Three ways Cambridge United could line up in League One next season

As the U’s step up their pre-season preparations, many fans will be speculating as to how their side will line up to face Oxford United in their opening League One fixture on August 7th.

Mark Bonner spent the majority of last season playing a flat 4-4-2 formation, catapulting Cambridge to the upper echelons of the League Two table. However, a tough Christmas period saw this tactic become stale, and a run of poor results saw them drop out of the automatic promotion places.

The 35-year-old head coach made some minor tweaks, eventually settling on a diamond formation for their tough promotion run-in. Despite a slight wobble, the U’s secured their place in the third tier with a final day win against Grimsby Town.

While Cambridge have managed to keep the core of their promotion-winning squad together, some of their star players left The Abbey at the end of their contracts. Goalkeeper Callum Burton wasn’t offered a new deal, while Luke Hannant and Kyle Knoyle opted for a change of scenery, moving to Colchester and Doncaster respectively.

The hammer blow was dealt when Paul Mullin turned down a new contract at the club after scoring 32 league goals last season. Ultimately, this was expected, and the 26-year-old now finds himself as a free agent with interest from teams across the Football League.

His departure, coupled with an emphasis on signing wide players this summer, leaves question marks as to what formation Cambridge will play next season. Here are the three main options based on the players currently under contract at The Abbey.

Flat 4-4-2

For starters, it should be made clear that Cambridge won’t be playing with three centre-backs, and the backline will almost certainly consist of four players.

At the time of writing, there are just two senior centre-backs under contract at The Abbey: club captain Greg Taylor and new signing Lloyd Jones. While sporting director Ben Strang will surely be working to recruit more defensive assets, the aforementioned players will likely be given the nod to be the club’s regular centre-back pairing for the upcoming campaign.

Barring a major new arrival, Dimitar Mitov will be playing behind them, returning from a long-term shoulder injury to be the U’s first-choice goalkeeper once again. George Williams, who has just arrived from Bristol Rovers, will be tasked with replacing Knoyle at right-back, while Harrison Dunk will compete with Jack Iredale for a starting spot at left-back.

Of course, that presents the 4-4-2 formation as arguably the most viable option for Bonner’s side. After all, it’s what the U’s head coach is most comfortable with and favoured throughout most of last season.

James Brophy’s superb performances for Leyton Orient last year makes him the favourite to start on the left flank after agreeing a move to Cambridge in early June, while Paul Digby would likely partner Liam O’Neil in central midfield. However, Bonner has indicated that he wants to increase his options in the middle of the park this summer.

Without an attacking midfielder in the formation, Wes Hoolahan would likely be shifted to right midfield. This isn’t his natural position, but the 39-year-old adapted to playing out wide for much of last season in the same system. This would see new signings Jack Lankester and Shilow Tracey drop to the bench.

Joe Ironside and new arrival Sam Smith would be the clear favourites to start up front. Having spent 2019/20 on loan at The Abbey from Reading, Smith has the unenviable task of replacing Mullin in attack, but help from Ironside and Hoolahan will ease the burden that he faces.

The core of the U’s promotion-winning team will be familiar with this system, and while it limits the presence of their new wide additions, it allows for a solid defensive structure against much stronger opposition.

4-4-2 diamond

Many U’s fans shiver at the thought of a diamond formation, with Shaun Derry’s side from 2016 fresh in their memories. The truth is that this is a very different Cambridge United, and the system has worked before under Bonner.

In terms of personnel, it wouldn’t be overly different to the flat 4-4-2 formation. However, it allows Cambridge to make the most of their star man – Wes Hoolahan.

There’s no debating that the Norwich City legend would prefer to play centrally, and in this system, he would be sitting behind the two strikers (who will remain as Ironside and Smith). However, this would put additional pressure onto Digby, who would be playing at the base of midfield as the sole protection for the U’s defensive line. When under intense pressure, the 26-year-old could even drop deeper to become a third centre-back.

As previously mentioned, Cambridge have focused much of their recruitment on wide players. Brophy would retain his place on the left, but would likely be required to provide defensive cover when out of possession. As a former left-back himself, combining with Dunk or Iredale (both of whom are attack-minded) down that flank shouldn’t be an issue.

Lankester would be the most likely option on the right, having played much of his career there at boyhood club Ipswich Town. However, he has experience (albeit limited) of playing in a midfield trio as well, so may be able to contribute defensively when required. But with Williams at right-back, that assistance may not be required, as the 28-year-old featured regularly at centre-back last season and displayed a clear defensive ability.

