Hogg 'constantly tweaking' in search for winning formula at Cobblers
Cobblers boss Chris Hogg insists he is not wedded to any particular formation and that he is ‘constantly tweaking’ in his bid to find a formula that delivers consistent success.
Having initially deployed a variation of 4-2-3-1 in pre-season and at the start of the campaign, Cobblers have gone to more of a wing-back system since the international break, which initially brought success before a recent downturn.
Town were thumped 4-0 by York City in the FA Cup on Saturday and also laboured to defeat in a poor game against Oldham last Tuesday, but Hogg does not intend to make sweeping changes.
“You have to have belief in what you do,” he said. “We've developed some principles but I don't get too bogged down with structures or formations. We're constantly changing and tweaking, formations are just starting points. It's more about what you can do within the structures.
“We'll assess it and move forward and I have to try and get the best out of this group of players. A lot of the time you have to go to the strengths of the group and find a way of playing to their strengths. It's not necessarily the ideal philosophy.
“If it was Man City, you can play a different way and you can do certain things, but I've got to find the best way for this group to express themselves and be a good team at this level.”
Hogg will continue to strive for a ‘progressive’ style of play but he’s also aware that Cobblers must continue to maintain their strong defensive record. Only one team in League Two - Exeter - have conceded fewer than their 10 goals this season.
Hogg added: "We're a group that's been together for a couple of months and we want to be successful and develop a progressive style of play where we can attack teams. But fundamentally we have to be hard to beat and that's what we've been working on since the start of the season.
"That's what was disappointing about Saturday, but if you look at our defensive metrics in the league, we're in a good place and we have to get back to being hard to beat. It's a long old season. Shrewsbury is the only game in the league we've lost by more than one goal.
"We also have to be braver with the ball and build that confidence and move up the table and be as positive as we can moving forward.”