Sousa ponders tactical switch

[davieG]

Merc

Under-pressure Leicester City boss Paulo Sousa looks likely to abandon the 4-3-3 system as he attempts to end the damaging losing streak which is jeopardising his future at the Walkers Stadium.

City's 4-3 defeat at Norwich on Tuesday night was their sixth defeat in nine games and leaves them propping up the Championship.

Now Sousa, who is also being linked with a move to Greek club AEK Athens, knows that he has to come up with a winning formula against S****horpe on Saturday to avoid incurring the further wrath of an increasingly impatient Blue Army.

City worked their way back into the Championship contest at Carrow Road by reverting to 4-4-2, before striker Matty Fryatt's dismissal checked the comeback.

Sousa said: "Every time we change to 4-4-2 with two strikers down the middle, it has been a change in a positive way and we will explore that more, and probably, from the beginning."

With Fryatt expected to serve a three-match ban for violent conduct, Martyn Waghorn looks favourite to partner Steve Howard in attack against the Iron.

However, Sousa knows his major concerns revolve around a back-line which has conceded 22 goals in nine league games.

And he said it is vital for the team to put up a rigorous case for their defence in Saturday's clash at the Walkers Stadium.

He said: "We keep working on that, but to change it we need two or three games with a clean sheet to encourage our players and to avoid the decisions we are making at times. It is something we want to change and something we work on every day to change, but it is not easy.

"Confidence comes with wins and with clean sheets, especially for defenders and goalkeepers. It is something we want but we have the quality and want to push up front sometimes and that means we are exposed."

Sousa has also admitted his frustration at being unable to strengthen a defence which is now having to cope with the additional loss of Miguel Vitor, who is also serving a ban for his dismissal in last week's heavy defeat at Portsmouth.

Sousa had a bid for Swansea defender Ashley Williams turned down in late August, while a mid-September move to bring in Kamil Zayatte on a loan deal from Hull, with a view to a permanent deal, foundered in its final stages.

There were suggestions that Zayatte had problems with his medical, but Hull boss and former City chief Nigel Pearson said the reason the deal fell through was "administrative, technical and financial in relation to emergency loan regulations."

The City boss said the search for new recruits is continuing, but added: "It is something we wanted to do from the beginning, but the market has not been good for us.

"When we come close to concluding deals with certain players we always have an issue and it doesn't allow us to settle the deal. We keep going because we want to add more quality."

The Portuguese sports newspaper, A Bola, claims that Sousa is a target for AEK Athens, whose head coach Dujan Bajevic resigned earlier this week.

[Kilworthfox]

The 4-4-2 is a positive, I really want us to keep these clean sheets, & see some more effort & good football, results must come soon

[Babylon]

4-4-2 should provide precious cover for the defenders and another body upfront rather than an isolated Howard. Nothing to lose... except 3 points and his job.

[Chrysalis]

it wasnt a 4-3-3 really was it, was more a 4-5-1.

[davieG]

It depends on the midfield though when Pearson played it with just 2 of Wellens, King and Oakley it didn't work so he resorted to Oakley on the wing. Whether Abe or Moreno with one of those 3 can make the difference who knows. Whichever you will then need two wide men who are capable of helping out the defence.

[CupidStunt]

Merc

Sousa said: "Every time we change to 4-4-2 with two strikers down the middle, it has been a change in a positive way and we will explore that more, and probably, from the beginning."

Took him 9 games to work that one out the divvy, He is got the memory of a goldfish....4-4-2....yeah this works, but feck it, next game back to 4-3-3

[1964FOX]

4-4-2 The players will feel comfortable, the defenders will know what they are doing. F**k me we might even win, it's all too much for me I'll have to have a rest to take it all in.

[jonah]

i think we should take some positives out of what has been said in that statement............... and pray to god that AEK Athens do want him!!

[marbelladave]

4-4-fooking-2...

Back to the dark ages...

[davieG]

4-4-fooking-2...

Back to the dark ages...

