The Burnley midfield tonight

[Rumbletonk]

They put a stat up in the first half and Cork had run more than anyone in the game.
He wasn't at it it but you can't accuse him of hiding.

I wasn't questioning his overall work rate. He always puts a shift in

[Darnhill Claret]

First of all, I would say that the physical effort the team put in against Spurs at the weekend took it’s toll tonight and if there is illness in the camp that is a double whammy. For me Wed and Thursday off, stay at home, rest up and isolate the illness. We were beaten by the better team on the night. Tarks was the most influential player for us tonight but not in a good way. Missed a sitter, directed a header over from a corner that should have at least been on target and for their second goal, ended up directly behind Charlie Taylor and behind the goal line so couldn’t get a block clearance in. His long passes forward also left a lot to be desired. I’d give him a break on Saturday and let Ben G have a game. I’m a massive Tarks fan but let’s use the squad in the right way. Give the lad a break.

[tim_noone]

First of all, I would say that the physical effort the team put in against Spurs at the weekend took it’s toll tonight and if there is illness in the camp that is a double whammy. For me Wed and Thursday off, stay at home, rest up and isolate the illness. We were beaten by the better team on the night. Tarks was the most influential player for us tonight but not in a good way. Missed a sitter, directed a header over from a corner that should have at least been on target and for their second goal, ended up directly behind Charlie Taylor and behind the goal line so couldn’t get a block clearance in. His long passes forward also left a lot to be desired. I’d give him a break on Saturday and let Ben G have a game. I’m a massive Tarks fan but let’s use the squad in the right way. Give the lad a break.

Agreed...I think palace will raise there game tomorrow as well against utd.....and we will benefit from the extra day.Hopefully

[boatshed bill]

Rafa beat us with superior tactics, it's not really fair to blame the players. They looked lost to me.

[Colburn_Claret]

I wasnt there last night so this is based on observations of the season.
Jack Cork is too lightweight.
Hes fine with somebody strong alongside him, but when he has to step up and be the main man, he hasn't got it. Westwood and McNeil look to drive forward and play forward, Jack is more inclined to play backwards. Hes also very weak in the tackle, and regularly ends up on his arse when challenged because he doesn't have the body strength to protect the ball.
He can still do a job for us in the Prem, but we need a strong replacement for Cork, or back up for Westwood, if he is going to stay.
Dwight is too slight to fill the role, which is why I maintained on the other thread, hes better off out on the wing.

[jrgbfc]

This is exactly what I said. Out managed Dyche at the Turf and again tonight.

Seem to recall reading a thread on here the other week with plenty of people claiming Dyche was a better manager than Benitez. Think those people conveniently forgot that Rafa has managed the likes of Liverpool, Inter and Real, a level Dyche can only dream of unfortunately.

[DCWat]

Seem to recall reading a thread on here the other week with plenty of people claiming Dyche was a better manager than Benitez. Think those people conveniently forgot that Rafa has managed the likes of Liverpool, Inter and Real, a level Dyche can only dream of unfortunately.

Look at Benítez’s record pre Valencia. Dyche’s in a similar period of time in management stacks up better. I’m not saying Dyche will get the opportunity to go on and manage the teams Benítez has, but to be fair you’re not comparing apples with apples.

[jojomk1]

A midfield with no height, strength or pace - something we have been lacking for a few seasons now

[WestMidsClaret]

We bypassed the midfield most of the night anyway. Long hoofs by tarks, must've been double figures. Wasn't working but kept doing it. No Westwood and ball retention was poor is why we got beat. Newcastle were nowt special but when you keep giving the ball away you're going to struggle.

[Spijed]

Seem to recall reading a thread on here the other week with plenty of people claiming Dyche was a better manager than Benitez. Think those people conveniently forgot that Rafa has managed the likes of Liverpool, Inter and Real, a level Dyche can only dream of unfortunately.

Newcastle are only one point better off and they lost at home to Brighton!

[claretonthecoast1882]

Our whoppers have had to wait a while since Boxing Day, it is only right they enjoy their moment of joy.

[jrgbfc]

Newcastle are only one point better off and they lost at home to Brighton!

I wasn't having a pop at Dyche, more making the point that there's no shame in being outwitted by a manager as good as Benitez.

[Longside4evr]

It was a below par of a preformance
The ball retention was wayward ball distribution was woeful formation and balance was upside down and nervy
Strikers lacked service corners and set pieces were dreadful
Positive that comes out was Taylor he was head and sholders above the entire team last night and the only one with any intent
Showed last night the quality he has at this level and is learning the game at a good pace

[Belgianclaret]

Waited far too long to make a change.
If it was the plan to keep lumping the ball forward as Tarks did nearly every time, we should have brought on Crouch at half time and gone with three upfront.
Same tactics that failed us miserably against Newcastle at home, combined with a few dire performances.
Onwards and upwards

[claretspice]

I think you can over-do the criticism here. Firstly, it was a slightly patched up midfield. Secondly, Benitez is one of those managers who has made a career out of being brilliant at analysing the opposition and neutralising them.

Our midfield 4 has been playing exceptionally well since Christmas (most of the time - not too sure it was much more effective with the ball for long periods at Brighton, for example) fundamentally for one key reason. The front two have provided a platform and therefore the midfield have been playing football on the front foot. Last night Benitez made sure his centre backs couldn't do that. They also flooded the midfield, with the two holding players supplemented with one or both of Perez and Almiron. As a result we were under pressure and on the back foot when we had the ball.

