsenal FC under Wenger have now fully evolved into a tactically fluid 4-3-3 system and with the influence of Jose Mourinho, whose 4-3-3 Chelsea FC teams won the English premiership, we have seen some of the top English clubs transition to continental systems of play. However many clubs such as Manchester United FC (who briefly flirted with the 4-3-3 under head coach Queiroz’s guidance) have not gone all the way. We still have some clubs and many managers caught in a flux of modern trends and thinking, but not wishing to relinquish trust in the stability of the 4-4-2. Hence, we have seen some strange hybrid formations such as the structured 4-2-3-1 and the unique 4-3-1-2 played by managers such as Paul Lambert at Norwich city FC.

The classic continental 4-2-3-1 formation has two holding midfielders. It could be argued that Brazil, Italy and France all won the World Cups using this formation in recent memory. Brazil was the first winners to use two disciplined holding midfielders. Kaka played behind Ronaldo, with Rivaldo and Ronaldinho playing the loose wide attacking positions. The striking dimension was that both full backs, Roberto Carlos and Cafu, attacked down the flanks aggressively and often at the same time. 

The slight tactical difference of he successful Manchester United and Arsenal teams 4-2-3-1 teams only employed one designated holding defensive minded midfielder. That is because most historical combinations of two central midfielders involve one attack minded player such as a Paul Scholes or David Platt. Coming back to the recent England performances, is this why England can’t play Gerrard and Lampard together in midfield, and only one can play in midfield alongside the more cautious Barry?

At club level Lampard is utilised in a fluid three-man midfield that allows for his excellent forward runs, and Gerrard is often used as a split striker playing behind the point attacker Sergio Torres. Their respective clubs play them in these unique midfield positions as it brings the best of their qualities to the fore, but for England they are a little more restricted. There is an argument for a three man midfield of Barry, Gerrard and Lampard but that would not allow for Rooney and Defoe who offer the real goal threat at International level. So perhaps we’ll continue to see Gerard operating off the left flank as a ‘floating’ wide attacker which will allow him to raid infield and the aggressive full backs Ashley Cole to overlap as well as he does for his club side. Is it effective? And is it 4-4-2 that England play? The moral of the story is that, it is perhaps not to think too much about the ‘notepad’ formation or the starting position, but the freedom to move off shape and the combined attacking patterns that create the variations of attacks. The division of roles and the need for specialists has become an important aspect of modern football thinking. The challenge for the coach is to adjust the shape of the team and system of play to allow freedom to move within the framework to suit the skills of the influential attacking players.

When Howard Wilkinson was the Technical Director of the FA and in charge of the development of football at underage International level, (and to a large extent throughout English football) he introduced the ‘classic’ or 4-3-3 model for the development of players. The 4-3-3 was seen as allowing players to develop more effective technical and tactical skills. A view clearly demonstrated by Dario Gradi at Crewe Alexandra, who was also seriously considered for the FA’s Technical Director’s post. The development of a versatile 4-3-3 system was seen by many at the FA as the missing aspect important for International success. The FA coaching magazine was full of 4-3-3 preaching, and many club coaches including Alan Curbishley took aboard the thinking and applied it well at Charlton Athletic (I club I studied closely during my Pro license course). However, as can be clearly demonstrated, this thinking never worked its way through to the senior International level. Sven-Goran always played a 4-4-2 and more recently Fabio Capello stuck with a 4-4-2 and the result was striking, but for all the wrong reasons. It also never really took off at Club level either. When I attended the Pro license course during 2006 I was fascinated by a 4-3-3 presentation by Don Howe. However, he was a little taken aback when he asked the attendants ‘who plays the 4-3-3?’ Only I put my hand up. There was only one coach and only one team playing the 4-3-3. Only one other was seriously considering playing the system in the future. Swiftly, the presentation turned from ‘Playing the 4-3-3 to ‘Playing against the 4-3-3’!

Recently I have watched with interest the number of teams playing different formations to the 4-4-2, and in particular those playing variations of the fluid 4-3-3. I have watched all kinds of 4-3-3 from Macclesfield Town FC, Crewe Alexandra FC, Bournemouth FC, Ipswich Town FC, Burnley FC, Norwich FC, Doncaster Rovers FC, Blackpool FC, through to the Top Premiership teams of Manchester City FC, Arsenal FC, and Chelsea FC. It would be too simplistic to suggest that 4-3-3 is a successful system just based upon three of the top four playing this system regularly. I thought a better observation would be to follow and study teams at all levels to see if there was any significant trends. For example, Ipswich Town FC under Roy Keane has shifted from a 4-4-2 towards the flexibility of using a 4-3-3 and perhaps this has helped with their promising start to this season.

I decided to start tracking the progress of one team at each level and see how will there system works. Blackpool FC, Doncaster Rovers FC, Bournemouth FC and Crewe Alexandra FC were the chosen respective choices for the four levels. So far, all are achieving relative success at their respective levels especially considering their resources compared to their peers. Perhaps Crewe Alexandra FC could be said to be underachieving, but what is their objective? Often clubs play a system of play to balance results with the development of players, as the development and sale of players has a significant impact on the club’s financial position regardless of its results based success.

I was very mindful of this factor when developing players at Stockport County FC. There was over £3 million of transfer fees receivable at Stockport County over the last three years from players we developed, and this has played a large part in the club’s very survival and continued existence. Dario Gradi has reported to have managed well over £20 million and I am sure he is still conscious of the value of developing players, and the system of play he uses is important to this aspect. It might be worth mentioning Arsene Wenger’s policy here as well. He buys relatively cheap young players and sells developed players on when they are replaceable (Henry and Adebayor being two high profile examples). Financially Arsenal is the top club in the greatest financial shape, and Arsene Wenger’s principle of play and management is key to this success.

