ChorltonCharlie wrote: ↑Mon Jan 20, 2025 7:52 am
One thing I’ve noticed is we never really appear to build up a head of steam, and I think there’s a reason for that. The players are coached to start every attack from the edge of our own box and even 6 yard box. Drawing the press is nothing new, but we seem to take it to its limits. We’re actually fairly good at that, and it’s no surprise that two of the best at it, (biggest culprits if the tactics aren’t working) are Egan Riley and Trafford, with their Guardiola background. What we’re not great at is the next bit of getting out and beating the press and creating good opportunities. We’re a Championship team, so I have no problem with that. Mistakes will happen; a poor pass or a dodgy touch. The issue for me is that’s 90% of the attacking game plan and it slows us down.
A couple of things that were noticeable for me on Friday night.
At one point in the second half for a minute or two we pushed Sunderland back. It looked like the pressure was building. Then we played a safe ball backwards, and then another. Within a few seconds we had CJ stood deep in his own half waiting for a Sunderland attacker to press him. In that passage of play the ball went out in our own half for our throw in. Ball back in play, again all around the edge of our own box trying to draw the press. Momentum was lost and it was our last spell of concerted pressure in the game. Our tactics simply aren’t assertive enough.
I also watched the difference between how Sunderland played out from the back. They were also comfortable on the ball. The key difference I noticed is their defenders didn’t wait for the press and without being remotely direct they just played through the lines. It’s quite a subtle difference between what appears to be Parker’s dogma that we must invite the press to get the other team to commit men forwards and the Sunderland approach of just having faster tempo which is more difficult to defend against. Parker’s approach can work, but it requires excellent technical payers across the pitch who can play 1 and 2 touch football and rarely make a bad touch or pass. It’s a huge ask at Championship level.
Parker is supposed to be a manager, you don't play a system if you don't have the 'technical ' players required to do it. The whole argument over thinks something that is very simple. You keep the ball out one end, and stick it in the net at the other.
Parker has the players hamstrung with the safety first attitude, that makes good players look average, and average players look downright poor.
We are blessed with an amazing back 4 and keeper. They'll still be excellent if we attacked teams. It's not only gutless, it's boring, and it also plays into the hands of the opposition. That isn't rocket science it's bleeding obvious.
Reading all these threads is just getting me more and more frustrated. Brownhill is ****, Flemming isn't a CF, Koleosho isn't the player he was, Foster needs to play on the wing, we need a new striker, we need new wingers.........What we need is a manager with a bit of bottle, that can impart that confidence to the players we already have, because the players we already have are more than good enough to walk this league. It's the manager that's the problem.
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