Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last eight months or so, you’ll have heard about the incredible story unfolding in the Vanarama National League this season.
In a league that has been growing stronger and stronger in recent years, two teams have blown away the opposition – Notts County and Wrexham AFC.
Due to the results over the weekend, Wrexham, owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, have claimed the National League title with a game to spare, collecting 110 points in doing so.
Not far behind them is Notts County, the world’s oldest professional football club, with 106 points.
For those not aware, only the league champions are granted automatic promotion to EFL League Two, with the teams placed second to seventh qualifying for the playoffs to earn the second promotion spot.
It is quite unique that a team who finishes the season with over 100 points doesn’t earn promotion, but that could be the harsh reality that awaits County, should they fail to conquer the playoffs.
Regardless of how the campaign ends in the weeks that follow, their season to date has been something special, to say the least.
This scout report will provide a tactical analysis of how the Magpies dominated the majority of their games.
We will provide an analysis of how their build-up play has allowed them to outscore everyone in the league so far, Wrexham included, bagging 116 goals.
We talk about their tactics in possession that have enabled them to collect so many points, including a look at how they have incorporated elements of positional play into their tactics: this is drip fed into each of the three tactical areas underneath the analytical microscope as these elements crop up in various areas of their game.
Luke Williams Formations
Manager Luke Williams deserves a lot of credit for getting the best out of the players at his disposal – County have several highly talented individuals, but Williams has done well to get them playing in cohesion together at such a high level on a consistent basis.
Williams hasn’t always been at the top end of proceedings in his short managerial career, though – his first job in senior management was with Swindon Town, where he rose from assistant manager to interim manager to permanent manager.
He left the club after they were relegated to League Two: Williams’ record didn’t make for nice viewing, winning just 26.7% of his 75 games in charge.
Fast forward to 2022 and Williams returned to senior management following a spell as head coach of Bristol City’s U23 squad, before taking on assistant manager roles at MK Dons and then Swansea City.
The appointment at Notts County raised a few eyebrows amongst the supporters due to his limited experience, but after 48 games in charge, he boasts an impressive win rate of 68.8%.
County have found a real habit of dominating possession and dictating the tempo of a match, and their preferred formation of 3-4-2-1 plays nicely into that.
They have recruited smartly in recent years, bringing in players that complement the style of football they want to accomplish.
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