4-3-3 vs. the 4-1-2-1-2 diamond is an interesting debate from a "what style of soccer do you enjoy" perspective. Philosophically, I really have never liked a diamond midfield (even before we saw it in Portland) because it naturally narrows the field and puts a ton of creative pressure on the 10, and defensive pressure on two 8s to shuttl…
4-3-3 vs. the 4-1-2-1-2 diamond is an interesting debate from a "what style of soccer do you enjoy" perspective. Philosophically, I really have never liked a diamond midfield (even before we saw it in Portland) because it naturally narrows the field and puts a ton of creative pressure on the 10, and defensive pressure on two 8s to shuttle up and down the wings. Parsons tried to find that true 10 here and really never did, but Sanchez is the exact archetype for what you want in that role. Sinc is who would get that spot, and she’s not a creator.
I really like the 4-3-3 for the Thorns for a few reasons:
1. It lets Soph play up top and roam, rather than being crowded by a second striker and a 10. I don’t want Weaver and Soph getting jn each other’s way because their strengths are in space. Norris played a diamond in the second half of the ACFC game and Soph had no space and was totally confined to the right side of the field.
2. It gives the team real width instead of compacting the entire attacking 6 (something we *always* bitched about on this board when Parsons played the diamond)
3. Rocky and Hina are both too slow to play the shuttler 8s- Same issue we had with Horan and Rocky the last Parsons season.
I’ve been a broken record on this, but the problem with the 4-3-3 this year isn’t the style, but the personnel. Take either Sinc or Dunn out and play a more traditional 8 and I think some of the midfield stability comes back. It’s not like the opposition xG is high anyways (though it might be when we play the Reign or Spirit), so I really think it’s more of a tweak than a formation change that’s needed.
4-3-3 vs. the 4-1-2-1-2 diamond is an interesting debate from a "what style of soccer do you enjoy" perspective. Philosophically, I really have never liked a diamond midfield (even before we saw it in Portland) because it naturally narrows the field and puts a ton of creative pressure on the 10, and defensive pressure on two 8s to shuttle up and down the wings. Parsons tried to find that true 10 here and really never did, but Sanchez is the exact archetype for what you want in that role. Sinc is who would get that spot, and she’s not a creator.
I really like the 4-3-3 for the Thorns for a few reasons:
1. It lets Soph play up top and roam, rather than being crowded by a second striker and a 10. I don’t want Weaver and Soph getting jn each other’s way because their strengths are in space. Norris played a diamond in the second half of the ACFC game and Soph had no space and was totally confined to the right side of the field.
2. It gives the team real width instead of compacting the entire attacking 6 (something we *always* bitched about on this board when Parsons played the diamond)
3. Rocky and Hina are both too slow to play the shuttler 8s- Same issue we had with Horan and Rocky the last Parsons season.
I’ve been a broken record on this, but the problem with the 4-3-3 this year isn’t the style, but the personnel. Take either Sinc or Dunn out and play a more traditional 8 and I think some of the midfield stability comes back. It’s not like the opposition xG is high anyways (though it might be when we play the Reign or Spirit), so I really think it’s more of a tweak than a formation change that’s needed.