Before 2016, formations making use of wing-backs were hardly utilized in England, save for when a manager needed to ‘shut up shop’ as a means to preserving a lead.
It is why Chelsea’s Premier League triumph in 2016/17 was a watershed campaign for the top flight, and English football, as a whole.
Managers who tried to play with three at the back often had to revert to back four-tactics as their innovations failed to produce desired results.
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While Roberto Martinez’s Wigan Athletic had some success utilizing a back three which helped them avoid relegation in 2011/12, Louis van Gaal and Brendan Rodgers didn’t thrive with this approach with Manchester United and Liverpool respectively.