Wycombe Wanderers: Matt Bloomfield may seek solution to Birmingham City dilemma - View | OneFootball

After conceding six goals in the opening two games of the season, Matt Bloomfield has a formation dilemma to deal with.

Matt Bloomfield has a formation dilemma ahead of his side’s clash with Rotherham United on Saturday. The Wycombe Wanderers boss has seen his side concede six goals in two games, and a lack of cutting edge up front saw good chances go begging.

After defeat to Birmingham City last Saturday, it seemed Wycombe hadn’t learned their lesson from Wrexham the week prior. A combination of poor defending and some guilt-edge missed chances saw the Blues slump to 19th in the table, albeit after just two games.

However, an excellent performance against Northampton Town at Sixfields last Tuesday showed signs that a potential change of shape could be the answer to solving Wycombe’s problems. Bloomfield will certainly have this in mind for the Millers' visit, as he hopes his team can get off the mark in League One this season.

Wycombe struggled defensively in their opening fixtures

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The Chairboys have the joint-worst defence in the League, level with Burton Albion who have also conceded six goals. For a unit that was so solid towards the back of last season, this will be a real concern for Bloomfield.

Wycombe have recently suffered a massive blow, as Ryan Tafazolli was forced off with an injury in the defeat to Birmingham, which coincided with the Midlands side scoring twice on their way to three points. Fans are left concerned as an injury to the vastly experienced defender not only creates a real lack of depth at the back but also means the loss of a calm and assured presence in the back line.

The 32-year-old settled Wycombe’s nervy defence, keeping a clean sheet against Northampton and performing well up until his withdrawal on Saturday. With Alex Hartridge suspended, Jack Grimmer was forced to play in an unnatural position after the injury, which wasn’t ideal against a top side like Birmingham.

The former Exeter City man’s sending-off in Tuesday’s clash at Sixfields essentially condemned Bloomfield to stick with a 4-2-3-1 rather than the 3-5-2 that performed excellently in the Carabao Cup. Which was a shame, as Low and Tafazolli had seemed far more settled in that system than the former and Hartridge did against Wrexham.

The wing-backs also worked wonders, as Jasper Pattenden and Daniel Harvie were able to get further forward and offer another dimension to Wycombe’s attacking play, whilst not being caught out thanks to the extra man behind the ball.

Reverting to the four against Birmingham showed the same results as Wrexham the week prior, as the full-backs being caught out was ultimately the cost of all three goals for the visitors. Tafazolli was visibly frustrated with Harvie, as the summer signing was caught sitting far too narrow on multiple occasions.

The 3-5-2 allowed for more defensive stability, better retention of possession, and the wide defenders looking much more comfortable, which is exactly what Bloomfield wants from his side. Whilst the 40-year-old is currently lacking the personnel to make this system work, there is still plenty of time left in the transfer window to secure what he needs.

Wycombe are at least a centre-back short of where they should be for depth and will make judgments accordingly once they’ve assessed Tafazolli’s condition. Whilst it’s unlikely that any more permanent business will be done, an experienced head to secure a nervous defence could be the key to fixing those defensive issues.

Defensive issues can be cancelled out if Wycombe take their chances

Another hot topic of discussion throughout recent weeks has been Richard Kone, as there is a debate about whether the Ivorian is ready to lead the line for the Chairboys. This comes after the former Athletic Newham man missed a handful of good chances against Northampton and Birmingham respectively.

However, the striker has also rightly been at the end of plenty of praise, as he’s creating opportunities for himself and his teammates. An assist on Tuesday and an inch-perfect ball to Kieran Sadlier to set up the opener on Saturday have shown Kone’s integral role in the squad.

Eyebrows were raised when Daniel Udoh and Kone linked up to create the opener against Northampton after just nine minutes. The duo played excellently off of each other throughout the evening, adding to the dilemma the Wycombe boss is currently facing.

At times, Kone has looked slightly lost up top on his own and could benefit from having a strike partner, as proven last week. This would mean abandoning the wingers though, which would see Sadlier drop out of the squad.

The former Bolton Wanderers attacker has been the star of the show for the Blues so far this season, and it would be incredibly harsh to drop him. Whilst his creativity has been superb, similar to Kone, he’s been guilty of missing some clear-cut chances.

The Irish winger is one of the best-attacking outlets in the Wanderers squad, composure is lacking though when the chances come. In their shape, the Chairboys create plenty of opportunities to score goals, they just have to start tucking them away.

Arguably, defence is the more pressing issue. However, to utilise Kone to the best of his abilities, Bloomfield must consider the excellent performance of the Northampton game.

The non-league import doesn’t have Dale Taylor behind him in the ten, which could be hampering him as the Nottingham Forest loanee acted almost as a second striker, getting into more advanced positions.

Luke Leahy, Tyreeq Bakinson, Matt Butcher, and Josh Scowen have been playing in the engine room behind the Ivorian, none of which are natural tens. Therefore, they aren’t pushing far enough forward to give Kone similar support to what Taylor did.

Rumoured signings suggest Bloomfield may opt to remain with back-four

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Garath McCleary has been a shadow of his former self so far, struggling to have the impact he’d have hoped in the opening two fixtures. The Jamaican will now likely have to compete with Gideon Kodua to retain his spot, if the rumours are correct about the West Ham starlet returning.

The signing of the former Wanderers loanee would suggest that Bloomfield is keen to maintain his preferred shape of the 4-2-3-1. If this is the case, Kone shouldn’t be left isolated like he is currently.

The Chairboys are also linked to Ipswich Town’s Cameron Humphreys, who will also add another option at either left-back or central midfield.

All-in-all, this situation will be one for the Wanderers' manager to keep tabs on, especially if performances and results fail to improve in the coming weeks. However, the 4-2-3-1 has been proven to work for Wycombe, as they ended 2023/24 fourth in the form table thanks to this setup.

The Buckinghamshire club must aim to have a strong end to the transfer window and get the correct players in to fill the areas where they’re lacking. The 40-year-old will be glad that these issues have been exposed early in the season, so he can address them before the window slams shut.