If there was space last night, it was on the outside, where we had a winger and a full back to their one wing back. Taylor exploited that well enough a few times, but on the other flank JBG had a poor night and Bardsley wasn't really an attacking influence at all. If we're really criticising the midfield, it's probably for not moving the ball quickly enough, but ultimately it was just a night where we were stopped from playing to our strengths and we didn't quite have the personnel to react.

[Belgianclaret]

You’re right of course that the players deserve credit for their efforts over the last weeks. We also missed Westwood in the engine room. I wasn’t implying anything else.
However, we failed to play yesterday and it was noticeable how Tarkowski in particular continously played the long ball at their imposing central defence.
I was remarking that this was exactly the same ineffective pattern of play we used during our home game.
I also didn’t see a big difference with the way Newcastle set their team up against us.
Don’t you think Crouch should have been introduced earlier and a change to three up front should have been considered?
Its not because Dyche is a terrific manager for us that he should be absolved from all scrutiny, especially on a fans forum

[Spijed]

I think you can over-do the criticism here. Firstly, it was a slightly patched up midfield. Secondly, Benitez is one of those managers who has made a career out of being brilliant at analysing the opposition and neutralising them.

The one thing that's a bit puzzling about Newcastle & indeed Palace is that they've clearly got some good players, got very good results this season, yet like us, are still around the relegation places.

[claretspice]

You’re right of course that the players deserve credit for their efforts over the last weeks. We also missed Westwood in the engine room. I wasn’t implying anything else.
However, we failed to play yesterday and it was noticeable how Tarkowski in particular continously played the long ball at their imposing central defence.
I was remarking that this was exactly the same ineffective pattern of play we used during our home game.
I also didn’t see a big difference with the way Newcastle set their team up against us.
Don’t you think Crouch should have been introduced earlier and a change to three up front should have been considered?
Its not because Dyche is a terrific manager for us that he should be absolved from all scrutiny, especially on a fans forum

I think the point about Tarkowski's long balls is a bit of a symptom vs cause issue. I'm not sure we set up to play ineffective long balls - I imagine the plan was to play in a similar vein to recent games where we've isolated one or our two strikers against one opposition defender and get front-foot position high up in the pitch, and/or to allow us to counter-attack using the channels down the sides of the centre backs. Unfortunately, for the reasons previously discussed, Newcastle were particularly well equipped to deal with that and did so very effectively. That happens.

For what it is worth, no I don't think bringing Crouch on as part of a front 3 would have helped. If anything it would have exacerbated the problem we had - which was that we didn't move the ball quickly enough and play with enough width to get wide of Newcastle. It was noticeable late on that Tarks started moving the ball quickly out to JBG and we got a bit of joy, but Bardsley's not the best wingman for him in these situations and that hampered us a bit. My solution would have probably been to go a completely different way at half time - I'd have probably gone 4-5-1, with one of McNeil or Brady in "the hole", and to give us an extra player with the ability to spread play quickly in the middle of the park. I might have left Barnes on the left hand side to give us an extra physical threat at the back post. But you'll probably be able to pick holes in that solution too, which suggests to me that the truth of the matter is simply that the better side on the night won and the manager probably couldn't do a great deal about it.

[claretspice]

You’re right of course that the players deserve credit for their efforts over the last weeks. We also missed Westwood in the engine room. I wasn’t implying anything else.
However, we failed to play yesterday and it was noticeable how Tarkowski in particular continously played the long ball at their imposing central defence.
I was remarking that this was exactly the same ineffective pattern of play we used during our home game.
I also didn’t see a big difference with the way Newcastle set their team up against us.
Don’t you think Crouch should have been introduced earlier and a change to three up front should have been considered?
Its not because Dyche is a terrific manager for us that he should be absolved from all scrutiny, especially on a fans forum

I think the point about Tarkowski's long balls is a bit of a symptom vs cause issue. I'm not sure we set up to play ineffective long balls - I imagine the plan was to play in a similar vein to recent games where we've isolated one or our two strikers against one opposition defender and get front-foot position high up in the pitch, and/or to allow us to counter-attack using the channels down the sides of the centre backs. Unfortunately, for the reasons previously discussed, Newcastle were particularly well equipped to deal with that and did so very effectively. That happens.

For what it is worth, no I don't think bringing Crouch on as part of a front 3 would have helped. If anything it would have exacerbated the problem we had - which was that we didn't move the ball quickly enough and play with enough width to get wide of Newcastle. It was noticeable late on that Tarks started moving the ball quickly out to JBG and we got a bit of joy, but Bardsley's not the best wingman for him in these situations and that hampered us a bit. My solution would have probably been to go a completely different way at half time - I'd have probably gone 4-5-1, with one of McNeil or Brady in "the hole", and to give us an extra player with the ability to spread play quickly in the middle of the park. I might have left Barnes on the left hand side to give us an extra physical threat at the back post. But you'll probably be able to pick holes in that solution too, which suggests to me that the truth of the matter is simply that the better side on the night won and the manager probably couldn't do a great deal about it.

[SGr]

Last night (until around minute 70) was a throwback to a 16/17 away performance, or one from earlier this season. We weren’t pressing particularly high, but neither were we sitting far back and defending in the manner we did at the weekend. Dodgy middle-ground where we lack creativity and the opposition still fashions chances.

[Claretpundit]

In the Newcastle match the only player that came out with any credit was Charlie Taylor. He made the effort and made the runs to get forward. You can't assess Woods and Barnes because they never had the service. The team were set up by Dyche not to get caught in forward positions and play long balls for Woods and Barnes. They played with no flare or imagination. They were boring and totally predictable. Individually they are better than this. Dyche please change your game plan so that we can appreciate a team that tries to play some decent football. That wasn't decent football against Newcastle.