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Ian Evatt admits he has considering tweaking Wanderers’ system but says their overall approach will remain the same.
Evatt used a 3-5-2 system early in his Bolton tenure and believes the current squad could thrive in a similar system.
However, he insists the Whites will not stray from their possession-based approach in the coming weeks and months.
“Our philosophy and identity will never change – we’re always going to try to be a possession-based football team,” said Evatt.
“But the tactics around that could obviously change. We’ll never lose our belief and identity because once you’ve done that, you’re on a hiding to nothing.
“You’ve got to stick to your beliefs but there are changes and tweaks you can make. For instance, we were 3-5-2 for a lot of last season and then we changed to 4-3-3. We’ve been 4-2-3-1, we’ve had pivots with two eights.
“We’ve got that to able to adapt and tinker with. We’ve probably got the players to be able to play three at the back again now. When you’ve got people missing, you’ve got to look at what system best suits the personnel available.
“We’ll do that on a match-by-match basis. We’ll never stick to one formation, it’s always about adapting and overcoming.”
Evatt also revealed he dedicated some time earlier in the week to team-bonding activities following a difficult week.
The Bolton boss insists having good relationships away from football will have a big impact on performances on the pitch.
He added: “Last season we found it very difficult and it took time to build those relationships (due to the pandemic).
“After the week we’d had and with the captain leaving, we needed to get the lads together and share some good moments, and we did that on Tuesday. It was good fun, very light-hearted.
“Sometimes it does us good to get away from the football environment and the training ground, and that’s where people’s personalities come out more. People will spend time with each other and talk about different things other than football, and you build relationships.
“All the best teams I played in were very strong on and off the pitch, those relationships. So hopefully we can do more of that type of thing.
“The club has been brilliant in supporting me with that idea and every time I’ve asked for something, they always try and help as best they can."
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