Structural changes in our style of play

[CroJack]

1. Benda between the sticks.

2. The suicidal passing from the back when under pressure is mostly gone.

3. Jay Fulton is playing regularly.

4. We don't push our centre-backs too wide. They still play high, but closer to each other.

5. Our wing-backs don't play too high anymore, which means they are more involved in the defensive part of play.

6. We play a more direct football and attack more through the middle.

7. Our back three are dedicated centre-backs, which means we have more hight and physicality, which again means we can better defend crosses. Naughton should be given a midfield role, he is too creative to be sitting on the bench, but I don't want to see him again in the middle of the back three.

8. Oli Cooper has been a revelation in the attacking midfield with his work rate, physicality and directness.

9. We don't care so much about possession % anymore, and now it's Burnley who have the best possession stats, but we are the best at passing accuracy, which is imho more important than possession %.

10. We have started scoring from set-pieces.


I am wondering how big influence does O'Leary have as our assistant-manager?

 

[Behindthegoal]

Well put. In other words coaches are now happy that the squad do well what they can do rather than fail to achieve the highest standard.

 

[Yankee_Jack]

Well put. In other words coaches are now happy that the squad do well what they can do rather than fail to achieve the highest standard.

Fail to achieve Martin's Madness ... Martin as sobered up and realized that he needs to evolve slowly and methodically to his "Madness" ... if that can ever be realized.

 

[Yankee_Jack]

Re Naughton - I agree with #7, but Naughton should be played as a WB/LB/RB instead of Lati or Sorinola. Sorinola is somewhat averse to trying to attack and skin a defender - Lati on the other hand is willing to have a go. Sorinola more often than not checks back and plays back. If Flex has a defensive string to his bow, then I would ideally prefer to see him play LWB.

 

[Yankee_Jack]

May just be coincidence, but our fortunes turned around shortly after the promotion of KOL.

 

[CroJack]

As a result of our direct play Matt Grimes has already 5 assists. At this rate he will have had 15 assists at the end of the season.

Before the change of style:

Played 7, scored 6, and conceded 11.
W1 D3 L3.
0.86 points per game.
Goal score -5.

After the change of style:

Played 9, scored 16, and conceded 11.
W7 D0 L2.
2.3 points per game.
Goal score +5.

 

[Yankee_Jack]

@CroJack ... are your numbers before Benda and after Benda? If so, don't we all feel vindicated.

 

[Victoria Swan]

Good summary @CroJack. The one thing I disagree on is "we attack more through the middle". Far from it, we push the ball out wide more to our wing backs who - and this is the big improvement - are firing crosses in with more accuracy and speed than ever before. This means we are in and around the six-yard and eighteen-yard boxes a lot more, leaving the impression we are attacking through the middle.

 

[CroJack]

Good summary @CroJack. The one thing I disagree on is "we attack more through the middle". Far from it, we push the ball out wide more to our wing backs who - and this is the big improvement - are firing crosses in with more accuracy and speed than ever before. This means we are in and around the six-yard and eighteen-yard boxes a lot more, leaving the impression we are attacking through the middle.

The vast majority of our (big) chances have been created through the middle as the result of our more direct play. The next are set pieces, and then the crosses. Actually, when it comes to creating chances, I think our wing-backs have contributed more with cutting inside than with "firing crosses in with more accuracy and speed", but I am not 100% sure. Have to check that.

Here is the Cardiff game:

01:39 Fantastic direct play through the middle (I could watch this passing sequence again and again, it is so good!) --> Obafemi misses a big chance

05:14 Grimes' lob-pass from the middle into the Cardiff box --> Cooper's goal

06:35 Grimes' direct run forward and pass to Obafemi --> Obafemi's excellent shot from 19 yards out saved

07:28 Grimes' through ball from the middle to Obafemi --> Obafemi scores

09:10 Lati cuts inside, Fulton passes the ball to Sorinola who makes a lay-off pass to Cabango --> Cabango's shot from 25 yards excellently saved by the Cardiff keeper

09:54 Darling initiates an excellent passing sequence through the middle --> Cooper misses a good chance

​

Only one chance (and that's the chance with the lowest xG) was created by our wing-backs. All other chances were created through the middle.

 

[CroJack]

That passing sequence at 01:39 in the video above is an ultimative example how to rip opposition defences apart by playing the pass & move football through the middle. We needed three passes to reach Cardiff box from our half and create a clear-cut chance. Mind you, that wasn't a counter-attack, where you normally have a lot of space to run into, like that famous counter-attacking move against Manchester City in the FA Cup under Potter.

You know how much I used to moan about us not running into the empty spaces in the middle or not passing the ball to the players who attacked these empty spaces.