From my not-many-games-atten ded perspective ...

... it strikes me that the diamond was the best way to maximise our attacking potential.

Hoolahan, by all accounts, wasn't too effective on the wing for us as he didn't do enough defensive work, and is better at attacking defences and opening space from a deep-lying central position than on the left wing.

In order for Wes to have this free role, though, we need a very solid midfield trio behind him to win the ball for him, and stop any opposing full-back runs, or cover for our full-backs when they get forward, as the 4-3-1-2 formation leaves a lot of space on the wings.

(Hence why Russell Martin comes in for some stick: he doesn't have a winger helping him with some defensive work like his predecessors usually did. Neither does Drury, but after years of playing behind Hucks he's probably used to it.)

We're seen as rare in utilising it because teams are more usually playing 4-3-3/4-2-3-1, but our formation was often described as 4-3-3 last season and really 4-3-1-2 is more accurate. That said, it's more common for teams to play two holding midfielders, just one out-an-out striker and a band of three attacking midfielders with a central playmaker and one player either side pushing out left or right.

The nearest equivalent to Lambert's system in the Premier League is probably Chelsea, who are often described as 4-3-3 but are really closer to 4-3-1-2 as well. They've done a similar thing with the sublime Florent Malouda as Lambert did with Wes - Malouda was seen as a disappointment after a couple of years on the wing, but now they've moved him more central with a brief to push out to the left (as France used him to good effect in 2006, alongside Zidane and Ribery) he's become one of the Premier League's most influential players.

Posted By: Ottosson Foxtrot, Sep 22, 19:29:36