This season in English football, we have seen numerous examples of teams being able to beat anyone, despite their differing positions in the league table. EFL League One fits that description, which is why there are a host of teams battling it out for a spot in the top six for a chance of being promoted to the EFL Championship.
One team who is in the mix is Peterborough United, who have been something of a yo-yo club between League One and the Championship in recent years. They find themselves just outside the play-off places, and they have their inconsistent form to blame; following their 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Wycombe Wanderers, they have won just once in their last five fixtures. Wycombe, on the other hand, are putting some strong form together as they look to mount a promotion bid.
In this tactical analysis, we will look at what went wrong for Posh in attack, along with an analysis of the tactics used by Gareth Ainsworth’s Wycombe side that enabled them to steamroll their way to a win. Wycombe arrived with a clear tactical idea and game plan to combat Peterborough’s attacking force, and hit them where it hurts in crucial moments.
Lineups
Hosts Peterborough used a 3-4-2-1 (or 3-4-3) shape that looked to overload in wide areas in attack. Their back three remained unchanged from their 2-0 win against MK Dons, while Jeando Fuchs came into the midfield picture, picking up a central role alongside Jack Taylor. The front three also remained the same as the victory over MK Dons, with Jonson Clarke-Harris leading the line.
Wycombe also opted for a three-man defensive unit but lined up in a 3-4-1-2 as they looked to combat Posh’s attacking plan while having a dangerous numerical presence in attack themselves. This shape was seemingly selected to combat Peterborough’s shape, as Wanderers usually go with a 4-2-3-1 system. Former Posh defender Ryan Tafazolli, who scored one of the goals in this tie, lined up alongside Joe Jacobson and Jack Grimmer, with Jordan Obita and David Wheeler operating in the wide midfield/wing-back roles. A fresh midfield unit of Lewis Wing, Josh Scowen, and Anis Mehmeti proved to be a good selection by Ainsworth, as was the experienced attack lineup of former Premier League striker Sam Vokes alongside Gareth McCleary.
Why Posh couldn’t make their possession count
The opening portion of the game was a scrappy affair but there were still some tactical elements present that would be the basis of the whole game. Peterborough had 63% possession and registered 25 shots on goal, so they definitely had some sort of dominance. In this segment of analysis, we will investigate why all of that possession and attacking presence resulted in nothing for Grant McCann’s side.
