Kaizer Chiefs fans must have watched with interest when Stuart Baxter played with a three-striker system against Mpumalanga Black Aces in the opening game of the PSL season.
It seems to be the clearest proof he's trying to find a formation to get Knowledge Musona in the starting line-up regularly.
It's a deviation from the 4-4-2 system which brought Chiefs so much success in 2012/13, and that brings with it an element of risk.
I mean you could argue, if it isn't broke then don't fix it! Then again, if you've got so many talented strikers at your club, finding a way to fit them all in certainly makes sense. Could a 4-3-3 work for Chiefs?
It's not the first time Baxter has shown a willingness to switch things up tactically. Chiefs fans may recall when he switched his 4-4-2 system to a 3-5-2 last season. This was to accommodate the return of Morgan Gould from injury, as Tefu Mashamaite and Eric Mathoho were in such good form in the heart of defence and couldn't be dropped, but at the same time Gould brought something to the table that Baxter didn't want to go without.
In Chiefs' opening game of the 2013/14 campaign, Baxter appeared to be tinkering again. In the 1-0 win over Black Aces, Chiefs seemed to use a 4-3-3 system. Leading the line as the spearhead and number nine was Lehlohonolo Majoro. Just behind him were Bernard Parker and Knowledge Musona.
It was an interesting switch because last season Parker was used as the club's sole number 10 – the man pulling the strings around the final third just behind a number nine. In the game against Black Aces, it seemed as if Parker and Musona were operating as dual number 10s. They were pinched just behind Majoro as inside left and inside right attackers. This seemed to allow them to drift into the space behind the opposition lines, and cause havoc from there. A clever strategy when you consider the pair are arguably Chiefs' most dangerous players!
It seems clear Baxter changed his system to accommodate a player of Musona's prodigious talents – changing to a formation that allows for three top forwards to be fielded also certainly makes sense. Especially since he's got Kingston Nkhatha and Kaizer Motaung Jnr in reserve as well!
I did a little digging to find some other successful 4-3-3 systems being used in world football. Bayern Munich won the Uefa Champions League with Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery playing from the right and left channels as arguably dual number 10s, behind a lone striker. When Spain won the 2012 Euro title, they played with Cesc Fabregas as a false nine upfront, while Andres Iniesta and David Silva pinched in behind as almost dual number 10s.
It seems to be a system that's working in modern football as it allows your two best players to find space in between the lines in advanced areas, and then hurt teams. If Baxter is going to continue with the 4-3-3 formation using Musona and Parker as dual number 10s, he needs a number nine who fits best for the system. This is because the lone striker as the spearhead of the formation is at times going to be isolated. Therefore, Baxter needs a physically mobile battering ram who can fight off defenders and keep the ball in heavily defended areas.
It's a conundrum for Baxter as Lehlohonolo Majoro is probably the more prolific goal scorer, whereas Kingston Nkhatha is arguably the most natural number nine at Naturena. Kaizer Motaung Jnr appears likely to be used more sparingly as an impact player throughout the campaign.
German powerhouse Bayern Munich used powerful number nine lone strikers like Mario Mandžukic and Mario Gomez, with Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery just behind. It shows the big powerful number nine is really key in this system, as it's his ability to keep the ball in tight situations which can influence the effectiveness of the two roving number 10s.
It could be a challenging one for Baxter to solve. Who should start at nine if he continues with the 4-3-3 system?
All the evidence points to Nkhatha, but then again Majoro's eye for goal and ability to use his pace to get behind defences is also an asset.
It's also yet to be seen how Parker adapts to sharing the number 10 role with Musona.
Will they complement each other's game? Or could they perhaps get in each other's way as they look to both pull the strings around the final third? I think it tshould be very interesting to see how Baxter tries to get the dual number 10 system to work for Chiefs!
Do you think a 4-3-3 system is the way forward? Or would you prefer to see the tried and trusted 4-4-2 formation used instead?
David Minchella
Soccer-Laduma journalist
Follow David on Twitter: @DavidLaduma
