Peterborough United vs Bristol Rovers talking points- Is the 4-3-3 really worth sticking with at all costs?

First of all, this is not really about 4-3-3.

The real question is whether a manager should be so wedded to a formation no matter what is unfolding in a game.

When asked after the defeat at Bristol Rovers why Jonson Clarke-Harris was brought on after an hour to play instead of, rather than alongside, Jack Marriott Grant McCann replied: “We play a 4-3-3, it will either be Jack or Jonno. We are really firm believers in that.”

This is somewhat of a surprising statement from a manager that has at his disposal two former League One Golden Boot winners, who any manager in the division would bite his hand off for but also considering what he said after defeat at Exeter last week.

After that late collapse, he admitted that he was panicking when the time comes to make substitutions in games and he criticized the fact that no Posh player has had an impact off the bench in a game since Cheltenham on the opening day.

Surely, this is all the more reason to make a tactical tweak to get back into the game then rather than making like-for-like changes and bringing players he believes have already failed to make an impact so many times before?

Clarke-Harris came on alongside Joel Randall and Ben Thompson- who replaced Ephron Mason-Clark and Hector Kyprianou respectively- and preceded to make no impact on the course of the game, which was already well against Posh at that point. Oddly, the only thing that seemed to turn the match in Posh’s favour was the red card to Ronnie Edwards.

still, it was a far cry from when Posh were at their best the last time they were in this division and Darren Ferguson had a seemingly masterful control of his bench- with the reason Posh earned so many points from behind being the way he was not afraid to make a swift in-game switch. There were long periods where Posh rarely began and ended a match playing the same formation.

Perhaps it is true to say that Ferguson had a better squad. Did McCann feel forced to switch to the back three without Dan Butler early in the season and does he feel forced to stay with it now without Joe Ward? If the answers to either of those questions are yes, then perhaps a failure in recruitment- especially in the full-back area- lies behind Posh’s woes.

It is clear McCann has a preference for a 4-3-3 and that’s fine. All managers have a way they want to play the game but what really matters is how compatible that ideal is with the team he has at his disposal.

It doesn’t need saying again how inferior McCann’s options on the wings are to his title-winning Hull side but there will be a real concern if Mason-Clark is sidelined for a significant period and Ricky-Jade Jones and Kwame Poku have shown moments but not any signs they are ready to deliver the weight of goals and assists to fire a side to promotion.

McCann may have to have rethink those firm beliefs in that scenario and really, has the 4-3-3 led to a major upturn in Posh’s form?

It has led to wins against Port Vale, Milton Keynes, Forest Green, Oxford, Accrington and Cambridge and still led to away defeats at Wycombe, Exeter, Bristol Rovers and Bolton. With no disrespect to those sides Posh have beaten; every promotion-chasing side worth their salt would be targeting 18 points from those games. It has Posh achieve the minimum requirement while not showing any signs of lifting the millstone around Posh’s neck this season- the away form.

It could also be pointed out that Posh’s only statement win of the season came at home to Sheffield Wednesday and the best overall performance came at home to Lincoln, both achieved playing three at the back and with Clarke-Harris and Marriott up-front together.

Something to think about for sure.

Other talking points:

What else is there to say? Seven defeats in ten League One away matches. Nowhere near good enough.