Today's performance | Vital Football

Today's performance

KevinE

KevinE

Alert Team
Thoughts on today's performance?

I thought it was very frustrating overall. We created chances but, yet again, we can't take any of them. We played better in the second half and controlled most of the last 45, as Watford relied on a few counter attacks that didn't come off.

Mawson and VDH look a better defensive partnership and well done to Bradley for going with it. At least we know our best defensive line-up now.

In midfield though, Britton started ok but struggled in second half, like he did against Liverpool. I thought we needed Fer in here to boost our attacking play. Ki had a poor first half, got better in first half but still isn't the answer.

We looked better balanced but Routledge offers absolutely nothing and again as a result, most of our play is forced down the right.
 
Just not good enough. I'm fed up of people saying that we created chances, "on another day", "there were positives". Showing positives, lets be honest, there were very few, and creating chances doesn't keep you up!

Time and time again, we missed chances and didn't win a game we really should have won. Watford were a nothing team and were there for the taking. Yet we fail again, finding the positives from that is just clutching at straws and burying your head in the sand! :fire:
 
If I knew Ki was going to play exactly like this every week he would be a guaranteed start for me. Like he always is, he was calm and composed on the ball and passed the ball well. But unlike recently, his defensive effort was much better, he made a few good tackles, led us in interceptions, and even created a few chances. You can't ask for much more than that for a holding midfielder.

I can't wait until Montero is ready. Routledge has to start on the bench for a while. Routs has gone 5 games on the trot with less than 60% passing accuracy. The last match he did better than that was against Hull. That has to be unacceptable.
 
2 up top offered more but the chances weren't taken which let us down.

Routledge is self explanatory hes been useless for a while and thats not changed. Even his team mates avoid him hence the outbalanced attacks.

Barrow only offers pace is he hasnt got space to play hes just there...doesnt cross early enough quite regularly just hard to criticise after last week.

Felt other that sigurdson the midfield didnt offer much at all. Britton lost the ball to often, ki wasn't as bad as recent but didnt offer anything and barrow was quiet, marked slightly heavier as routledge offering nothing allowed the defence/mid to offer the extra man to get rid of his space and without his soace hes not special.

Happy with the defence, would like to see againts one of the top sides, lots off offside for Watford whether that was our d talking or them being poor. Either way defence impressed.

For me i stick to my lineup from the last forum maybe even swap britton for cork and take mawson vdh.
 
I still think Ki needs to be better when the other team have the ball, but he was much better than vs Arsenal, but then again, he couldn't have been much worse.

Only 2 unsuccessful passes today, as his other stats back up a decent performance. His distribution to Barrow was important for us, particularly in the second half and overall I expect he'll keep his place.

The 1 change I hope we can make next weekend is Montero for Routledge, I'd even put Sigurdsson there, we're unbalanced with Routledge as it is.

We couldn't get Borja involved in this sort of game and Llorente, with his added strength and physicality he was far more suited and looked a bit of a handful.

Not sure how many more chances I can watch Sigurdsson waste from 8-10 yards though, he's had his fair share already this season.
 
Watford out numbered us in midfield for the majority of the game (3v2, as Gylfi was basically playing along side Borja), which made it very difficult to create any passing moves through the middle, and Borja was getting muscled off the ball every time he touched it. He's a big guy, but he needs to be tougher, especially with a back line with the size and strength that Watford possess. Llorente proved to be a better option for this game when he came on as he does possess great strength with his back to goal, and this allowed the other attackers to get more involved. Ki was admittedly much better than his previous performances have shown, but I agree with Kevin, he is not the answer in midfield. We completely lack any dynamism from the center of the park. The new-look back 4's performance gives us a ton to build on. If we can play like that in defense consistently for the rest of the season, and Routledge stays on the bench, we'll sneak our way out of the relegation zone. We just need to put our chances in the back of the freaking net!
 
i thought Borja was far worse at giving the ball away than Ki was, yet he's the one who gets all the criticism because he's the current scapegoat. Llorente should come back in against Stoke, Borja won't get a look in there. I'm tempted to think that Bob will go with what he finished with against Watford, 442 with Gylfi out wide left. Anything is better than having to watch Routledge play in defence.

I saw somewhere someone say about predicting Bob's football would be like Garry Monk's. All about shape and effort and not utlisiing the technical skill within the squad. Sad if it does. He did enough damage without another manager doing the same, but lets not judge yet.

People also need to take off with legend eyes when looking at Leon. He can't manage 90 mins, great in first half but struggles come the hour mark and desperately needed taking off against Watford, Fer and Ki would have offered more going forward.

I'll also not judge Mawson yet, Stoke is a far tougher test. But I won't be like that Dennis bloke on the article comments moaning about him, the only thing "ridiculous" is his early criticism!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.