Curbs: 4-5-1 is here to stay
Alan Curbishley has spoken out in defence of the 4-5-1 formation in one of his occasional articles in The Observer.
'Many fans think 4-5-1 is negative simply because they don't see two strikers' names on the teamsheet. More Premiership teams have been playing that way this season and it is increasingly replacing the traditional 4-4-2 set-up.
It seems that 4-5-1 has been blamed for turning Premiership matches into dull spectacles. But I want to dispel that myth. Yes, it is a pragmatic formation, but it can be fluid, attack-oriented and exciting to watch. And, crucially for a manager, it can win you matches.'
Curbs sees 4-5-1 as basically the same as 4-3-3, noting that Manchester United play that way and 'you would hardly say it was a boring line-up. To me, Chelsea are the ultimate embodiment of 4-5-1 because their striker, wide men and attacking midfielder have scored or created plenty of goals.
And when Arsenal play Ljungberg, Viera, Edu, Pires, Bergkamp and Henry, isn't that 4-5-1. So all the top teams are playing it most of the time.'
Success at Charlton
'At Charlton, we had a poor run early this season playing 4-4-2, including 4-0 defeats at Arsenal and Manchester City. Losing 2-1 at home to Middlesbrough playing 4-4-2 was the final straw, so for our visit to Tottenham in November we gave 4-5-1 a try, won 3-2 and have stick with it. Our record before that game was won three, drawn three, lost five; since then, it has been won nine, drawn four, lost five.
With 4-5-1 you have an extra man in midfield, your back four have greater protection than with 4-4-2 and opposing centre-halves have the problem of what do about th man "in the hole". It's a big problem for a team playing 4-4-2 coming up against someone like Bergkamp, but 4-5-1 helps you to deal with that because you have an extra man in midfield.
Six attacking players
At Charlton, our two full-backs attack as much as they can, while the centre-backs sit back. Danny Murphy has the freedom to act as our Bergkamp, Matt Holland and Paul Konchesky are alongside him in the middle, Shaun Bartlett is the lone striker, with Jerome Thomas and Dennis Rommedahl or Jonatan Johansson. It means we have five or six attacking players in the same team ... With the priority for 14 clubs in the Premiership being to stay up, I can see 4-5-1 growing in popularity even further.'
'Many fans think 4-5-1 is negative simply because they don't see two strikers' names on the teamsheet. More Premiership teams have been playing that way this season and it is increasingly replacing the traditional 4-4-2 set-up.
It seems that 4-5-1 has been blamed for turning Premiership matches into dull spectacles. But I want to dispel that myth. Yes, it is a pragmatic formation, but it can be fluid, attack-oriented and exciting to watch. And, crucially for a manager, it can win you matches.'
Curbs sees 4-5-1 as basically the same as 4-3-3, noting that Manchester United play that way and 'you would hardly say it was a boring line-up. To me, Chelsea are the ultimate embodiment of 4-5-1 because their striker, wide men and attacking midfielder have scored or created plenty of goals.
And when Arsenal play Ljungberg, Viera, Edu, Pires, Bergkamp and Henry, isn't that 4-5-1. So all the top teams are playing it most of the time.'
Success at Charlton
'At Charlton, we had a poor run early this season playing 4-4-2, including 4-0 defeats at Arsenal and Manchester City. Losing 2-1 at home to Middlesbrough playing 4-4-2 was the final straw, so for our visit to Tottenham in November we gave 4-5-1 a try, won 3-2 and have stick with it. Our record before that game was won three, drawn three, lost five; since then, it has been won nine, drawn four, lost five.
With 4-5-1 you have an extra man in midfield, your back four have greater protection than with 4-4-2 and opposing centre-halves have the problem of what do about th man "in the hole". It's a big problem for a team playing 4-4-2 coming up against someone like Bergkamp, but 4-5-1 helps you to deal with that because you have an extra man in midfield.
Six attacking players
At Charlton, our two full-backs attack as much as they can, while the centre-backs sit back. Danny Murphy has the freedom to act as our Bergkamp, Matt Holland and Paul Konchesky are alongside him in the middle, Shaun Bartlett is the lone striker, with Jerome Thomas and Dennis Rommedahl or Jonatan Johansson. It means we have five or six attacking players in the same team ... With the priority for 14 clubs in the Premiership being to stay up, I can see 4-5-1 growing in popularity even further.'
posted by Wyn Grant at 3:42 PM
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