Home
Neil Lennon has found himself in unchartered waters at Wanderers during the last few weeks.
For the first time since walking through the doors at the Macron Stadium the Whites boss has felt the need to justify tactical choices to supporters, most notably the decision to persist with a back three amidst an inconsistent run of results.
After battering Cardiff on Easter Monday, Wanderers didn’t sparkle against Norwich or Charlton, prompting a few pointed fingers in the direction of the dugout.
Lennon seems only too keen to explain.
Whereas Dougie Freedman was often criticised by fans for keeping them out of the tactical loop, the Northern Irishman is happy to admit the lack of an established right-back in his squad has forced his hand into playing three at the back more often than he would like.
Midfielder Josh Vela filled the gap when Lennon first arrived at the club and has done so periodically ever since but the injury to Kevin McNaughton in last month’s home draw with Reading put a major dampener on his plan to cut and change formation more often.
“I know people are asking why three at the back, and to be honest when you go to Cardiff and win 3-0 playing that way I think I’m perfectly justified to play it again,” he told The Bolton News.
“But the bottom line is that we have to play that way because we haven’t got that recognised right-back.
“We had one, Kevin McNaughton, who was injured and tried to get one in January, and failed, then for the majority of the last few months, and failed; it has been difficult.
“We’ve had to play Josh, which has been far from ideal, but the reason we go with the three is that we can play two strikers and try to keep the ball in midfield.
“It also means we have to give Josh the added pressure of having to play him in an unfamiliar position.”
First used to great effect in the 0-0 draw at Liverpool in the FA Cup, the 3-5-2 formation has given Lennon a chance to use Adam Le Fondre alongside a target man in Emile Heskey or Craig Davies, or a link man, such as Rochinha or Eidur Gudjohnsen.
It has also enabled Vela to be pushed up into his more natural midfield position, having more of an effect on the game.
There have been times, however, when gaps out wide have been exploited, Rotherham United and Nottingham Forest being two prime examples.
Recent outings against Blackpool and Charlton also got bad reviews but Lennon revealed he was happier with the performances than his post-match comments may let on.
“I’m not really one for statistics but looking at those two games, if you are creating chances and have the majority of the ball, as a manager you can’t do much more,” he said. “Sometimes you can’t do much about the quality at the end of it.
“In the cold light of day we’re playing a better style of football, more attacking, and that pleases me.
“We have a lot of quality out. We haven’t been blessed with a lot of quality in the last few years but what we have had is injured.
“Craig Davies, Zach Clough, Max Clayton, Mark Davies is only just coming back, Darren Pratley certainly has goals in him – if you add all that into the mix, there’s no question we’ll be a better team next season.”
Lennon is likely to stick with a 3-5-2 formation at Brentford today, although Tuesday night’s exertions may give a route into the starting line-up for Paddy McCarthy, Saidy Janko and Gudjohnsen.
The Whites boss says he will continue to examine every possible permutation in his squad to make educated choices in the transfer market this summer – but he refuses to write off the final three games as a mere testing ground.
“I don’t want to look too far ahead into the future because I want to try and get nine points, so we’d match last season’s total of 59,” he said. “It’s a big ask but it’s there to be done,” he said.
“I’ve looked at players and given them opportunities because I feel it’s right to do. But it’s not really experimentation; it’s looking at what we want for next season.
“There is a lot of work to do if we want to progress but there is a core of players I’m very happy with.
“If we can add to that I’d be very happy going into next season.”
Source
For the first time since walking through the doors at the Macron Stadium the Whites boss has felt the need to justify tactical choices to supporters, most notably the decision to persist with a back three amidst an inconsistent run of results.
After battering Cardiff on Easter Monday, Wanderers didn’t sparkle against Norwich or Charlton, prompting a few pointed fingers in the direction of the dugout.
Lennon seems only too keen to explain.
Whereas Dougie Freedman was often criticised by fans for keeping them out of the tactical loop, the Northern Irishman is happy to admit the lack of an established right-back in his squad has forced his hand into playing three at the back more often than he would like.
Midfielder Josh Vela filled the gap when Lennon first arrived at the club and has done so periodically ever since but the injury to Kevin McNaughton in last month’s home draw with Reading put a major dampener on his plan to cut and change formation more often.
“I know people are asking why three at the back, and to be honest when you go to Cardiff and win 3-0 playing that way I think I’m perfectly justified to play it again,” he told The Bolton News.
“But the bottom line is that we have to play that way because we haven’t got that recognised right-back.
“We had one, Kevin McNaughton, who was injured and tried to get one in January, and failed, then for the majority of the last few months, and failed; it has been difficult.
“We’ve had to play Josh, which has been far from ideal, but the reason we go with the three is that we can play two strikers and try to keep the ball in midfield.
“It also means we have to give Josh the added pressure of having to play him in an unfamiliar position.”
First used to great effect in the 0-0 draw at Liverpool in the FA Cup, the 3-5-2 formation has given Lennon a chance to use Adam Le Fondre alongside a target man in Emile Heskey or Craig Davies, or a link man, such as Rochinha or Eidur Gudjohnsen.
It has also enabled Vela to be pushed up into his more natural midfield position, having more of an effect on the game.
There have been times, however, when gaps out wide have been exploited, Rotherham United and Nottingham Forest being two prime examples.
Recent outings against Blackpool and Charlton also got bad reviews but Lennon revealed he was happier with the performances than his post-match comments may let on.
“I’m not really one for statistics but looking at those two games, if you are creating chances and have the majority of the ball, as a manager you can’t do much more,” he said. “Sometimes you can’t do much about the quality at the end of it.
“In the cold light of day we’re playing a better style of football, more attacking, and that pleases me.
“We have a lot of quality out. We haven’t been blessed with a lot of quality in the last few years but what we have had is injured.
“Craig Davies, Zach Clough, Max Clayton, Mark Davies is only just coming back, Darren Pratley certainly has goals in him – if you add all that into the mix, there’s no question we’ll be a better team next season.”
Lennon is likely to stick with a 3-5-2 formation at Brentford today, although Tuesday night’s exertions may give a route into the starting line-up for Paddy McCarthy, Saidy Janko and Gudjohnsen.
The Whites boss says he will continue to examine every possible permutation in his squad to make educated choices in the transfer market this summer – but he refuses to write off the final three games as a mere testing ground.
“I don’t want to look too far ahead into the future because I want to try and get nine points, so we’d match last season’s total of 59,” he said. “It’s a big ask but it’s there to be done,” he said.
“I’ve looked at players and given them opportunities because I feel it’s right to do. But it’s not really experimentation; it’s looking at what we want for next season.
“There is a lot of work to do if we want to progress but there is a core of players I’m very happy with.
“If we can add to that I’d be very happy going into next season.”
Source