meanest defence
even though we have had to change formation the back 5 have conceded the least goals in the division so far this season so our boys are doing the hard work well again , just need to be a bit more ruthless in front of goal to ease the ticker as we know other teams will always create chances . last night Pierre saved us 2 pts last sat it cost us 2 pts but still a cracking night out
0
Comments
We still let them run through our defence a couple of times last night but thankfully their finishing was poor and hit shots straight at Ingram.
<gasroom2_autopedant>Fewest, the back 5 have conceded the fewest goals.</gasroom2_autopedant>
Didn't notice that because of missing punctuation and capitalisation.
Despite that the OP makes a very good point
It's pretty amazing when you think about it the number of quality defenders (especially centre backs) we have been blessed with over the years. Thought Mawson would be an incredibly tough act to follow but we seem to have done well again - not something to take for granted though.
Tbh, we haven't replaced Mawson. He kept us composed at the back, brought the ball out from the back and even scored us 7 goals. Pierre has looked like he misses he along side him at times. I think we have done well to not concede more but would have let in fewer with him still at the back.
I think Mawson is very hard to replace in terms of having defenders who can launch attacks but in terms of pure defence I think we've done a good job replacing him.
Stewart, Jombati and McCarthy are all strong defensively but lack the guile and composure going forward.
Would be nice to get some goals from the centre backs soon though. Might have to wait for JJ's corners to return though.
I reckon McCarthy in the middle would be the ball-playing central defensive replacement for Mawson we want - he's been trained in the Southampton way after all - but GA's instructions have clearly been to lump the ball upfield since he joined. I'm pleased to hear we played on the ground against Yeovil a bit more. Hopefully that will become more of a feature of our game from now on, and not just against teams in the bottom four.
Mawson used to play long balls out of defence too. I was just his were clipped and paced rather than just lumped. Same ball, same distance, just different execution.
I think a short passing game is great to watch but really hard to maintain and win at our level. You need lots of good ball players and that gets expensive. I admire Ainsworths more pragmatic approach. He has the team playing percentage and channel football which we'll put up with while we are winning and we are buying the small team, no money model.
I actually think McCarthy will reach a higher level in football than Mawson. Mawson was brilliant here, but it is interesting to note that Barnsley are currently playing him in midfield.
It depends how you define it, but I don't think we quite do have the meanest defence in League Two at the moment. We've conceded the fewest goals, but have also played the fewest matches. Plymouth, having conceded 15 in 19 in comparison to our 14 from 17, have the meanest defence in terms of goals conceded per match. So, come on lads, a couple more clean sheets, please.
I think Pierre and Stewart will work well once AS is fit again.
Mawson always had the ability to play in midfield glad to see him getting that chance.