Leeds tactical switch: thoughts on Sunday’s win
Square Ball 21/10/13Amitai Winehouse (@awinehouse1)
Three at the back
The move to playing three at the back is an interesting switch to make. In a league where having to deal with two strikers is more common, the third centre back gives you the spare man that is considered ideal in defensive terms. It becomes interesting, however, when the defence has to square off with a single striker and wingers, as we did on Sunday. Marking becomes more difficult immediately: if the centre backs mark and defend against the three, they no longer have the spare man; if they only mark the single striker, there’s two spare defenders, and, more likely than not, the opposition will be given far too much space in front of the defence.
Our defending on Sunday was very astute, therefore, and shows the extent to which this defence have been taught over the international break. The three picked up Birmingham’s front three. Importantly though, one of the two wing backs dropped back when necessary to provide the spare man, track any runners and avoid an overload. The defence clearly knew what it was doing against Birmingham. Three man defences provide additional stability, granting a platform for the forward players to play.
Austin in the hole
I remember watching Austin play as the most advanced midfielder for Jamaica in September 2012 against the USA, and by all accounts he plays there for the Reggae Boyz in games they are more likely to win. It was 2am when that game kicked off, and admittedly I was half asleep, but what I saw that day impress me.
Since the end of last season it’s been clear that whilst Austin is great at breaking up play, it’s a waste of his forward thinking talents to have him sit in front of the defence. To use a comparative example, Yaya Toure only shone as brightly as he can in his first season at Man City when De Jong was brought into games, allowing the Ivorian to attack. Austin can charge with the ball, something few others in our side can do, and he’s shown his ability to run with the ball at times in the white shirt. It’s simply quite scary for an opposition defence to have Austin bearing down on it.
On Sunday, his range of passing was also incredibly impressive. His goal combined his best two attacking traits. He picked the ball up and drove out of defence, before playing a sublime pass to McCormack out wide. From there, Austin did not stop, supporting McCormack by getting into the area, before ultimately heading the ball into the back of the net.
An experiment worth continuing.