There was plenty of anticipation around what formation and tactics new head coach Valerien Ismael would deploy this season, and while Tuesday’s draw with Boreham Wood gave some clues it certainly wasn’t definitive.
The first half appeared to be 3-4-3 but with players often interchanging positions, while the second half was more 4-3-3.
Ken Sema played the second half of the game, and gave a bit more insight afterwards.
“It’s not like a 3-4-3, it’s a slightly changed 4-3-3 really,” he said.
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“Sometimes we can go maybe a little bit deeper with the number 6 or move the number 8 more high.
“Then for me as a wing player I can go more wide. We can also change, so players like me and Martins we can change sides, switch from right to left.
“It is a change, but I like it. It’s new, he’s a new coach and he has his own ideas.
“I think it’s good, it can do the team good.
“It’s so early now, only a week or two into pre-season. We need a long time to work and work, and then we’ll see in the season if it was a good choice to change.”
The Swedish international side Ismael has changed the way the squad work in training.
“Training is sightly different, yes. It is more intense. We do a lot of work on high pressing, more sprints. I like it so far.
“It’s early still, but as a team we’re going for more intensity. A high press with intensity, and have the ball more.
“We want to be more on the front foot all the time, and score lots of goals.”
Another new coach and many changes in the playing ranks means another summer of many new faces.
“That’s how it is in football, every year it turns out that way with new players and new coaches who have new staff,” said Sema.
“I like that, and hopefully if we bring in new players it will work and we can go from there.
“I am confident that we will do better, for sure. Last season was a bad season, if I am honest. It was a bad season.
“I think this will be a good one: a new coach, a new spirit in the team. I think it could be good.”
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