And a system that didn't work even for Pearson unless we played Oakley on the right in place of a winger.

[Guest shearfox]

4-4-fooking-2...

Back to the dark ages...

What winning football matches....

[davieG]

What winning football matches....

The formation didn't have anything to do with the incompetency of the players, the hand balls and sendings off, and they were perfectly able to play the 433 / 451 last season with Pearson with out all these calamities.

[marbelladave]

What winning football matches....

We won most of our games last season by being fit, organised and confident in what we were doing. Nothing to do with the formation.

In fact we had trouble with 4-4-2 from the outset, our central pairing getting regularly over run, hence, as Davie G says, the deployment of Oakley in that 'narrow' right position. As the confidence and the 'bounce' from our league winning season started to fade even Pearson tried to move away from 4-4-2.

The hope is that with some new players available we might be able to make it work, but it requires a leap of faith from "The person we currently have" to pick the players to make it work. We desperately need a midfield anchor man, and that has to be Moreno, no one else can do the job though I admit there is currently no guarantee that Moreno can either. Still as our one specialist defensive midfield player he has to be given a go, alongside King naturally.

The wide men need to be able to 'tuck in' and support the middle pairing whilst still providing an attacking threat from wide positions, we had no one who came close to doing this last season. Abe should get one of the wide positions and I would like to see Moussa given a try in the other, not at all sure who should play left ot right though.

Up front I know the system is meant to suit Howard with Waghorn or Fryatt playing off, but I beg to differ. I would have Waghorn leading the line and either Gallagher (for his guile) or Dyer (for his pace) in support.

One last thing, play the ball on the fooking floor!...

[Webbo]

Lets just try it and see if it works, because it's patently obvious that 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 wasn't.

This is a good sign that he's come off his high horse and realised he might have been wrong about something and he's prepared to learn from his mistakes. A little humility could go a long way.

[Jackirius]

The Portuguese sports newspaper, A Bola, claims that Sousa is a target for AEK Athens, whose head coach Dujan Bajevic resigned earlier this week.

Pleaseeee

[jimmer]

We won most of our games last season by being fit, organised and confident in what we were doing. Nothing to do with the formation.

Fitness and organisation

[blue blood]

fitness. we can play 4-3-3 4-5-1 or 4-4-2 with players that are buzzing with fitness. pure and simple. razor sharp fitness enables the players to be mobile, sharp thinking enable players to do what their sharp thoughts tell them to do.

Get the players fit Paulo, you have the quality to acheive in this league.

[Mack]

10-0-0 Human wall formation in the goalmouth and hope for the best.

If someone gets hit in the nuts the whole thing could collapse!!!

[MPH]

Just get Abe in the team and the 4-3-3 team would work. Him and Kingy could run around like mental buggers and leave Oakley sitting there

[Trav Le Bleu]

The Portuguese sports newspaper, A Bola, claims that Sousa is a target for AEK Athens, whose head coach Dujan Bajevic resigned earlier this week.

Pleaseeee

Posts in relevant threads please!

Now, if only Webbo was a mod...

[davieG]

Posts in relevant threads please!

Now, if only Webbo was a mod...

It's pasted from the original post

[Sooper Steve's shin]

4-3-3/4-5-1 (probably more like 4-2-3-1) seemed to suit us perfectly against Cardiff and several other games where we should have racked up four or five with the decent chances we had.

[Edmund]

The Portuguese sports newspaper, A Bola, claims that Sousa is a target for AEK Athens, whose head coach Dujan Bajevic resigned earlier this week.

Pleaseeee

Recieving compensation for Sousa would be the best bit of business this club has done in it's history.

[Ricey]

He's not that stubborn then.

433 just doesn't work with Howard as the middle man. Waghorn would be better in that role, but we don't have anyone that can play on the right instead.

[Trav Le Bleu]

It's pasted from the original post

I know it's in the article but surely the thread is about a willingness to switch tactics. This thread is already turning into a "good, Sousa's leaving" thread away from the point you originally highlighted.

I think