Curle prepared to change the system to stop Cobblers' rot

Keith Curle is prepared to move away from his favoured three-man defence if he believes it would end Town's poor run of form.

So far this season the Cobblers have largely stuck with the 3-4-1-2 formation that brought them so much success in the play-offs, although Curle did briefly switch to a four-man defence during Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to rivals Peterborough United.

Three straight league defeats and three games without scoring could prompt a change of system when Town go to Plymouth Argyle this weekend as Curle searches for the formation that best suits his new-look squad.

“We are learning on the job,” he said. “Danny Rose has only had four or five training sessions, Benny Ashley-Seal has come in and Caleb (Chukwuemeka) has stepped up as well so we’re still trying to create those partnerships all over the pitch.

“It’s trying creating that understanding and that bond between players, whether it’s as a two, a three or a one up front and getting that within a system.

“We do have flexibility within our shape and our squad as well. We can play different formations within a game and that’s part of the recruitment process because we don’t want to be a one-trick pony.

“Within the game on Saturday we changed shape and we’ve done that within other games as well this season. We’re trying to get that fluidity within our team so that when we attack, we’re a threat, and when we defend, we’re all defending.

“There’s sometimes a lot of focus on formations and systems but it’s down to individuals. It doesn’t matter what formation you play, if people make wrong decisions at wrong times or if someone’s in the wrong place, it’ll cause problems, so I don’t caught up in systems.”

Cobblers had four points after five games of last season but ended up finishing seventh before winning promotion through the play-offs.

With 11 new players having joined this summer, and a lot of his squad struggling with injury at the start of the campaign, Curle is confident things will come together.

“Everyone wants to get points on the board early but we’re in a very similar position as we were last season,” he added.

“We’ve had an influx of new players who are adapting to a new environment and new surroundings and we’re all getting to know each other’s games through the week and on the pitch.

“We know where we’re at and we know what we need to improve on but there’s more than enough in the building to do that.”