Forum | General Discussion

I think whoever replaces Allardyce now has a good foundation to work with,a strong first team that can hold its own in the top 6 .Investment in the squad, would obviously be needed to strengthen as Allardyce is finding to his cost .But along with decent investment you must have a modern thinking manager who knows and can implement the modern game ,and that is where Allardyce falls short.Sure ,he knows a lot about the game,has enough experience to put together a decent side that can hold their own in the premiership,but his football has never been something to thrill over ,it's that one ingredient that is missing in his management.He will get his teams playing decent football at times, as we have seen this season, but all too often we see the cracks appear,in his tactical awareness ,his team selection or his substitutions..Its his football philosophy that frustrates me most,as defender in his playing days, that defensive mentality is reflected in his footballing style.A proven modern day football tactician could take the club to the next level,and there are plenty of them out there.Just consider one Marcelo Bielsa,he is an example of a modern day football tactician,manager of Marseille.
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Bielsa's signature formation in his squads, which he made famous and brought to the front of the world's mainstream football scene during his coaching tenures in the Argentina national football team, Chile national football team, Athletic Bilbao and Olympique de Marseille, is the 3-3-3-1 formation.

For this formation, the players are: 3 defenders (1 líbero with 2 stoppers at each side), 3 midfielders (1 central midfielder with 2 lateral-volantes at each side), 3 attacking midfielders (1 enganche and 2 wingers at each side), and 1 centreforward. 3-3-3-1 allows great transitions from defending to attacking, as many of the players used in the formation can perform both defensive and attacking tasks. Moreover, it establishes superiority in numbers in every part of the field, since with this formation his teams could defend with 7 players, attack with 6-7 players, or protect a scoreline by overwhelming the midfield with 6 players. To use 3-3-3-1, all players have to quickly set to attacking positions when the ball is in the team's possession, and all players have to aggressively press and recover the ball when it isn't in possession, so it requires great teamwork and understanding between teammates.

This signature style of Bielsa's had so much influence in the football scene that many present coaches, former players under Bielsa's command, are heavily influenced by the style, like Diego Simeone, Mauricio Pochettino, Matías Almeyda and Marcelo Gallardo