Does 3-6-1 exist anywhere?

[FoxesBoyChris]

Does anyone know if a 3-6-1 formation exists or if any team plays it?

I think it should be used at times as many people believe winning the battle in the midfield is the way to win.

Kasper

Moore Morgan Whitbread

RDL James Knockaert King Drinkwater Konch

Wood

With Knockaert just given a huge role to run around wherever behind and in behind the striker? Wonder how people would deal with it?

[Ashley]

Spain played it more or less against Italy?

[Alf Bentley]

Does anyone know if a 3-6-1 formation exists or if any team plays it?

I think it should be used at times as many people believe winning the battle in the midfield is the way to win.

Kasper

Moore Morgan Whitbread

RDL James Knockaert King Drinkwater Konch

Wood

With Knockaert just given a huge role to run around wherever behind and in behind the striker? Wonder how people would deal with it?

 

Given what you've said about Knockaert's proposed role, surely you're describing 3-5-1-1, not 3-6-1?

 

Can't think of any sides that play 3-5-1-1 off the top of my head, but some certainly have done. Wouldn't see the point in playing 6 full-time midfielders, though. We effectively played 4 central midfielders a lot under Sven and it just led to a lot of pointless short-passing possession in midfield, without leading anywhere.

 

3-5-1-1 is not a bad idea, though I'm not sure that Konch has sufficient speed now to play that far forward and still get back to cover. Attacking midfield with a free role certainly could be the future for Knocky, as his skills are a bit wasted out wide, but he doesn't retain possession well enough to play as part of a central midfield 3.

[theessexfox]

Two attacking players? No thanks.

[Leicester_Numan]

What if the opposition do the same to match up? Where's the space and passing going to come from? Seems like midfield would be more likely to be bypassed for balls over the top. Looks like a recipe for a very boring game to me

[Guest MattP]

Spain used a 4-6-0 with an invisible number 9, suppose you can do that though if you have the quality of their players.

 

Not sure it would work here at all, looks very crowded in the centre and only having two proper attacking players would surely be a hinderance.

[Kitchandro]

That just looks like 5-4-1 to me. If we have 4 in the middle players like RDL and Konch will just drop back, they are full  backs after all.

[Alf Bentley]

Spain used a 4-6-0 with an invisible number 9, suppose you can do that though if you have the quality of their players.

 

Not sure it would work here at all, looks very crowded in the centre and only having two proper attacking players would surely be a hinderance.

 

You'd have to be blessed with a team full of players of exceptional vision, technique and passing consistency for 4-6-0 (or 3-6-1) to work. I'd agree that Spain are - and we're not.

 

3-5-1-1 needn't just have 2 "proper attacking players", though. As well as, say, Knockaert & Wood (or Nugent) as the "1-1", playing 3 in central midfield gives someone like King or James the chance to join the attack - and the wide players can contribute. Against Monaco, De Laet was arguably our best attacking outlet in the first half. Could the likes of Marshall or Dyer play wide in a 3-5-1-1 formation? They probably could, provided the back 3 and one of the midfielders were ready to cover...

[tomtom]

I love the idea of an invisible number 9,...he'd be a bastard to mark at set pieces

*edit* although some people on here (not me) probably think Andy King occasionally plays a similar role!

[Dan]

Someone on the phone in suggested it last night.

 

Something like

 

Schmeichel

Moore - Morgan - Whitbread

Drinkwater

De Laet - James - King - Schlupp

Knockaert

Nugent

 

I'd actually be very intrigued by that.

[Guest MattP]

You'd have to be blessed with a team full of players of exceptional vision, technique and passing consistency for 4-6-0 (or 3-6-1) to work. I'd agree that Spain are - and we're not.

 

3-5-1-1 needn't just have 2 "proper attacking players", though. As well as, say, Knockaert & Wood (or Nugent) as the "1-1", playing 3 in central midfield gives someone like King or James the chance to join the attack - and the wide players can contribute. Against Monaco, De Laet was arguably our best attacking outlet in the first half. Could the likes of Marshall or Dyer play wide in a 3-5-1-1 formation? They probably could, provided the back 3 and one of the midfielders were ready to cover...

