The flat back five
A flat five with a deep midfielder in front of it is a passive starting position that is very hard to step out of, as I showed when West Ham exposed it and when Fulham and Grimsby found the same flaws.
The posts
- Match analysis Are Grimsby better than Arsenal? Arsenal pressed high but passively, Fulham refused the bait and overloaded midfield, Grimsby pressed man-to-man: one system, three different results.
- Match analysis United’s flat back line: How West Ham exposed a serious flaw A single West Ham goal in a friendly shows how United's flat 5atb block, with a deep DM in front of it, collapses the moment the front line steps up.