For me Lenihan is our best defender by some way, it's born out in the stats on our win %. I mean we just had our first loss in 7 without him in the team…. Hes quick, good in the air, physical. Is not the best distribution wise but okay. Positioning not great but better than Williams. Only area I would say Williams is better than him is on distribution. Ayala seems to offer much better positioning but does lack pace like Williams…. Personally I can see milage in the back three with Williams left, Lenihan right and Ayala anchoring. Will free Nyambe and Douglas to get really far forward and provide a lot of width against teams that pack the centre of the pitch and frustrate the 433. We keep the front three so no change there. All we really lose is one out of Holtby/Johnson/Rothwell which if it's a game where they don't get any space anyway I think is okay. If we can get to a point where we can pretty fluidly change from 433 to 343 and be comfortable in both formations, maybe even change in game as required we will be a much more challenging proposition for other teams as they won't be sure how we will play and how to nullify us.

Aren't we the highest scoring for this many games into the season since we won the Prem? But I guess your point is Armstrong scores the lion share.

I can see by he has been reticent to change. We have a new system in 433 and against back fours it has worked very well. I can see that he wanted to give it a a fair crack and see if it works against a back 3 over time as we adapt. While we plainly really struggled against Barnsley and Millwall we did quite fortuitously win both games. He recognised the problem though. Think he would maybe have changed to a back 3 against Bristol City but with Lenihan out couldn't do it as Sharp said. It's tough one as while we have clearly struggled against back 3s it's not like we are getting beat off the park. We could have won Bristol City as it was an incredibly tight game. So it's not a crisis, more of an ongoing issue. There is always the risk when you change the system you end up going backwards, you never know. But I think Stoke will be the time to try something new as we are not on a trajectory to top six at the moment. I think we need 2 systems. It's really remarkable when you go through Whoscored how flexible teams are and are able to play multiple different ways. We are a bit one dimensional and not quite good enough to steamroller decent teams. Need to be smarter.

Seeing as Norwich will play a 433 I don't think we need to change for this game. Probs roughly same team as against Bristol City. When we play Stoke they are likely to go 343 so I can see us matching up in a 343 also. Lenihan/ Ayala / Williams at the back, Nyambe / Holtby / Rothwell / Douglas across the middle and Elliot / Armstrong / Gallagher up top. Can see it working....

I think an important context for this is he was against five in midfield and three at the back. The room he gets to shine is non existent. This trend where we perform poorly against teams that play three at the back and 4 or 5 in midfield points to me that we need a plan B. Mowbray himself alluded to this after the Millwall game. Need to take a leaf out of Bristol City's book and be smarter tactically. Norwich are a much more open team so probably not a problem this weekend. But looking ahead Stoke are tactically flexible and will probably change to 343 for our game. Every team we play now will know if you go 343/352 you can shut us down. Would say solving this is going to be critical to our season. I would say either have the option to match up in a 343 or go for a more old fashioned 442.

Feel like I am going on about him, but Douglas has got a problem in that he lacks pace. That means he can't get forward because he is worried that the oppo will get in behind. But then even when he sits deeper he still gets beat for pace. Also not great in the air or in the tackle.... He wasn't horrendous, but I just felt if we had Bell in there he would have given Bristol City a lot more to think about when we were countering. Bell can carry the ball 30, 40 yards, and can get to the byline like Nyambe on the other side. Yes he is a bit suspect defensively but on the whole seems better in that regard than Douglas too. As others have said he is new, and maybe needs to build his fitness. But I suspect at 31 he is not going to get any quicker as he gets fitter.

Well we played pretty well, generated loads of chances, a few decent ones. Looked pretty solid at the back, aside a couple of poor defensive moments including one that led to the goal. But also we never really looked incisive against a back 3 and packed midfield. Our big opportunity was to score on the break when Bristol threw people forward but we didn't tend to counterattack quick enough and the chance would dissipate. Frustrating. No one really had a poor game except Douglas who did not look convincing defensively or offensively, we would have got a lot more out of Bell imo, and Armstrong who should have got at least one goal. The big theme I would take away is we need a plan B against a back 3. Maybe consider a 442.

I think taking Holtby off was okay, but dropping Elliott into midfield doesn't work, he doesn't hold the shape.

Gah... Saw that coming...

I really think Bells the better player from what I've seen. Looks like we've run out of ideas here. Not sure the sub was the right one. Don't think Dolan has touched it once.

Think just Elliot has slotted into midfield.

Guess thinking is to make us more incisive on the counter.

Can't blame Holtby off. He's not had any space. Interesting to see what happens with Dolan.

If we played for a thousand years Armstrong's not coming off at 0-0. You don't take off your best source of goals by miles.

Just don't really think this is the sort of game for him, too tight and he gets closed down. Straight swap for Davenport will be just the ticket I think. Buckley would be okay too.

Theyre committing a shed load of players forward when they attack. I counted seven (!) last time. We've got to be very sharp on the counter. I reckon maybe would swap Johnson out - he's not quick enough. Maybe get Davenport on and put Holtby in the "quarter back" role.

Hard for him, so congested. Reckon it's all about the counter attack when they throw people forward.

Reckon Rothwell just running at them is the best policy.

Were struggling to get through the 352... So many bodies....

Decent start. We seem to have given up on the pressing game at the start of the season. Standing off till they are in our half.

Presumably they have to let him play if it pends. Daft otherwise.

From what I've seen Douglas is worse than Bell defensively but better going forward. Good when we're on top but under the cosh I think it's still our weakest area. In the summer we need to buy a good long term player or find real quality iin the academy. Modern full back is such a hard position to play. Need an incredible engine, be decent in the air, good positioning, tackling, pace, physical and also know how to deliver a cross.

I looked back through their games on whoscored. Seem to play 352 against the top teams like Watford, Bournemouth and Reading. But last two against Birmingham and QPR they were 433. Looks like they will switch back to 352 against us I think. More I think about it I reckon we will change up, but not really sure how. Probably need at least one more midfielder and play a bit more of a direct game as midfield is going to be very congested. Will be interesting to see what Mowbray does.

I am wondering with Mowbrays comments after the Millwall game if we will consider changing our system against a back three as we struggled against both them and Barnsley? He seemed to imply a new approach could be needed. As an aside I remember when Conte took over at Chelsea, played 343 and smashed everyone, over time it was realised an old fashioned 442 could work well against it as the 3 defenders struggled to figure out who to pick up with only 2 attackers... I don't think Rovers have played 442 since we had both Gestede and Rhodes. But I could see Gally and Armstrong being a handful? Anyway sure if we switch system it's more likely to be 4231 than 442.

I would say Watford and Reading just looked a lot better than us (although to be far we were missing quite a few key players through injury). But those games apart we have looked the better team against everyone else we have played this season (imo) which is quite remarkable.