 

It's interesting and I love seeing different things tried in pre season.

 

Problem with a formation like this would also mean so many players would be surplus to requirements and we would need to stock the club with about 10 centre midfielders. Any new manager coming in would have a nightmare job in terms of balancing for a proper formation again.

 

When you have Wood, Nugent, Schulpp, Futacs and Vardy on the books playing one up front will be causing some problems as would a couple of injuries to Drinkwater, James, King etc.

[Jordan]

USA played 3-6-1 in the 1998 World Cup and finished 32nd out of 32.

Two strikers does seem a tad outdated, though.

[foxoffderby]

Schmeichel

SSL. Morgan. Konchesky

De Leat James. King Bakayogo

Marshall. Knockaert

Wood

I would play two in the hole supporting the lone striker from deep

[dorsetfox]

id like to see 3-5-2  

 

-----------------------------------------------------kasper------------------------------------------------

---------------------------ssl----------------------morgan-------------------moore--------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

de laet------------------------------------------------------------------------------------bakayogo----

--------------------------------------------------james----------------------------------------------------

--------------------------knockeart------------------------------gallagher-----------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------nugent----------------------------------wood----------------------------------

 

i would seriously play gallagher in that forward cam role he has great passing ,shooting and vision and very good deadball  play him and knockeart could thread some nice balls through to wood and nuge  and also have a very good chance of scoring themselves   with matty james just holding in front of back three 

 

then regards subs      i would go   the following 

 

waggy for wood or nuge late on 

 

if we need to go more attacking  then rwb  marshall for  de laet  and lwb  dyer for bakayogo   

 

 

just saying   

[Saxondale]

I don't understand why people get so carried away with the finite merits of particular formations - it's all bollocks.

 

When attacking, players will move into space. When defending, they will mark as instructed.

 

It's not table football.

[AdamN]

I don't understand why people get so carried away with the finite merits of particular formations - it's all bollocks.

 

When attacking, players will move into space. When defending, they will mark as instructed.

 

It's not table football.

 

Might as well just play 0-10-0 then. 

[bluesbrothers]

id like to see 3-5-2  

 

-----------------------------------------------------kasper------------------------------------------------

---------------------------ssl----------------------morgan-------------------moore--------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

de laet------------------------------------------------------------------------------------bakayogo----

--------------------------------------------------james----------------------------------------------------

--------------------------knockeart------------------------------gallagher-----------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------nugent----------------------------------wood----------------------------------

 

i would seriously play gallagher in that forward cam role he has great passing ,shooting and vision and very good deadball  play him and knockeart could thread some nice balls through to wood and nuge  and also have a very good chance of scoring themselves   with matty james just holding in front of back three 

 

then regards subs      i would go   the following 

 

waggy for wood or nuge late on 

 

if we need to go more attacking  then rwb  marshall for  de laet  and lwb  dyer for bakayogo   

 

 

just saying  

I do agree with you on Gallagher. We all know he's a great player when he's given space in the centre of the park going forward, but that's a luxury when we play 4-4-2 or, god forbid, 4-3-3, as we always have done with him in the team.

[MGLCFC]

Might as well just play 0-10-0 then. 

What play with only 10 men every week - are we really that good????

[Stadt]

What play with only 10 men every week - are we really that good????

If this is a joke it's a really shit one

[hornyhollthefox123]

Hull played it last year..

 

It works with plenty of sides. 

 

The midfield 4 play as a box                               x       x

                                                                            x       x

 

Gives the wing backs complete freedom.. I don't think it'd suit us though

[FoxesBoyChris]

I suppose I am suggesting more of 3-5-1-1 or a 5-3-1-1 tbh.

I think Knockaert would excel in a role behind a striker as he can't play both left and right.

A box of 4 midfielders does sound like it would work though.

Schmeichel

RDL. Moore Morgan Whitbread. Bakayogo

X. James X. Drinkwater

X. King X. Knockaert

Wood / Nugent

A midfield 4 as a box (2 CDM and 2 CAM) but with freedom to roam foreword and back would work well. Wing backs providing the width and a midfield that can make runs backwards and forwards at will.