Interpretations of Bristol Rovers wing-less formation last week at Portsmouth vary, as do opinions of how successful it was, but it’s a system Joey Barton continues to try and refine and will certainly use again this season.
Barton raised several eyebrows among the 1,843 Gasheads who had made the trip down to Fratton Park, plus the several thousand more back in Bristol, by selecting nine central outfield players against Pompey in what appeared to be a narrow 3-3-3-1.
Luca Hoole was the only specialist “wide player” in the team, but he played the game on the right-hand side of a back three, having been moved into the centre of defence this season.
Essentially, Rovers squeezed the middle of the field, looking to dominate possession, but it left them exposed down the flanks, with Hoole and Lewis Gibson assigned to shuttle out wide when out of possession, with Paul Coutts then supporting James Connolly in the middle.
The willingness to consistently go short and build from the back also meant that the Gas were susceptible to Pompey’s high press and conceding turnovers. But, despite the obvious teething problems, they persevered throughout.
In possession, Rovers were the dominant side on the south coast in terms of how much of the ball they enjoyed - 52.3 per cent vs 47.7 per cent - and passes - 431 vs 378 - and there was a feeling among the staff that not only were they unfortunate not to get something out of the game, there was plenty for them to work on in the future.
Barton admitted his decision to play that specific system, and the short turnaround from travelling to and from the midweek fixture at Barnsley, left the players with around 30 minutes preparation time in the formation, something that appears to have been extended into this week as it won’t be the last we see of it, in whatever guise Barton chooses.
“It’s something we’ve tried to implement before and it worked in certain moments in the game, and that’s just something we need to perfect, and something we’ll try to do moving forward at certain times,” first-team coach Andy Mangan said. “We want to be very fluid with our system. The system doesn’t really matter when you’re attacking because you want to end up with a 2-3-5, 1-3-6, so the system is always in a constant fluid motion.
“I’d say there were an awful lot of positives (at Portsmouth), we lose the game but at 2-1 with the penalty shout, who knows what would have happened. I do believe at 1-1 we were in the ascendancy.
“It’s just work on the training ground. It’s very similar to last year when you’re looking at what was our best shape, our best formation, what type of players are going to come out and perform in the best areas of the pitch. We’re just at that situation again. We’ve got to work on it - it’s always work on the training ground. The more we work, the better that system will be.
“With the players that we’ve got coming in, and the players we’ve got at our disposal, it’s something we wanted to try. It worked in certain aspects of the game and in other aspects, there are areas to improve.”
Saturday’s contest against Shrewsbury has a different dynamic as, unlike at Fratton Park, where the Gas weren’t expected to be the aggressor and had to be tight and compact, at the Mem there will be an expectation for them to attack and take the game to the opposition.
Mangan has watched the Shrews this season, with former Rovers left-back Luke Leahy having started seven games in central midfield for them, and anticipates the visitors to be solid, won’t concede many chances and set-pieces - both in an attacking and defensive sense - will be key.
Being back at the Mem, with the capacity restored following the lifting of restrictions by the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) also adds an extra layer of responsibility on Rovers.
“Performances are key, so if you have a good performance and you still don’t get beat then you don’t lose too much confidence,” Mangan added.
“Performances or certain spells in games haven’t been too bad so the belief is high, as you can tell. We had such a fantastic end to the season and the Mem is such a special place, we sell out every single week, they expect good performances. And our lads have a responsibility now to perform for them and to keep making them come in their droves and their numbers, to shout and sing for them.
“It’s our responsibility and we know that. We’ve got to be right at it and take the game to them, it’s on us to break them down and play our football.”
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