Ftbpro - In the recent transfer window we have made some very good tactical buys at great prices and bargains, but looking at the majority of the buys a lot of these are central midfielders. This includes the transfers of Derek Boateng, Adel Taarabt and the recently captured Scott Parker. The problem is that we already have Bryan Ruiz who is an attacking central midfielder. Let's face it, he hasn't got the pace or strength to play wing, but he is brilliant in the middle behind Dimitar Berbatov. The Whites also have, Patjim Kasami, Steve Sidwell, Giorgos Karagounis and very likely the return of Mahamadou Diarra, on a pay as you play contract, who round out a very crowded centre of the pitch.
This means we have a total of seven, possibly eight with Diarra, midfielders which leads me to believe we will play a 4-2-3-1 formation. In my opinion, I'm in favour of this formation, but what happens to the likes of Alexander Kacaniklic, Damien Duff and Ashkan Dejegah. Kacaniklic is not a player that strikes me as sitting on the bench week in week out and I don't see him adapting to a more central position. Dejegah has looked incredible when healthy, possessing pace and skill, but once again, these two players are very talented out wide. As for Duff, some may disagree, but he is getting a lot older and I honestly wonder how much more he can take on at this level. However, he does still have some very good games.
So, what happens to the three if we do adapt the 4-2-3-1 formation and it becomes very successful? Will Dejegah and Kacaniklic seek first team football else where or will Jol change formation on a regular basis and risk disrupting a good formation just to keep the wide players happy and in the team?