4-2-3-1 (Continued)

In my last post I discussed the possibility of Bolton playing a new formation this season, and gave my opinion on who would make up our best deep-lying midfield two. Today I am going to address the lone striker in the 4-2-3-1 formation.

The 1 is a straight choice between Kevin Davies and Johann Elmander, and I think most Wanderers supporters would say there is no doubt who should be chosen. An interesting option coming off the bench late in matches could be Riga, whose pace and movement would give tired defenders a lot to worry about.

There are 2 distinct ways to manage the attacking 4 in this formation, and both involve a lot of movement to create space. Under Joechim Loew, Germany used a 4-2-3-1 with a traditional centre-forward in Miroslav Klose. In this system, there is a lot of movement and interchange between the three attacking midfielders, as well as overlapping runs by the full-backs, but the striker remains relatively stationary in the middle of the park, hopefully near the opponents 12-yard box. This is the first way to manage this formation, and probably the most appropriate for use with Kevin Davies. And Owen Coyle's signing of attacking left-back Marcus Alonso from Real Madrid seems to point towards this tactical attack.

The second tactical option is to use the lone striker as more of a playmaker, scoring goals himself, but also bringing the midfield into play and allowing them to contribute to the goal tally. It almost removes the centre-forward designation and makes the 4 attacking positions entirely interchangeable. This is best displayed at AS Roma, where Francesco Totti pulls the strings from the front of the attack. Kevin Davies is not suited for this role. Johann Elmander might be, but there is very little patience for him in Bolton at this point.

So, unless another striker is on the way to the Reebok, it will be Kevin Davies up top, and he will need to do a lot not just in holding the ball up, but in quickly bringing the midfielders into the attack.

Bolton Wanderers v Wigan Athletic

It's another relegation 6 pointer for Bolton as they host a Wigan side who are loaded with confidence after defeating Liverpool on Monday. Bolton have had to make some changes as Sam Ricketts is suspended.

Andy O'Brien (a disaster waiting to happen) comes into central defense, which does not bode well for the Wanderers.

Tamir Cohen returns from suspension and steps right into central midfield. Cohen has been solid, if unspectacular, this season. A large part of the support has not taken to him, but Bolton's best performances this season have come with him on the pitch.

Johann Elmander has been playing quite well, but still has struggled to find the back of the net, his fine strike for Sweden notwithstanding, and if he misses another tap-in this week the predictable groans and Ivan Klasnic chants from the moodier amongst the supporters will only serve to sap his confidence even further.

Speaking of moody, winger Vladimir Weiss is one again starting from the bench, which the 20-year-old will be unhappy about. I would like to see both he and Mustapha Riga get a solid chance to show what they can do, but injuries and red cards the past few weeks have prevented it.

As for relegation, Burnley and Wolves also face each other today, and they will be even more desperate than Wigan and Bolton for 3 points. We could see both these matches drawn, which is fairly common for these high pressure encounters, but if Wigan or Bolton manage to take all 3 points they will go a long way towards securing top flight football for next season. For me, the traditional 40 point threshold will put a club 13th or 14th in the table at the end of this season. A win for Bolton would give them 32 points, and while they should't pack up their boots and go on holiday if that happens, 32 points may keep you up this season.