Johnnie Jackson answers question over playing three at the back following loss to Milton Keynes

BY LOUIS MENDEZ

Charlton boss Johnnie Jackson said he didn’t think his side’s formation was the reason they were beaten by Milton Keynes on Tuesday evening.

The Addicks manager has favoured a 3-5-2 system since taking over from Nigel Adkins but was asked if he was tempted to switch to four at the back for the visit of Liam Manning’s side.

Jackson said: “I can rip it all up and start again. We’ve had success doing that [playing 3-5-2]. Not of late. But I changed personnel. For me, that was enough. I don’t think it was systems or things that cost us today. I think it was individual lapses in concentration. System for system, I thought there wasn’t a lot in the game.”

The visitors broke the deadlock as Tennai Watson was slipped in down the side of the Addicks’ back-three – similar circumstances to those that saw Oxford score twice through Matty Taylor on Saturday.

“It was something that we were working on all week in preparation for this game,” Jackson admitted.

“The nature of that goal really disappointed me because we spoke about their threats and how they try and move the ball across the pitch to play those little slide passes. We did a lot of work on being compact and protecting the centre of the pitch. I thought we did it really well in the first-half apart from that moment. Maybe one on a diagonal where Parrott got it. But for the main, I thought we did well in that respect. So, to get done on a goal like that when you’ve done a lot of work on it and given the messages is obviously disappointed. That’s cost us. Both boxes were the difference.”

PHOTOS: PAUL EDWARDS/ KYLE ANDREWS