weasel wrote: ↑Sun Dec 21, 2025 12:04 am
Full credit to the players for being so adaptable too and making it work. Not as easy as simply switching formation and expecting players to simply adapt seamlessly. We are playing it in a very fluid manner too, Rodon especially seems able to pop up anywhere and Ampadu looks to be able to play box to box without losing his bite.
Farke took a big gamble today by selecting Aaronsen instead of the more traditional midfielder in Tanaka. More of a 5212 than 532. It was very brave of Farke to go with such an attacking line-up and I don't think CP were expecting it or were able to handle it. It seemed like we were able to outnumber them all over the pitch. Farke deserves more credit than he gets from people who think he stumbled on the formation or that we have simply gone 532 without working on it, without adapting it and without figuring out ways to make it work. We saw against Liverpool that the opposition were able to counter it (but we then changed formation drastically with great success) and I feel it was due to this that Farke made the decision to play Aaronsen today to avoid CP doing to us what Liverpool did.
I'm not surprised the players adapted as I've been of the belief all season we are suited to a back 3.
I think they do deserve credit as mid season tactical changes aren't easy if it isn't something you have been used to for a while though and I think Farke deserves credit as its clearly now something they work on as a base formation.
There have been tactical switches like Joe Rodon getting forward more for example which is a change from before so imo it does show work and Farke deserves credit for that.
Was also sensible of DF to overload the wide areas as that's the weakness of the Glasner formation as its very narrow.
I suspect that is also why he played Aaronson as well, more comfortable overloading the wide areas than Tanaka.
Not as good on the ball but a necessary thing in hindsight.
So I think he does deserve credit on that score.
Do I think he changes that drastically had he not genuinely been fearful for his job at half time vs Man City? No I don't, I realise many want to give him credit and that's fine but I do think were he not genuinely fearing for his job after a very poor FarkeBall performance vs Man City he wouldn't have changed as much imo.
Do I think he stumbled on it? A bit yeah, he's never used it before whilst here or even in pre season.
But Man City struggle against back 3s, that's an open secret, so I expect it had been worked on a bit even just for them.
But I don't believe it was something he'd worked on extensively as why hadn't we seen it before even when losing games?
He's made a point of being more flexible and vocal about it since Emery basically told everyone what he did to beat us.
So I think a combination of point to prove and fear of unemployment forced his hand in a way (and circumstance of knowing he was playing a team who have struggled with it before)
He's an idealist, he's said it himself, he's a back 4 possession based manager.
It's what he knows, it's what he's used his whole career (he's very very rarely played a traditional back 3 or 5, it's just a statistical fact).
He likes possession.
If Farke had his way like most managers we'd be playing FarkeBall and winning games.
This is a big change for him.
But that's good imo, it's what he needed to do.
Stubbornness gets you sacked at this level, or relegated.
Russell Martin, Ian Holloway etc, they were stubborn possession based coaches.
The ones who adapt, put their ego aside, people like Frank and Nuno tend to do alright.
So imo that is what he deserves credit for more than anything, putting his ego aside, playing a formation and style that suits the players and giving us the best chance at the expense of his way.
We get the odd glimpse of ploddyball but thats OK in small doses at the right time I suppose.
But clearly a lot of work has gone into this new style , it looked really good today and hope it continues .
Long way to go of course, nothing proven yet, we aren't safe.
But I was impressed today probably more than before as Maresca is stubborn, we took Pep by surprise a bit, Slot is struggling and Andrews is a novice.
Glasner I thought as the go to back 3 direct coach in the league would give us a real problem.
But he didn't.
Think farke got it right and under circumstances best performance of the season and the best example of our new adapting.
