Premier League: QPR join the growing 3-5-2 fan club

Signing Rio Ferdinand is part of QPR's three-centre-back strategy

As QPR prepare to switch to three at the back, Michael Lintorn ponders which other clubs should follow suit...

While nobody was shocked by QPR's confirmation that Rio Ferdinand has joined on a one-year deal, or Harry Redknapp announcing that they have agreed a fee for Steven Caulker, it was a surprise to learn of the veteran manager's tactical plans for the upcoming season.

During a Sky Sports News chinwag with Jim White, Redknapp revealed that he is intending to play three at the back, with Ferdinand and - if successfully snared - Caulker being partnered by one of Richard Dunne, Nedum Onuoha or Clint Hill.

Despite the suspicion that the Man United great will be the first of several exciting additions this summer, the unconvincing play-off victors are 2.982/1 second favourites to be relegated, with Redknapp perhaps deciding that a change of approach will be as helpful as an influx of signings.

3-5-2 is a formation that the Hoops boss is familiar with, having adopted it fairly regularly around the turn of the century at West Ham, and it has returned to fashion in the last year or so.

The chief Premier League advocates have been Hull, who used it firstly to win promotion then to fire their way to safety and an FA Cup final in their first campaign back in the top flight, and Aston Villa, who turned over champions Man City on one of the occasions that they set up that way.

It was even more prevalent at the World Cup, with some of the most impressive and overachieving sides in the tournament bonded by their love of deploying three centre backs: Mexico, Netherlands, Chile and Costa Rica.

There is an expectation that more Premier League clubs will hop on the bandwagon as a result of events in Brazil, with Man United judged one of the most likely due to the appointment of Louis van Gaal.

However, van Gaal's switch to 3-4-1-2 from his favoured 4-3-3 was forced by an injury to his best midfielder Kevin Strootman. It wouldn't suit Man United, who only have three senior centre backs, Jonny Evans, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, two of whom have rarely been deployed there recently.

Two teams with greater cause to consider a tweak are 8.07/1 top-four hopefuls Everton and 2.68/5 top-ten prospects West Ham.

Toffees boss Roberto Martinez dabbled with 3-4-3 in his Wigan days and has two players with the engines and attacking quality to master the tricky wing-back role in Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman.

West Ham meanwhile experimented with 3-5-1-1 fleetingly last term, and Sam Allardyce may discover that a 3-5-2 is the easiest way to fit his two 15 million strikers, Andy Carroll and Enner Valencia into the same XI.