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The Pros and Cons of Teal Bunbury at Wingback

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Now before you outright dismiss this notion, hear me out. This post comes with plenty of internal debate and more than a fair bit of thought, so I hope that - even if you are completely averse to the notion - that there is some kernel of an argument contained here that incites some bit of thought, debate, or discussion.

Also, yes - I'm well aware that this will likely never happen in a competitive match. Doesn't mean it's not reasonable.

Anyone who has watched football knows that wingers who are exceptional at tracking back are often converted to 'wingbacks.' Three examples (of many) being Antonio Valencia of Manchester United, Daley Blind (in the past for both club and country), and Juan Cuadrado of Fiorentina Chelsea. When combined with a 3 man back line in a formation such as the 5-3-2 or 5-4-1, these players become acutely dangerous in their freedom to bomb up the flanks and join in the attack, creating width and stretching out the defense.

Firstly, let's look at the qualities of Teal Bunbury that would make him adept at the wing back role -

  • Speed - Bunbury's acceleration and recovery speed are world class.
  • Work Rate and Stamina - It seems each and every game Paul and Brad are lauding Bunbury's tracking back and defending, and he frequently goes the full 90 doing about the same workload that a wingback would have.
  • 1v1 Skill - Key skills in a wingback's arsenal are the ability to take on a defender 1v1, and the ability to change speeds to get past outside midfielders and defenders. Bunbury has this in spades.
  • The ability to cut in - Just watch a game. Specifically, the Eastern Conference championship game at RB Arena.

A few drawbacks would be that Bunbury lacks traditional defensive training, but often times speed and agility can largely make up for getting beat.

Next, let's look at how the positioning of Bunbury as a wingback would alter the club's on-field performance -

  • Width - The book on the Revs has become to crunch up the middle of the field and not allow their creative stars (Nguyen, Diego, Agudelo, even Rowe) the time and space to do anything, well, creative. Shifting to a formation with a 5 man backline (3D + 2WB) would bring Bunbury's speed and Tierney's crossing into the fold, stretching out teams, which then leads to more...
  • Creativity - With the field stretched, more room is allotted to players like Nguyen, Juan, and Diego to work their creative magic. More spaces become available, more runs are opened up, and more attacking opportunities present themselves.
  • A 6-Man Defensive Set instead of 5 - This team needs to stop the bleeding. Switching to a 5 man back line with wingbacks changes your base defensive formation to the possibility of 6, rather than 5, and can allow players like Gonçalves and Farrell more license to come out and challenge without the immediate fear of not having cover.
  • Easy Transition when Jones comes back - Just shift Woodberry over to RB and make it a 4-2-2-2 or 4-2-3-1.

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So there you have it. My (possibly) compelling case to experiment with Teal Bunbury as a wingback. Check my twitter feed for a look at a possible formation based on this. I look forward to your feedback!

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