WATFORD'S reserve and youth teams are also adopting the 3-5-2 formation.

Explained the Watford manager: "I think it is the way it has got to be. Whatever the system the first team plays should be duplicated by the rest.

"We have put 4-4-2 on the back burner, as you would say, temporarily. We know we can play 4-4-2 and we can swap things around whenever we need to do it.

"I think obviously the first team play one way and the reserve team has to play the same system because sometimes some of our first team players play in the reserve team so they have got to play in the same position. The same goes for the young players in the youth team that are going to play in the reserves, so it is a chain."

Having adapted the style to suit the players in the first team, however, that style may not suit certain players who are in the reserve team.

Vialli dealt with this, saying: "Ray Lewington is not there to win the reserve team championship, but to produce players for the first team and teach players to be able to adapt to a new system.

"So we are not too concerned about that aspect, but about producing players who are used to the system adopted by the first team"

October 30, 2001 15:30