It has always been my contention that a well coached 4-3-3 has two major important benefits above a 4-4-2. Firstly, it helps protect young developing players in a certain positions from too much initial responsibility and therefore helps them develop. I have also commented that top clubs are more likely to buy better equipped ‘football’ players from lower levels, and the 4-3-3 is often associated with good football principles. Secondly, a well coached 4-3-3 team has more cohesion and co-ordination which allows the individuals to become a high performing team. As they say, the whole can be greater than the sum of the parts.

Over many years I have studied the relatively successful teams at Championship level that have come from a low level to compete with financial stronger teams. Last season in the Championship I thought Blackpool FC, Doncaster Rovers FC and Swansea City FC epitomised this ‘better value for money’ potential of 4-3-3 teams. It was my belief that they got more out of their players because of the excellent coaching and tactically fluid system of play. When I was at Stockport FC we wanted to push towards the Championship and when the dream looked possible after promotion and a push to the first division play-offs, we wondered how could a club of our size compete in the Championship? Part of that next level of thinking was a new stadium. This would create the solid base that Doncaster FC, Swansea City FC and Blackpool FC have all built as the foundation for their success. But in tandem with that must be the evolution on the pitch of a dynamic young team that can play a system of play that would allow players of lesser cost to compete with, and sometimes above, those of greater financial expense. If you can’t buy a team to compete at that level you have to build one.

When I was at Peterborough United FC I was able to study from within whether a team could get better results playing a better system of play at Championship Level. I think my brief spell there showed the value of a different way of coaching and playing can have to get more from the players. The team had previously had only three wins in 28 games under two previous managers. The new way of thinking got us four wins from the first eight games. It gained the team some credibility and gave the club some hope of survival. But the real value was never going to be in saving a club that was doomed to relegation but to show that if Peterborough United FC or any club of its relative size wanted to compete at the Championship level needed to have more than good players. They must have the management and coaching structure to get the maximum from the players. They must follow the lead of other clubs of their size and ask how can we compete at this level and how can we emulate your success? If they get promoted, will Peterborough United FC have learned from that experience? I certainly have and I thank them for the opportunity to gain that invaluable knowledge.

Different ways of playing can have a positive impact at every level. Many clubs at first division level will look on with envy at what Eddie Howe has done with Bournemouth on a very modest budget, especially if they get a second successive promotion this year. Sean O’Driscoll will always have admirers for the style of play and Doncaster Rovers relative comfort in the Championship. As for Blackpool FC, people will just marvel at the freshness of their way of playing and wonder how the hell can they be competing in the Premier League? I will also look on with wonder as well, but perhaps I’ll look a little deeper to undercover why, how and ponder the possibilities of what if! And I’ll always have one big question on my mind, why don’t more teams play the 4-3-3? I and a handful of other English based coaches prefer it for its proven merits at our own clubs, but yet it is feared, ignored or dismissed by many.

I have started writing up my coaching thoughts ideas and practices into a type of Coaching manual or book. I think Mourinho referred to his similar works as his ‘Bible’. I didn’t realise how much I had done, and how much variations I had used. Or how much success I had with most of it, and how much I have learnt from my player’s experiences. I don’t think I would ever consider publishing it. It is my own personal view, and given that it’s aimed at full time professional coaches that play 4-3-3 it would only probably sell a dozen copies in this country! Unless I changed my name to the Italian Jacquemo Gannini it probably wouldn’t sell on the continent either!

 It begs the question, how does change begin?

 Ian Holloway has based his transformation of thinking on studying Roberto Martinez at Swansea City FC. He learnt and changed. I guess to change here in England would be deemed revolution whereas to me it is just evolution. Spain are the current World Champions and half their team comes from the club side FC Barcelona. Both play a fluid 4-3-3. The style of play synonymous with the Catalonians is beginning to enter football folklore. The style of play at FC Barcelona is credited to the Dutch influence over time from Rinus Michels, Johan Cruyff, down to Frank Rijkaard. Holland is a small nation with a small percentage of England’s population. They were at best mediocre in the fifties and sixties, and yet somehow Total Football emerged and the 4-3-3 system took hold at the great clubs such as Ajax FC. The national game benefitted from new thinking and a freedom of play never seen before. Ajax became multiple European Champions and Holland reached successive World Cup Finals. Holland reached the World Cup Finals this year, albeit with a more workmanlike and pragmatic style than the yesteryears teams. Most Dutch thinking and the majority of their developing football structures revolve around the 4-3-3 system. It is ingrained in their football culture and for all the right reasons.

 The recent World Cup winners and current European Champions Spain play 4-3-3. Jose Mourinho has once again won the European Champions League and his teams play 4-3-3. Chelsea FC won the double under Carlo Ancellotti and they are current Premier League Champions. They play 4-3-3. When I started to compose this piece, it wasn’t to show that the 4-3-3 system is the best; it was purely to ask the question ‘Will the 4-3-3 ever be popular in England?’ It seems popular on the Continent and at the top of the English Game. However, the influence of foreign managers hasn’t spread too far outside the Premier League. Roberto Martinez and Sean O’Driscoll who operated at League one level had influence on others but unfortunately it is not widespread.

 There are pockets of thinking throughout England that suggest that some small revolution or subtle evolution is happening. Experimentation, small tactical changes and improvement has help lead some to discovery and change. There will always be pioneers and revolutionaries, and there will be those that follow their lead once the path is well proven. However, my fear is that 4-4-2 is ingrained in the culture and unfortunately not always for the right reasons.