The Emergence of Steve Cotterill's Plan

Danny Karbassiyoon - Steve Cotterill's fifth summer aquisition

Karbassiyoon (or Danny, as he will probably be known for convenience) follows Stoke duo Gifton Noel-Williams and Wayne Thomas, and Bournemouth pair Wade Elliott and Garreth O’Connor, through the doors to Turf Moor. The manager’s strategy for the forthcoming season is beginning to take shape.

Quite clearly, the signings haven’t finished: with the new and ill-conceived rules limiting loans and transfers outside of transfer windows for all clubs, at least three more players must surely be necessary before Burnley claim to have a squad of realistic fighting weight.

But thus far the signings provide an interesting mix. Danny, an attack-minded left back schooled in the Arsene Wenger philosophy at Arsenal, will provide an ideal antidote to those muttering darkly about Cotterill concentrating on height and muscle rather than on more subtle football skills. Elliott and O’Connor, having learnt their league football at Bournemouth, are also likely to be comfortable with the ball at their feet, rather than in the air. The former Stoke duo, meanwhile, will provide a little brawn to help remedy the lack of size which characterised last terms Burnley side.

Interestingly, the oldest of the signings so far is Elliott, at 26: all of them, should they be successful, will have resale value. All except Danny and Noel-Williams, who have signed two year deals, have signed in for three years. All this is in marked contrast to last summers signings, all except Michael Duff of whom are now over thirty. Only Graham Branch will be out of contract next summer. For the first time in a while, under successive managers, a longer term vision is coming into focus.

So too is a squad with options, which makes it clear that the days of Mike Bassett’s 4-4-2 are gone. The days of teams playing with two out and out wingers and players stationed in straight lines in front of one another, are dead. Modern formations are more fluid, best described as 4-2-3-1, or 4-1-4-1, or 4-1-3-2. In the place of a symmetrical balance, modern teams seek to provide a less rigid framework within which creativity can operate.

The game has moved on, and this squad reflects that. If Steve Cotterill wishes to play with two front men, he can do so: he will probably play a narrow midfield trio, with Garreth O’Connor tucking in from the left, and only Wade Elliott hugging the touchline. He may well seek to play with a midfield five, with Graham Branch (for now), wide on the left. Or he could even go with a back three, with Elliott and our Danny – both with pace to burn – acting as wingbacks.

It’s worth considering whether the much maligned 4-5-1 formation really need be defensive. Sure, at Burnley last year, few would disagree that it was used in a largely negative manner, leading to a league season which will disappear from the memory quicker than most. But must it be so? Is the idea of one or two midfielders supplying a disciplined shield in order to liberate other players in the front five, and maybe even the full-backs as well, to stymie flair, or does it promote it?

I suppose it depends upon how it is deployed. But it is noticeable how few successful teams play two out and out strikers. The successful Manchester United teams had only one out and out striker, with Cantona and Sheringham in behind; Arsenal utilise Bergkamp in a similar role – yet these are among the finest attacking teams in memory. The secret, as Arsenal so amply demonstrate, is in finding a formula which your best players can move and create the space in which they can hurt the opposition.

And when it is stripped down to the bare essentials, is 4-5-1 really so far removed from the old fashioned system of wingers and inside forwards, the doyen of attacking football? It is surely not so different, when one pushes on the modern attacking full-backs, and leaves a holding midfielder as cover. There are still two wingers, and still two other midfielders, who can be used to attack the box late as a modern equivalent of inside forwards.

The question, surely, is one of emphasis, and the summer signings thus far must give an encouraging sign that the Clarets intend to be a little more positive next season.

Gifton Noel-Williams - a questionable goalscoring record at Stoke

There will still be inevitable doubts. Noel-Williams has a questionable goalscoring record at Stoke, whether or not that is entirely his fault. And although most Clarets would agree a third striker is a priority, I’m not sure many would have James Scowcroft, another six-footer, in mind – even if he does offer the ability to play wide or in a more withdrawn prompting role, and even if his abilities once prompted Leicester to pay 3 million pounds for him.

It implies that the Clarets are intending to get plenty of aerial service into the front next season; it is to be hoped that this is from, wide, on the back of a build-up through midfield, rather than in the shape of longer balls from deep which are little fun to watch. The retention of players like Micah Hyde, and signings such as Karbassiyoon, would hopefully imply the former. The optimist would point out that the ability to play in more than one way is a hallmark of all successful sides: we shall wait and see.

Moreover, three of our signings to date are virtually untested at this level. In normal circumstances, we could afford for one or two to take time to adapt, or even fail to make the jump altogether – but at present, all are the only options in their respective positions. With a squad so thin, it merely emphasises that we are taking something of a leap into the unknown. And it highlights that, as we approach the return to pre-season, more new faces are still required. Yours truly would like to see another striker, and a natural replacement for Tony Grant, and another left sided player if funds should allow.

But the good news is that the current squad is the base level for not just this next season, but also the next one as well. We are beginning to get a proper idea of exactly what Steve Cotterill is building towards. And simply because it involves one or two big men, or because it could play with just one up front, don’t write it off quite yet.