Making the Case for a Return to Three at the Back for West Ham

One of the positives that may have come out of West Ham’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester United was a return to the three at the back formation (3-4-3) that was so successful for David Moyes earlier in the season and even going back to last summer’s restart.

As my fellow Green Street Hammers contributor, our site expert Henry Tomlinson points out: West Ham United must fix their misfiring attack.

Even though the finishing in the final third wasn’t there, the club performed much better in the second half before they were just dead on their feet in extra time.  The 3-4-3 shape and system just suits the club’s personnel and relative squad strengths so much better than the 4-2-3-1.

Injuries may also dictate a more permanent return to this shape starting with the Irons’ next league match vs Sheffield United on Monday.

Michail Antonio may or may not have another hamstring knock to deal with. What is for sure is that he is fatigued.  Andriy Yarmolenko started at centre forward as was ineffective at best, uninterested at worst. And he is to undergo a scan after he also left the FA Cup match injured.

Youngster Ademipo Obudeko got a big chance vs Man U but through no fault of his own, he’s just not ready to be a regular contributor leading this lagging attack

Playing three forwards across the front that can interchange positions could open things up for the Irons attack.  Jarrod Bowen can play on the right or through the middle and has played wide left at times too. Pablo Fornals can play on the left or centrally and so can Said Benrahma.

Playing all three together would give more time to rest or heal Antonio. And it would thankfully keep Andriy Yarmolenko from ever playing center forward again!

David Moyes has also said newcomer Jesse Lingard can play any attacking position across the front line. In his first two games, he was deployed in the number 10 role. Lingard isn’t likely to score two goals a game for the remainder of the season but his return to the starting XI will be a welcome sight for the Hammers, regardless of tactics.

On the back-end, stalwart defender Angelo Ogbonna left the game with an injury, and his replacement Issa Diop left under the concussion sub-rules after knocking heads.  It remains to be seen if one or both are available for section Monday.

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Ogbonna is also set to undergo a medical scan. But certainly, if Ogbonna is out, playing three at the back would help cover his absence in what essentially would be two defenders for one move.

Craig Dawson has been nothing short of a revelation since his insertion into the team. He can anchor WHU’s defence in the middle of a three at the back with Cresswell on his left and Fabian Balbuena (or Diop) on his right.  Cresswell has had one of his best seasons in recent memory playing in this role. And that form has mostly carried over to his more traditional left-back play too.

As for wing-backs, when Arthur Masuaku went down with knee surgery there was no cover for him in this system so Moyes went to two at the back with two full-backs.  Ben Johnson was a real bright spot playing left wing-back in front of Creswell when he was brought on vs Man U.  No reason why he couldn’t slot into this position from the start.

Ryan Fredericks also performed well in combination with Vladimir Coufal on the right side shutting down Jack Grealish vs Villa.  And while this isn’t a case for Fredericks over Coufal at right wing-back, the larger point is that the personnel and the way this team is constructed (or isn’t, if you prefer GSB OUT) is much more suited to the 3-4-3 system used vs Man U after halftime. And it allows for cover on multiple positions while the squad gets healthy and rested again.

Here is one potential lineup taking into consideration that Ogbonna and Antonio are not fit in time for Monday.

Fabianski

Balbuena Dawson Cresswell

Coufal Rice Soucek Johnson

Bowen Lingard Fornals

When the Irons play this system they are able to win the ball back faster and spring the counter-attack. It would shore up a defence possibly without Ogbonna. And it certainly makes sense upfront if Antonio is out. And even if Michael Antonio is healthy, he can’t play 90 minutes in all remaining matches.

This system works for West Ham United. They’ve had success with it. And now with injuries mounting and the ability to score waning, it’s time for a more permanent return to the 3-4-3 shape.