Imps pull off daring smash-and-grab raid at Sixfields

Would Dean Austin really have expected Lincoln to start with three at the back? It is not a formation we have played before, and it wasn't immediately obvious from the friendlies that we would do that, especially considering the number of trialists we were fielding.
 
Scotimp said:
Would Dean Austin really have expected Lincoln to start with three at the back? It is not a formation we have played before, and it wasn't immediately obvious from the friendlies that we would do that, especially considering the number of trialists we were fielding.
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none of us seriously thought a back 3 a realistic option for an opening game and i am not convinced it`s a step forward.

.A decent side with strikers could have had 4/5 goals.

and then we lose our centre half and skipper,...............loads to sort out in terms of personnel and pattern of play.(integrating akinde)
 
Agree we have lots to sort out.....as most teams do at this time of year with the inevitable big influx of new players. However a back 3 was always Cowley's preferred option for this season and I posted a few weeks ago on a couple of other threads that we would line up 3-5-2 at Northampton. I for one am happy to trust DC and just let him get on with making it work as convinced we will be playing this way in nearly all our games...... and I'm convinced it will work given time.
 
Have to say I wasn't surprised he started with three at the back, and I think it was what Dean Austin was expecting too. To play that formation for the last couple of friendlies, particularly against Scunthorpe, showed a lot of encouraging signs and was something different than the Imps are known for. Interesting that Austin's tactics were to get the ball into wide areas, early on, to exploit the space behind the wing-backs. Think we'd have got away with it more against some of the perceived lesser teams - Northampton maybe was a bold move for the first game of the season.
 
Scotimp said:
Would Dean Austin really have expected Lincoln to start with three at the back? It is not a formation we have played before, and it wasn't immediately obvious from the friendlies that we would do that, especially considering the number of trialists we were fielding.
Click to expand...

Yes, I do believe that he had done his homework in terms of the possibility that we would start with three at the back. The very fact that from the off they employed tactics clearly designed to use the space on the wings, behind our two wing backs, demonstrates this. At times, Wilson and Wharton were overstretching themselves to plug the gaps left when Eardley and Toffolo were caught out going forward. Some adjusting/tinkering/call it what you will, is required for this system to develop and to work well.
 
if we always planned to play three centre backs - and for anyone that knows the drill on our warm up - i find this an interesting image.
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