Jason Roberts column

By Jason Roberts Wigan striker

There has been a lot said recently about the 4-5-1 formation that English teams seem to be adopting - and the so-called negative impact this is having on the Premiership.

As the lone striker, it is your job to occupy the two centre-halves and leave the wingers one-on-one with their full-backs

I cannot agree with this view. The football, for me, is not more negative, just tactical, which usually we are not too keen on in this country.

We like to be up and at 'em but we have more foreign players now, with a greater influence of foreign cultures, and eventually the way the game is being played will change.

I think it is a good thing for the national team more than anything - the more English players that become used to a continental style, the better the England team will be set up in the future.

And you have to become used to these different formations and mentalities otherwise you will not win European Cups or World Cups.

For years the Premiership was considered the most exciting league in the world but clubs were not winning in Europe and England were not winning tournaments, so this tactical revolution can only lead to more opportunities to win things.

It seems like a natural progression for us, with so many different influences in our game. I guess it just depends what slant you take as to whether you think English football has become more boring.

But the days of playing a straightforward 4-4-2 formation all the time, with a big, old-fashioned centre-forward up front, are long gone.

You used to be able to knock the goalkeeper into the net and the goal would stand but football has changed and it will always move forward.

You are talking about a lot of money these days too, teams cannot afford to lose - in Italy you always start with not losing a game and then you take it from there.

There is so much pressure on everyone involved, the game is so sensationalised and this is the product we have. It is naive to think it will not eventually lead to what we are seeing now.

I can sympathise with the fans who stay away, they work hard for their money and when they spend it they want to be entertained

As for the 4-5-1 itself, as a striker I can assure you it is hard work playing up front on your own but if you have the right players around you it can work effectively.

There are a few different interpretations of it but it is hard to break down any team when they play that way and you have to watch them on the break too.

We played Bournemouth on Tuesday and they played like that and did it really well - when any team gets nine, 10 men behind the ball it makes your life difficult.

As the lone striker, it is your job to occupy the two centre-halves and if you can, you leave the wingers one-on-one with their full-backs or even in behind them and that is where you can make it count.

It is tough and you have to do a lot of running but if the right players are there you can also get a lot of service too.

Some fans have stayed away from games this season and I can sympathise with them, they work hard for their money and when they spend it they want to be entertained.

Maybe it is a bit of a trend to stay away at the moment, I don't know, but, in my opinion, people will always want to support their team.

Would I pay to watch a game in the Premiership at the moment? Definitely.

For all the tactical things we are talking about there are some truly amazing players in English football right now, such as Thierry Henry, the like of which we have never seen.

Read Jason Roberts' midweek column on the BBC Sport website every week