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Gillingham manager Justin Edinburgh says formations are not set in stone as he aims to play to his squad's strengths

00:01, 20 February 2015

Gillingham manager Justin Edinburgh Picture: Barry Goodwin
Gillingham manager Justin Edinburgh Picture: Barry Goodwin

Justin Edinburgh achieved success at former club Newport County by playing the wing-back system, but the Gills boss insists it’s the players who dictate the formation, not him.

He has so far continued playing the 4-4-2 formation that proved successful during the interim management period and he’s happy to stick with a winning formula.

Edinburgh said: “It is not the system that suits the manager; that would be absolutely ludicrous. You have to have a system that suits your players and what they are comfortable with.

“We have changed it a couple of times, but we have an intelligent group who can change throughout the game. As a manager you talk about a Plan B, but you have to go beyond that.

“We have had that and as we continue to work here we can implement one or two new ideas and changes of system.”

Edinburgh is working towards obtaining his UEFA Pro Licence and recently spent time working alongside Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti.

He said: “We had a chance to meet Carlo Ancelotti. We spent two days with him and he has got some of the best players in the world.

“It is not about the system that he likes, it is about the system his players like and are comfortable playing at. That is just common sense. If they are not comfortable with it then they won’t produce."

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