As we begin the 2024–25 season, AFC Wimbledon captain Jake Reeves thinks the midfield balance is good.
In every League Two match, the 31-year-old has started alongside summer acquisition Alistair Smith, who came from Lincoln on a season-long loan.
To complete the midfield trio, James Ball, Myles Hippolyte, and one other have started the first four League Two games.
This season, Johnnie Jackson’s team is playing a 5-3-2 formation; moving ahead, the team will switch to a 3-5-2 formation.
“We wanted to have more control in games, which is one of the main things we talked about last year,” Reeves said.
We can maintain control both with and without the ball thanks to this technology. With two players in the middle, we played as a four-man midfield. There aren’t as many passing choices available because of the small number in there.
It’s providing me more flexibility to be creative and express myself that way, and it’s working out really nicely.
“Alistair has adapted incredibly well, and he still has a lot to offer.
“He’s very effective in that last third and running forward. Using his size as well, he’s a big boy.
He can play every role in the game, which is why I enjoy playing with him. Because he is a player, he will instinctively recognise that if I feel there is a chance to break through the box. I do not need to urge him to sit for me.
“Everything is in balance.”
This summer, Reeves lost his midfield partner Armani Little, as the former Southampton young player joined Gillingham, a league opponent.
Reeves remarked, “I got really well with Armani.”
“He didn’t want to go, but in football, things like that do happen occasionally.
“When he was younger, he was a natural 10, so he would have fit in with the style we’re playing right now.
“It’s unfortunate that he has left that at the time he has.”
About The Author
