4-3-3 Wide for when strikers struggle

[3runhomer]

Halfway through the season I took the manager job at Blackpool (League 1). They were on the edge of the relegation zone.
 

I’d used a 3-striker formation to earn back-to-back promotions at Altrincham, but Blackpool’s wingers are some of the team’s best players so I wanted a formation that used them. I started with a 4-2-4 but the results were poor. The strikers were not scoring. 
 

So I changed to a 4-3-3 Wide and we improved immediately. We finished the season on a 15 match streak without a loss. Our inside forward and winger became our major scorers. The two central midfielders that are set on attack bang in goals. And having 3 midfielders made us very good at quickly winning back possession (they can all mark and tackle). The lone striker occasionally scored but really wasn’t the focus of the attack. 
 

In the final two matches of the season we beat the 4th place team 4-2 and the 2nd place team 5-1. That final match against Portsmouth was typical of our good run. We had 3x as many shots as them, and 60% of possession.