What 3 things did we learn from tonight's 2-0 defeat against Portsmouth?
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Portsmouth (h): What 3 Things Did We Learn?
- Thread starter Jules
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NottyImp
Vital Football Legend
1) We will struggle against well-organised, physically robust teams. We have a relatively young and light-weight set of players who aren't yet quite on the right wave-length to be able to counter-act a strong, street-wise set-up like Portsmouth.
2) Playing it out from the back isn't working. That's not to say it can't, but currently it's a largely sterile tactic that is also costing us goals. The penalty last night was as a direct result of a poor pass out of defence, for example. We need to do it better, do it less often and with more purpose.
3) More change is on the way. It is likely, after the summer, that most of the old favourites will have gone and I'd be surprised in the starting XI in August 2020 has more than 1 or 2 who started this season. The style of football is also changing and, as fans, we're probably going to have to adapt to that as much as the players!
2) Playing it out from the back isn't working. That's not to say it can't, but currently it's a largely sterile tactic that is also costing us goals. The penalty last night was as a direct result of a poor pass out of defence, for example. We need to do it better, do it less often and with more purpose.
3) More change is on the way. It is likely, after the summer, that most of the old favourites will have gone and I'd be surprised in the starting XI in August 2020 has more than 1 or 2 who started this season. The style of football is also changing and, as fans, we're probably going to have to adapt to that as much as the players!
Jamesimp
Vital Squad Member
1. We are still in transition, new players need more time to gel and play the way they're asked. There certainly has been a change in style, last night we started with two up front and then brought on Walker and Hesketh with equates to the kitchen sink, alas it did us little good, we don't seem to have the killer ball.
2. Portsmouth did not press particulary high last night but yet again we came unstuck playing it out of defence, fair enough start off playing it short to suck the opponents in but we have to try the long ball more when we are chasing the game.
3. Last night we were simply out thought and out fought, the wages Portsmouth can pay is probably triple ours and shows what money can buy. They scored at the right time following a careless challenge and controlled it from then on, we never looked like breaking them down because they so well organised.
4. Grant is not a winger, he can play a pass/cross ok but does not have the pace to out run the defender, he's not got quick feet either.
2. Portsmouth did not press particulary high last night but yet again we came unstuck playing it out of defence, fair enough start off playing it short to suck the opponents in but we have to try the long ball more when we are chasing the game.
3. Last night we were simply out thought and out fought, the wages Portsmouth can pay is probably triple ours and shows what money can buy. They scored at the right time following a careless challenge and controlled it from then on, we never looked like breaking them down because they so well organised.
4. Grant is not a winger, he can play a pass/cross ok but does not have the pace to out run the defender, he's not got quick feet either.
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elkimp
Vital Reserves Team
Agree with all of this. Fans having to adapt to the change of style is going to be difficult. I don't think we're dinosaurs but we do seem to prefer a certain style at the Bank. Something we've been used to for 30+ years. And it does not involve playing around at the back. I personally prefer to watch a style of play that has the ball and team moving up the field far quicker. Pacy wingers, a big man up top. A hard to find No. 10. Midfield with bite. Centre backs who defend first. Full backs who relentlessly get up and down. I'm old school. And changing will be tough.
NottyImp
Vital Football Legend
That would describe my preference, as well. It was the KA and DC/NC way and has been successful for us.
Ultimately, though, style is less important than winning. If we want to try to play like Spanish fancy-dan skill-boys, I don't mind as long as it gets results.
Brendan Bradley
Vital Squad Member
I understand the frustration with the fannying about, I was shouting enough at my own monitor last night, and I'm totally conditioned to this way of playing.
But it's here to stay and I think the manager is probably prepared for errors right now as he gets the nucleus of next season's squad ready for this style - I'm sure that was what Guardiola did in his first season at Man City when the same complaints were thrown around. Many of his media critics at the time said it would never work.
The other reason it's here to stay is more important. If the club is going to develop good young players and sell them at a profit, those players need to be Championship-ready. That means they will have to be comfortable on the ball in any situation which means playing from the back.
But it's here to stay and I think the manager is probably prepared for errors right now as he gets the nucleus of next season's squad ready for this style - I'm sure that was what Guardiola did in his first season at Man City when the same complaints were thrown around. Many of his media critics at the time said it would never work.
The other reason it's here to stay is more important. If the club is going to develop good young players and sell them at a profit, those players need to be Championship-ready. That means they will have to be comfortable on the ball in any situation which means playing from the back.
nlondonimp
Vital Champions League
good point about creating championship-ready players. great idea to use it at academy level, or arrange a few friendlies.
fine to use it, imo as soon as we get beyond 50 points. is safety likely to be 37 points?
i wonder which players currently practicing it will be in our first team next season, or will ever be future championship quality - vickers? eardley? shackell? bolger? morrell? coventry? it might be a small nucleus called melbourne.
Merthyr Imp
Vital Football Hero
As an old school dinosaur I think what we need is a couple of ball-playing inside forwards in the mould of George Hannah and a top class wing half of the Dick Neal type.
Brendan Bradley
Vital Squad Member
One or two possibly if they prove adaptable. Bolger I like as a stopper but he alarms me with the ball at his feet, and we need a quicker centre back then those we have anyway.
Not forgetting this is the manager's preferred way of playing in any case, I think Scotimp already pointed out on another thread that we finished January in a far stronger position in the league than we started the month, and the side has been playing in that way.
The quick attacking people say they want to see is possible if you break through the opposition like this, in fact it happened a few times in the first half at Ipswich.
For the last game and a half we've been forced to punt long a lot of the time and it's been painful to watch and created next to nothing.
nlondonimp
Vital Champions League
we finished january higher, because we went from having a game in hand on quite a few [last game in december], to having played more than everyone bar posh [today]. in some cases 3 or 4 more. quite likely we are, in reality, still top of the bottom 8. but at least at the moment we are not going backwards playing this way.
i have a slight worry about backbone and morale [not morrell], if the inexperienced youngsters start losing a few... what they thought it was going to be like versus the reality. John-Jules already looked frustrated a fair bit of the time last night. how many leaders can you take out of a team before it becomes vulnerable?
whatever the technical/age/fitness shortcomings of raggett, waterfall, rhead, boz, o'connor, frecklington, power, wood, etcetcetc, those Cowley teams always had plenty of leaders and fighters in them. currently, we have a lot of nice players in the team.
and everyone remembers the Tilson post-january effort. i would rather we went a little more safety-first in the first season at this level.
Brendan Bradley
Vital Squad Member
Point taken but since Boxing Day we have 13 points from 8 games and our three defeats have been to promotion contenders.
We're not going to be relegated and our league position is not false because of the home/away disparity
