Last night, the Stacey West team had a chance to speak to Michael Skubala, Jez George and Liam Scully on a range of topics.
With a trio of big names, it was hard to cover even half of the stuff we wanted to, but as you’ll hear when the podcast drops, it was an enlightening conversation with plenty for Imps fans to get their teeth into.
One subject we’ll give you a sneak preview on was the shift in tactics last season. Speaking to Michael, we got an insight into the reasoning behind a tactical tweak that helped transform the club’s fortunes in early 2025.
“I think if you go back to the journey, when I came into post, I probably inherited a team that was a back three, back 3-4-3 or 5-4-1, whichever way you wanna look at it,” said Skubala. “And I wanted to evolve the team into a more aggressive front-footed team, and it takes time.”
That evolution didn’t come overnight. Skubala was quick to acknowledge that coaching change requires more than just whiteboard ideas—it’s about understanding players, adapting principles, and being flexible.
“If you could just tell a player to do X and he did it, we’d all be coaches and managers, wouldn’t we?” he added. “That’s the easy bit, I suppose. But the coaching takes time.”
Skubala initially kept the 3-5-2 structure but looked to make it more aggressive and proactive, mirroring the approach of League Two champions Stockport County.
“We evolved into… an aggressive 3-5-2,” he explained. “The principles are the same, but I’ve always played 4-2-3-1 before I came to this club. But I’m not a head coach that won’t pivot if I think it’s right for the group and right for the club.”
Hybrids, Challenges, and Earning Respect
One of the turning points came in January 2024, with the arrival of Joe Taylor and a tactical tweak that saw the team flip fluidly between systems—sometimes looking like a back three, at others resembling a more traditional 4-4-2.
“We go into an aggressive 3-5-2,” said Skubala. “But it’s actually a hybrid, pretty much what Stockport had done this year where they flip into a 4-4-2. And then we were really successful… we found a method that we thought, this is gonna be hard to play against.”
That success included a run of outstanding performances, including the memorable 6-0 win against Cambridge United—arguably City’s best of the campaign. But with that success came new challenges, especially this season, where some big clubs made significant changes against us.
“As we’ve grown as a club and a team on the pitch… teams started to do something really that I didn’t expect, which was completely not play and completely shut it on top of us,” he explained. “We are setting up for a team a certain way, and then teams are changing for you. So in a way, that’s like they’re being respectful to us now, so we’ve earned that respect.”
On Track For 2025/26
Skubala insists the journey is still ongoing. The tweaks made throughout 2024/25 laid the groundwork, but fully realising his tactical vision will take time—and, crucially, transfer windows.
“If you were to ask me now… this is where I think it should look. And how long will it take? We’re probably on track, but it takes longer than people think to steer it,” he said. “That takes windows, and that takes transfers, and that takes movement.”
Still, he remains clear on what matters most—sticking to principles rather than obsessing over formations.
“Everyone gets… caught up in systems and styles,” he concluded. “The underlying thing here is that the principles don’t have to change. I want to be aggressive. I want a team that’s exciting to watch.”
Keep your ears peeled for the full podcast, dropping later today.
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