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Our "play-style"


Spike

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Why on earth are we so dedicated to crossing recently? What is LJ trying to accomplish?

This team is not made for the crossing game, our only "big man" spends more time on the floor than he does on his feet and at best he may score one in five headed chances that he actually manages to get on the end of. The rest of our squad are not made for playing the ball in the air and we're predictable to almost every team that plays us right now.
 
Even with just 9 men on the pitch Rotherham almost kept a clean sheet against us and in all fairness were very unlucky not to have kept that goal out. Looking at the stats today, 21 shots and only 7 on target. Whilst we're on the subject of shots, Rotherham managed 18 shots against us! A team in the bottom four teams in the league (bottom three after today), away from home managed to create that much and on many occasions whilst they have 11 men had us pinned back in our own third.
 
We had 13 corners today, I honestly wish I had the statistic of how many cross attempts we had because we certainly had a lot and only managed one goal which came only after they had two fewer players.
 
I genuinely see no love for this team or how they play. When we scored today it felt great, but it didn't feel as great as it should have, it felt more like relief than enjoyment. If I were a player in that team I would be coming away thinking "thank god we got the points but I hate this style of football" because it doesn't compliment us at all. I still don't understand what happened to the LJ we had last season, the man talking to Pep Guardiola about his style of football, the man getting major compliments based on the free-flowing, pass and move football that he'd created. What happened after Bobby, Mags, Flint and Bryan left that has changed his plans so drastically. At least last season we saw glimpses of great football, at times we even saw long periods of it but this current team looks like one who have given up and are just going through the motions.
 
If our plan for the rest of the season is just to aimlessly cross and hope someone gets on the end of it then who is LJ expecting us to bring in?! How is he expecting the fans to want to attend home games if the football on show is actually worse than when we play away from home?
 
I'm just so lost at this point, I've never come away from watching my team win and felt like I'd been kicked in the stomach. I know a lot of the pro-LJ posters will say "Oh you only enjoy watching us lose so you can moan" but that's just showing a total lack of intelligence to understand the situation many of our fans find themselves in. No real fan of this club wants to see us lose, but they also do not want to watch their club play utterly soul-crushing football and scraping 1-0 wins over terrible opposition who have a massive disadvantage either! There is no reason other than LJ that we can't have both, a team that wins and plays good football, LJ himself even proved that last season, so why has he changed his own direction so much and in doing so divided the fans further than he already has?
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9 minutes ago, Alessandro said:

Did we just score from a cross?

Yes and weren’t having much luck breaking them fown through the middle either. We did try and mix it up but crosses were inevitable. Don’t mind crosses either but we didn’t vary they type enough for me. 

Thought last season we did not cross enough but do remember some goals from different types of crosses. Just a shame we got rid of Djuric and started crossing more lofted type crosses. 

Idk I don’t mind it. You can score lots of goals from crosses. Liverpool score lots from those waist high with power from Robertson, Mane or Salah. Man city scores many low on the floor ones. These are extreme examples but point for me stands. Crossing is fine but need to try to be a bit more creative in them. For example Dasilva had many chances to cross today but always opted to loft it even though he had many different crossing positions. 

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Two full backs overlapping, two wide players (on their wrong feet) and one forward who's mostly defending corners or running down the wing.   What is the point in making a low percentage strategy (crossing) even worse by not having anybody in the box when we do get the ball in?  Why play Patterson instead of a second forward?

 

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3 minutes ago, Nibor said:

Two full backs overlapping, two wide players (on their wrong feet) and one forward who's mostly defending corners or running down the wing.   What is the point in making a low percentage strategy (crossing) even worse by not having anybody in the box when we do get the ball in?  Why play Patterson instead of a second forward?

 

Quyite a few runs into the box was Webster from deep, and how many clearances did Diedhiou make?  

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12 minutes ago, Ian M said:

Having stockpiled wingers in the Summer (which I dont mind) I just dont understand why he didn't replace Djuric. That is the must signing in January for me.

This. 

Ive seen so many games this season where Djuric wouldve scored a hatfull. 

I dont mind the crossing game if we have targets, so this has to be a must to get a ‘big ‘un’ in. 

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I too was baffled by the number of crosses as I can hardly remember Fam getting his head on anything. But we did work the 2-man advantage which gave Hunt time and space to work an angle and stick it right on Webster’s head. 

No doubt our successes this year have been built on a solid defence. If we can get some better offensive players in we’ll have quite a good team.

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24 minutes ago, Ian M said:

Having stockpiled wingers in the Summer (which I dont mind) I just dont understand why he didn't replace Djuric. That is the must signing in January for me.

Eisa, Smith, Janneh, Hinds, Lemoneigh Evans, Semeneyo and others for whom the future may never come.  More of the same in January ? Or all the strikers signed or loaned in who never made it and have now left?

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3 minutes ago, Ivorguy said:

Eisa, Smith, Janneh, Hinds, Lemoneigh Evans, Semeneyo and others for whom the future may never come.  More of the same in January ? Or all the strikers signed or loaned in who never made it and have now left?

It would be mad to sign a striker and never play Eisa - either we made yet another expensive mistake and he just isn't good enough; or we should play him, it's madness spending so much, needing a striker so badly and not playing him.

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I think the major problem is too many support strikers. Weinmann, Taylor, Paterson and Diedhiou are very different players but all of them - Diedhiou included - work best playing off a striker who sticks in the box and acts an attacking focal point. Diedhiou has had a lot of stick this season but the major issue is he is being asked to do something that is not really his game.

Maybe Eisa will do it once he gets up to speed but otherwise we really need a striker that can either play up top on their own or that one of Diedhiou, Weimann or Taylor can partner. We are not going to spend a fortune so I think it is about finding a Wilbraham type signing who is not contributing much where they are but can do a job for us.

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27 minutes ago, CiderHider said:

Quyite a few runs into the box was Webster from deep, and how many clearances did Diedhiou make?  

About twice as many as we would have needed had someone been outside the box nearer the half way line waiting to win the ball.  IMO it does more harm than good having everyone back, it almost guarantees we have to defend a second ball into the box.

Just now, LondonBristolian said:

Maybe Eisa will do it once he gets up to speed but otherwise we really need a striker that can either play up top on their own or that one of Diedhiou, Weimann or Taylor can partner. We are not going to spend a fortune so I think it is about finding a Wilbraham type signing who is not contributing much where they are but can do a job for us.

Is Eisa injured again or has he already been Engvalled?  I can't see how we can fail to give him minutes when we're this inept up front.

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5 minutes ago, Nibor said:

About twice as many as we would have needed had someone been outside the box nearer the half way line waiting to win the ball.  IMO it does more harm than good having everyone back, it almost guarantees we have to defend a second ball into the box.

Is Eisa injured again or has he already been Engvalled?  I can't see how we can fail to give him minutes when we're this inept up front.

My guess is he is fit but not  match fit  and LJ does not want to throw him in when he is less than 100%. No idea if that is true though.

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44 minutes ago, Robbored said:

Obviously you don’t agree BobbobSuperBob - your a scout so please explain the difference between the uninspired and dreary stuff served up by Senior and by Junior serving up exactly the same stuff..............:cool2:

A lot more wins under GJ.

Big Dele a man built for headers vs Diedhiou who isn’t. 

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11 minutes ago, Nibor said:

Is Eisa injured again or has he already been Engvalled?  I can't see how we can fail to give him minutes when we're this inept up front.

That was question amongst the guys I sit with. We were all surprised not to see Eisa in the squad so we assumed he must be inured but chatting with RB caller Ian pre match he reckoned that he’s not injured.........:dunno:

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