king_dezeeuw06
Vital Champions League
The long ball issue is one that seems to worry you, whereas for me it is how it is used that matters.
Last night the way we played made the use of those tactics totally senseless. There was no one running the channels and when the ball was won there was no support player around to pick up the second ball.
On Saturday the difference was a stark contrast. Lang and Wyke both ran the channels and the ball was played long but not centrally, it was also played to them on a lower trajectory allowing both players to use the chest to trap the ball. This seems to be a definite tactic and is working. We also have Keane working alongside both players and mopping up the knock downs then playing the ball back out to the overlapping players.
It is the ball being played long to the channels that is working whereas last night the ball was being lumped up centrally to a player with a definite height disadvantage that failed.
Unfortunately last night we had no one of the skill of Lang and Wyke to control the ball that was being played up and there was no one playing the link up role should we have won the ball. Massey's control was poor and when the ball came to him it was easy for the opposition to dispossess him whereas when the ball is at Keane's feet his control is almost instant and it is difficult for a player to rob him of the ball.
To compound this as you say their press was such that the back four were constantly under pressure and were simply hitting long balls forward to clear the lines.
I'm in total agreement with you, if there is method to the long ball and we can make it work for us i'm absolutely fine with it. I'm not at all bothered about keeping the ball on the deck if going long is more effective.
But more often this season it's worked to our opponents advantage more than it has our benefit, while keeping it down and playing has worked better for us. But as you say at Accrington we played it differently and it worked. I'd be fine if we start doing that but no one was doing anything last night to make that possibly work.