Will Peterborough United change formation for their tough test at Stockport County?
Stockport County’s three League One defeats this season have been against teams deploying a 5-3-2 formation.
Would Peterborough United dare to use that formation at Edgeley Park on Saturday? Have they got enough fit defenders to even contemplate it?
Just about I reckon although it’s a stretch and it would rely on full-back James Dornelly passing his late fitness test.
Posh could go….
Bass
Dornelly, Johnston, Mendonca, Weir, Mills.
Ashfield, Kelly, Woods
Ormerod, Leonard
...which would enable Posh to field two strikers at least, and keep the three midfielders who performed well on Tuesday night together, admittedly against very weak opposition.
If Posh went this way I would expect Dornelly and Mills to be very defensively disciplined without too many optimistic forays forward. If Posh are still in touch in the final quarter wingers Owura Edwards and Bolu Shofowoke could be unleashed against tiring opponents.
If Posh really wanted to protect a team with only one specialist centre-back they could also play Harrison Jones in midfield and leave Harry Leonard up front on his own in a 5-4-1 formation.
Most likely scenario is of course sticking with what they know which would mean Edwards and Shofowoke in from the start in the usual 4-3-3 line-up in the hope they can create chances of their own against a team who have been far from defensively watertight this season.
‘Outscoring the opposition’ has been a Posh mantra in the MacAnthony years./
That team would look like this….
Bass
Johnston, Mendonca, Weir, Mills.
Ashfield, Kelly, Woods.
Edwards, Leonard, Shofowoke.