Jack Ross has been talking tactics this week, revealing that in the modern game he doesn't feel how a team sets up is as important as who is playing.

The Black Cats fell to their first league defeat of the season at the weekend against Burton and face losing star striker Charlie Wyke for eight weeks, but whilst discussing how he might combat these challenges, Ross revealed that in the modern game, formations can be very fluid.

“If you play it but with two strikers, one of whom you’re asking to drop in, people watching might not be able to say whether or not it is a 4-4-2," he told the Sunderland Echo.

"Then, you watch other teams and they can be in a 4-3-3 in possession but out of it, it is very much a 4-1-4-1."

His side face a visit from Rochdale this week, but Ross will be forced into changes following the injury to Wyke.

He had started against Burton with the former Bradford man, as well as Josh Maja and Jerome Sinclair.

“These things are so fluid nowadays, I think the personnel is more important than the system,” he continued. “The number of attackers you have on a pitch is probably a better reflection of your system than where the players are."

His side will be keen to put their afternoon at the Pirelli Stadium behind them and focus on closing the gap between themselves and the early pace-setters.

The Verdict

There was a thought that Saturday's tactic might be two up front, with Sinclair operating as a winger, but Ross is right. Tactical awareness has increased to an extent that formations change depending on different phases of play.

A 4-4-2 in defensive positions can quickly become a 4-2-4 when sides are attacking, or one midfielder can press forward to sit behind the front two to produce a 4-3-3. Fans love systems and set ups, but it is increasingly old hat to believe a side adopts one such approach during a game.

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