Tactical Preview to Bolton vs Ipswich

Bolton generally use a 4231 formation but will adapt their shape out of possession to the opposition.

Out of possession —

Below is how Ipswich have generally lined up when building out from the back:

• Outer CB’s split wide, Donacien slightly wider to push Burns on
• CM’s drop in, Evans deeper than Morsy

This *should* lead to Bolton pressing us almost man for mam, in a similar way to what Gillingham did last Saturday but in a more organised & intense manner.

Gillingham’s wingers were more responsible for covering passes into our WB’s then pressing our CB’s, Bolton’s wingers should do this more meaning it will be harder to play out.

Due to a similar shape when pressing we can exploit Bolton how we did Gillingham when playing out.

Morsy & Evans both move very deep & narrow, attracting their CM’s with them therefore opening a passing lane to our strikers to drop into the huge space created. Aluko can position himself away from the ball side to take away his marker as well.

A different way we can exploit Bolton’s shape is the conundrum they have of what to do with our WB’s. Their wingers will look to press our CB’s more often meaning our WB’s are left to Bolton’s FB’s. They can step up & press but due to us playing with 2 strikers this will leave space in the channels for our strikers to then go 1v1 with the Bolton CB’s.

Another threat of having 2 strikers on the pitch has is the effect of their FB’s when the ball is on the other wing. They will be attracted inside leaving our ball far WB in plenty of space to have the ball switched to them.

In possession —

When building out from the back Bolton will most likely setup as below:

They are a very possession based side who will look to build out a lot of the time. Their DM, MJ Williams, will drop in to make a back 3 occasionally & when not positions himself more to the right with the LCM dropping deep next to him. The other CM positions himself just ahead of the DM on the right side. In initial deep build up their FB’s will stay deep before moving high to allow the wingers to roam around & move inside. FB’s staying deep initially means that our WB’s have a lot of space to make up so our strikers will have to do some good shadow pressing to cover the pass to the FB as well as applying pressure on the CB’s; this is something Norwood & Bonne are good at.

When they have to go longer they normally go to Bakayoko, the RW, so Edmundson will have to deal with the majority of the aerial duels. Their striker Charles is poor in the air but a really tricky player to deal with 1v1 & in behind meaning the game Woolfenden has today is very different to his previous games against tall strikers.

One potential problem for us is the positioning of our CM’s; Bolton’s LCM will drop deep to get on the ball meaning our RCM then steps up. This so far under McKenna has been Evans who isn’t the most athletic & struggles in 1v1’s so is much more comfortable sweeping around for loose balls in midfield. Morsy is much stronger in 1v1’s so it makes sense for him to step up. This however switches Evans onto his weaker side so in possession we will need to then allow them to potentially switch back to maximise each players strength’s.

In the final 3rd the best possible shape for us is to defend in a 532. This will allow us to cope with their FB’s high positioning & most importantly the overloads they have in the half spaces, both beneath the ball & ahead of the ball.

Both Morsy & Aluko are better at tracking runs so having them on the outside of the 3 is important. The main threat is the LW, Afolayan, coming inside to the left half space. Having a 532 shape will mean we protect this area best & forces him into crowded areas. This could frustrate him meaning he starts to shoot from ridiculous angles.