CroJack
Key Player
Plymouth Argyle v Swansea City
Although I didn't expect much from an early friendly match during pre-season I still expected some improvements on our style of play from last season.
I must say I was disappoined after the match.
1. Defensively we were as poor as last season.
We allowed many crosses, especially from the left flank, and conceded many shots. We'll be in a big trouble in the Championship if we continue to allow so many crosses and concede so many shots.
Why is this happening?
A) Well, the 'style' of football Martin is trying to implement is doomed to failure without full-backs, centre-backs and defensive midfielders who have lot of pace. When you play high back line you have to have pace to counter opposition pacey wingers and strikers.
Last season Martin played Naughton as a centre-back pivot in front of Fisher with two slow centre-backs pushed high and wide. There was an open highway on the both flanks for opposition to attack and put crosses in. A simple lob-pass over or a pass behind Bennett and Cabango, and we were in trouble. Against Plymouth we saw the samme pattern. A lob-pass over or a pass behind Latibeaudiere, and we were in trouble again and again. Latibeaudiere was simply too slow for Plymouth's number 14 Mickel Miller.
B) Crosses lead to shots, but in our case many shots against us are result of sloppy passing in our own third when we are under pressure. We try to pass us out of trouble and when opposition is stubborn enough in their pressing our sloppy passes are inevitable in and around our box. Opposition doesn't need creative players when we create huge chances for them. I saw a slight improvement against Plymouth, we didn't always try to pass us out of pressing, which is good.
2. We don't create many chances, we should be playing a more direct football, we don't shoot enough, and our crossing is poor
Our only big chance against Plymouth came after a couple of direct forward passes through the middle to Obafemi who completely missed the target when he was one-on-one with the Plymouth keeper.
We could have created many more chances like the one above had we been more direct in our passing. The trouble is the vast majority of our passes are still sideways and backwards passes. Why is this happening? We shouldn't be asking WHY, but WHO?
Although I didn't expect much from an early friendly match during pre-season I still expected some improvements on our style of play from last season.
I must say I was disappoined after the match.
1. Defensively we were as poor as last season.
We allowed many crosses, especially from the left flank, and conceded many shots. We'll be in a big trouble in the Championship if we continue to allow so many crosses and concede so many shots.
Why is this happening?
A) Well, the 'style' of football Martin is trying to implement is doomed to failure without full-backs, centre-backs and defensive midfielders who have lot of pace. When you play high back line you have to have pace to counter opposition pacey wingers and strikers.
Last season Martin played Naughton as a centre-back pivot in front of Fisher with two slow centre-backs pushed high and wide. There was an open highway on the both flanks for opposition to attack and put crosses in. A simple lob-pass over or a pass behind Bennett and Cabango, and we were in trouble. Against Plymouth we saw the samme pattern. A lob-pass over or a pass behind Latibeaudiere, and we were in trouble again and again. Latibeaudiere was simply too slow for Plymouth's number 14 Mickel Miller.
B) Crosses lead to shots, but in our case many shots against us are result of sloppy passing in our own third when we are under pressure. We try to pass us out of trouble and when opposition is stubborn enough in their pressing our sloppy passes are inevitable in and around our box. Opposition doesn't need creative players when we create huge chances for them. I saw a slight improvement against Plymouth, we didn't always try to pass us out of pressing, which is good.
2. We don't create many chances, we should be playing a more direct football, we don't shoot enough, and our crossing is poor
Our only big chance against Plymouth came after a couple of direct forward passes through the middle to Obafemi who completely missed the target when he was one-on-one with the Plymouth keeper.
We could have created many more chances like the one above had we been more direct in our passing. The trouble is the vast majority of our passes are still sideways and backwards passes. Why is this happening? We shouldn't be asking WHY, but WHO?
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