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Not an easy game. The News is predicting three at the back again. If this proves to be the case, I can see Oxford taking the defence apart. It could be Pompey's worst defeat this season.

(04-02-2022, 12:41 PM)TBP Wrote: [ -> ]Not an easy game. The News is predicting three at the back again. If this proves to be the case, I can see Oxford taking the defence apart. It could be Pompey's worst defeat this season.

I'm struggling to understand why everyone is suddenly against three at the back.  When we were playing 4231 everyone was clamouring for a more attacking 352 formation and the switch soon resulted in a 10 match unbeaten run, despite the fact that we did not have a proper left wing back to play it or three proper centre backs. 

We now have a proper left wing back and four decent centre backs to pick three from. 
 
The fact remains that we have won more points per game playing with three at the back than we did with four. 
The only reason to change seems to be to get Jacobs into the team. IMO that is easy, just replace Harness with him.

(04-02-2022, 01:06 PM)DeepBlue Wrote: [ -> ]

(04-02-2022, 12:41 PM)TBP Wrote: [ -> ]Not an easy game. The News is predicting three at the back again. If this proves to be the case, I can see Oxford taking the defence apart. It could be Pompey's worst defeat this season.

I'm struggling to understand why everyone is suddeenly against three at the back.  When we were playing 4231 everyone was clamouring for a more attacking 352 formation and the switch soon resulted in a 10 match unbeaten run, despite the fact that we did not have a proper left wing back to play it or three proper centre backs. 

We now have a proper left wing back and four decent centre backs to pick three from. 
 
The fact remains that we have won more points per game playing with three at the back than we did with four. 
The only reason to change seems to be to get Jacobs into the team. IMO that is easy, just replace Harness with him.

We need to find a way to fit Curtis, Harness and Jacobs into the starting 11. They are our 3 major goal threats and need to be on the pitch

I think the penny is beginning to drop that Curtis & Harness are underperforming (Harness only recently) and are part of the problem in our lack of creativity rather than the solution.   Jacobs, I agree, is our most creative player - but his inability to last 90 minutes makes it a risk to start him too often, and maybe coming off the bench like he has been doing to great effect recently is the best use of him.  But I'd bring him on much earlier (e.g. at half time)

Curtis is clearly underperforming because he has been asked to play in a central position which doesn't not suit his style/strengths. He has  clearly been unable to adapt to whatever role Cowley had in mind. That much was obvious two or three games ago but has been ignored by Cowley. He was at his best, (cutting in to shoot, getting in good crosses, being free at the far post etc) when he strictly played wide on the left and even more so when he linked up with Brown.
Cowley has ruined him to be honest and he is a shadow of the player he was.

Brown was quite right in saying that this set up negates Curtis, it must do the same to Jacobs.
Under Harry we were great with wing backs, probably as the left wing back was a class above.
Romeo keeps looking great but as a wing back, how many assists has he?

Pompey fans have been following this pattern for decades:

44 fucking 2
451
We should play wingbacks!
Why the fuck are we playing wingbacks!

Repeat

Wing backs work if you play 352 and not 3412 or 343 like we’ve been playing

I'd like to see a 4-1-3-2 or a 4-1-4-1, you don't need 2 defensive central midfielders if you play 4 at the back.

Three at the back works if you’ve got 3 decent pacy and commanding centrebacks not people filling in.

We have 4 decent centre backs fit at the moment