Last season, Antonio Conte’s decision to switch to a three at the back system seemed to send shockwaves around English football as the Chelsea manager stormed to the Premier League title.
Indeed, deploying a defensive triumvirate proved such a popular notion amongst tacticians competing in this country’s elite competition that even the largely archaic national side duly followed as Gareth Southgate looked to reinvent the Three Lions.
With that in mind, we recently asked our readers as to whether or not they thought Rafa Benitez should follow suit. While the Magpies boss tended to stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation he’s largely synonymous with, the arrivals of Florian Lejeune and even Mikel Merino could afford him such an option of tactical fluidity.
They, along with the likes of Ciaran Clark, Jamaal Lascelles and Chancel Mbemba, can all be used as central defenders while DeAndre Yedlin and Javier Manquillo/Paul Dummett could operate as wing backs on the left and right respectively.
69% of you believe he SHOULD utilise that kind of formation this season and we’re inclined to agree. Unless a top level striker arrives, it’s easy to see Newcastle relying on pace and counter attacks for much of the campaign, so providing that extra defensive stability is of paramount importance.
Thoughts?