While this formation allows the U’s to play their main attacking assets, it undoubtedly leaves gaps for opponents to exploit. In League Two, they could get away with it, but stepping up to the third tier will make it much harder. The likes of Sunderland, Charlton and Sheffield Wednesday would likely overwhelm Bonner’s side in midfield.

Changing between a flat 4-4-2 and a diamond can be a fairly easy procedure and one that can be done during the course of a game with just one substitute. If Cambridge are set on starting two strikers, it may be worth trying this in upcoming friendly games against QPR and Northampton. At least then we’ll know whether it’s a viable option heading into the upcoming campaign.

Luton Town often spring to mind when thinking about the diamond formation, as the Hatters secured consecutive promotions from League Two and League One using that system. Ultimately, they found it too difficult to manage against Championship opposition, but proved that it can be used in the lower divisions of English football.

4-2-3-1

In the last 12 months, Cambridge have very rarely lined up with just one striker. As good as Mullin was for the U’s, he needed the support from Ironside to create problems for opposition defences. When playing up front on his own, he just couldn’t get into the right positions.

It doesn’t feel like any of Bonner’s current attacking options would suit playing as a lone striker, especially as Smith is the only one with League One experience. In his previous loan spell with the U’s, he played alongside veteran Marc Richards in attack, while his successful stint at Cheltenham last season saw him line up alongside Alfie May.

Ironside has only ever played in a strike partnership in his time at The Abbey, while Knibbs and Dallas failed to establish themselves as starters in League Two. It remains to be seen how they’ll handle third tier football.

Of course, we’ll see a very different approach from Cambridge in League One next season. Bonner has lifted the pressure off his attackers by explaining that he expects nobody to replicate Mullin’s goalscoring tally, while also encouraging the rest of the team to contribute going forward to make up for the 26-year-old’s departure.

As a result, we may see a more defensive-minded set-up from the U’s. The free flowing, attacking football from last season won’t magically vanish, but it’s clear that they’ll need to take a more conservative approach to games in order to handle playing in a higher division.

Playing two midfielders behind Hoolahan would make sense, as the former Republic of Ireland international will struggle to contribute defensively. With the current crop of players, Digby would be likely to partner O’Neil or Adam May in a double pivot.

As previously mentioned, there’s still a lack of depth in this position, and Bonner has stressed that he wants new additions in midfield. Hiram Boateng, who spent last season on loan with the U’s, would be the obvious solution if he can be signed on a permanent deal from MK Dons. Manager Russell Martin has claimed that “numerous clubs” have enquired about the 25-year-old after being told he can leave Stadium MK.

This formation would also allow Cambridge to play an attacking trio of Brophy, Hoolahan and Lankester behind the lone striker. All three would be expected to contribute with goals and assists to lift the pressure on whoever is given the nod to start up front, be that Smith or Ironside.

Conclusion

While the 4-2-3-1 formation provides the best defensive protection, it seems unlikely that Cambridge will play with just one striker. Bonner has always opted for an attacking partnership, and that probably won’t change in League One.

Ultimately, the difference between the flat 4-4-2 and a diamond formation is relatively slim, and as previously mentioned, it would take just one substitution to change between the two. Additional midfield reinforcements may hint that they’ll adopt a more pragmatic approach rather than forcing all of his attacking players onto the pitch at the same time.

Switching between the two when in and out of possession makes sense, adopting the more attack-minded diamond when on the ball. When off the ball, Hoolahan would have to drop deeper to make it flat again, although this would require some defensive contribution from the attacking midfielder.

However, against tougher opposition, the U’s will likely need to deploy two defensive midfielders in order to nullify their attacking strength. They need to have the versatility to change between the two depending on their strength of their opponents and the momentum of the game.

The flexibility of the 4-4-2 formation makes it by far the best option for Cambridge next season based on the squad they currently have. However, more work needs to be done ahead of the opening fixture against Oxford. There’s a clear lack of depth in defensive areas, and the club have still not found a suitable backup for the ageing Hoolahan. They’re also yet to utilise the loan market this summer.

The lack of depth will undoubtedly be a lingering concern, especially with Cambridge facing the prospect of eight games in the opening three weeks of the campaign. But with three or four further additions, we’ll have a full picture of what options the U’s boss has available to him, and a clear idea of what tactics he’ll employ based on their pre-season fixtures.

The upcoming training camp in Cardiff will provide a platform to get his ideas across to the players, and then it’s just a matter of days before the new season kicks off.

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