Was Claude Puel right to ditch the diamond formation?

The pro’s and con’s of 4-1-2-1-2

The diamond formation suits Puel’s desire for the fullbacks to bomb forward, something both Cedric and Ryan Bertrand are more than capable of doing. Both possess immense quality in the final third and relish in being given that opportunity. They have developed into this ‘modern fullback’ role of being an attacking outlet.

This specific formation does not need wingers and only requires a single attacking midfielder. In the Southampton squad Sofiane Boufal, Tadic, Redmond and arguably James Ward-Prowse were all vying for that role. Tadic would be deemed the first choice, having cemented it down in previous seasons, producing both goals and assists for the team.

The midfield three backing up this attacking midfielder is a key part in playing this formation. Romeu will sit deepest, screening the defence from the attack and being the point of transition between attack and defence.

The accompanying midfield positions are expected to cover a lot of ground, something that comes as second nature to the likes of Steven Davis. The third position is up for grabs. Clasie and Hojbjerg have not performed when required. Ward-Prowse can fill the position but is still growing into himself as a player to be relied upon every game.

The key problem for this formation when it comes to Southampton is arguably the most fruitful. Being able to deploy two strikers is something not many clubs do in this era. The popular  4-2-3-1 and 3-4-3 only require the one centre-forward. Southampton’s problem here was that only one striker was firing, Charlie Austin. He has ended up missing a large portion of the season due to injury.

It wasn’t until Manolo Gabbiadini joined from Napoli in January did Southampton have another quality option upfront. Long and Rodriguez have both worked hard and put in some admirable performances over the season. But neither have delivered in the sense of scoring goals.