Which system - if any - will Swansea use week-in, week-out in 2014/15?
The arrival of Jefferson Montero, plus the Swan's continued interest in Dmitri Payet of Marseille (another winger, who the Swans have already agreed a fee for) would seem to indicate that, for large portions of the season at least, we're going to be operating in a standard Swansea 4-2-3-1 formation...but wait! Where does that leave new signing Bafetimbi Gomis?
Gomis' arrival, which at the time coincided with a distinct lack of wingers (only Dyer & Routledge were on the books at this point - plus Emnes if you count him as a winger), seemed to me to imply we'd spend a large portion of this coming season playing a 4-4-2 diamond. The arrival of Jeff and possibly Payet too would seem to put paid to that theory, though it doesn't mean we're not going to switch between formations throughout the season.
Here's how a team based on a diamond midfield could look this season:
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| As you can see, in this formation it's very easy to switch into a 3-5-2, with Leon Britton becoming essentially a third centre-back |
Does that look seriously strong to anyone else? There would be two areas of concern for me, all tied in the same kind of position, and remarkably I'm going to single out the area of the pitch around Leon Britton. Left on his own to cover that amount of the pitch he'll always struggle, and that's not a slight on his ability.
He just can't cover that much ground on his own - he hasn't got the necessary physical attributes. That makes defensive midfield a weakness in my opinion (unless whichever two midfielders play ahead get back to help out), and secondly this puts extra pressure on the fullbacks, as without a traditional winger ahead of them - and only one defensive midfielder to track over and cover - they are very exposed. This was particularly evident, I thought, when we played in this fashion at the end of the season - though this could well be something The Monk has worked on addressing over the summer.
It could easily be argued Ki would be a better fulcrum, with Leon operating in a more Xavi-esque role alongside Jonjo, and I can see that working. I think though that given Leon's experience in front of the back four he'll be preferred, and this leaves us needing to make sure we cover both him, and the full-backs with more vigour.
Now let's have a look at how we'd shape up (potentially) with our traditional 4-2-3-1:
That's a bit more familiar, isn't it? The big question mark around this formation, for me, is how/if Gomis fits into the picture. Surely we can't be set to play him out on the wing? That leaves a very expensive option sitting on the bench. Obviously Wilf is off to the African Cup of Nations so that'll give Gomis a chance, and competition for places is never a bad thing, and if he keeps Wilf out of the team on merit then that's hardly a negative for Swansea City.
As for the wingers, that'd be good competition. If there's truth to the rumour of Payet talks continuing we'd have four for two positions, and I can't see why we'd be signing a fourth (arguably fifth if you count Emnes) winger if we planned to play a 4-4-2 diamond. Surely not? Even if Monk plans to use a winger in the "number ten" position behind two strikers, the abundance of wing men seems superfluous if we're playing a diamond more often than not.
There is the possibility we're looking at a three-at-the-back system, but I think the ease with which you can switch from a diamond to a 3-5-2 makes that the more obvious utlisation of that formation - ie. having your defensive midfielder playing between centre-backs in-match as opposed to playing with three dedicated central defenders. It is hard to say how we'll line up more often than not next season, but if you ask me I'd say it could be the good ol' 4-2-3-1 we know so well. Old faithful, as it were.
That's not to say we won't see the Swans try a few different things this season. Monk has shown he's not afraid to make bold changes, and I firmly expect us, on occasion, to play with a different system this season. The proof is in the pudding, but we're rapidly assembling a squad of players who will allow us to do this. I've said on many an occasion that if you don't look to evolve, you run the risk of stagnating.
However we play, the overall calilbre of the squad is now surely the best we've ever seen in South Wales, and 2014/15 looks set to be another exciting season for Swansea City Football Club. I can't bloody wait.