Tactics
Is it just me but are we (i.e. GA) getting a bit cleverer with our tactics?
The last three games we appear to have adapted our play and ended up being pretty much in control of the games for long periods.
It's not been reflected it the results sadly but there does now appear to be a Plan B, C even D and hoofball is now just a one of our options
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Comments
Personally I felt that the last 20 minutes today we had very little shape or tactics. We need to hold the ball up front but bought on players incapable of matching their central defenders. ITHINK we were trying a diamond midfield but Bloomers could not compete anymore and CMS and Saunders were playing for the same space.
We had the chances today, didn't take em, we move on. If the other strikers don't start chipping in soon though it might be time to dust off the moaning claxon. The big fella can't do it all
I have no complaints about the effort by the whole team yesterday,but it was obvious to all that several players were exhausted near the end so it was not surprising that we conceded. I also have difficulty in understanding team selection . There were outstanding performances by the younger players in the previous away games yet against Luton they remained on the bench or where not selected at all,Freeman must wonder what he has to due to earn a place
Yes it was very obvious that Blooms in particular was exhausted. The starting line up was predictable focussing on experience rather than youth, but if we are to progress this year we need to be more canny and timely in our substitutions imho
Bloomfield was spent at 75 minutes , I am astonished he was not taken off . Eze would have probably taken pressure off by scaring the hell out of Luton at the other end . In my opinion GA has to be held responsible for part of the blame yesterday . He does still seem to have a habit of not changing things until too late when we are under sustained pressure and conceding a goal is looking likely . In the past one could argue we had nobody on the bench but this is no longer the case .
Spot on James
Good post James
I agree with your every word James. I was pleading for Ainsworth to take Blooms off after 75 minutes. He kept looking to the bench for the last 10 minutes as if he expected to be taken off. All those around me were saying the same thing. How Ainsworth couldn't see it I will never know. We all have off days at work & Ainsworth had one yesterday. I am confident that Ainsworth will learn from yesterdays mistakes.
Though I think we should also acknowledge that he got a lot right yesterday, too. For 75 minutes, we managed a very fair side and made them look ordinary. A lot of that was down to how we set up and how Gareth has individuals playing.
I think that's the point @HCblue. Unless Ritchie puts me right, for the first 45 minutes we outplayed a side with a lot more financial resources than we have and did it actually playing football as opposed to the type of 'football' we have played the past couple of years.
Yes we would probably have done better to have not been as conservative as we were for the last half hour and risked Eze for 10-15 minutes but we all know that is how GA is managerially.
I think this is some of the best football we've played since the first half of the playoff season. It's a real pity Scotty Kasket isn't fit. If he had been I'm pretty sure we'd have won the last 3 games.
@bookertease I thought the set up at the start of the game was excellent. A clear man marking system on Mpanzu and Berry stopped Luton playing in the middle and we were exploiting their narrow midfield by pushing JJ and Harriman on out wide.
Winning the ball in midfield put us in good attacking positions several times, and there seems to be a clearer strategy on how we're going to transition the ball from back to front. Sometimes that means a long ball to Bayo but there was plenty of variety too.
I agree substitutions could have been different, or perhaps just executed better. We should have been looking to find Tyson in the channels to stretch the game but it didn't happen.
If we're going to be critical of changes in the 90 mins, I think you have to also give credit insofar as we were set up well to begin with and forced Luton to change their approach.
I have agreed with the subs issue in another post, but it was irritating last time at AP when we had FGR on a plate...we 'managed' the game by messing about with a free kick in the corner at 3 -1 rather than trying to score, but this week Gaz did not make subs in the last fifteen mins that could have saved the game.
we only had one sub left to use
and the way Saunders was continually stretching right through the game I wouldn't be surprised if Gaz thought he might have to come off at some point
Easy to get caught up in the minutiae of individual games, especially in the immediate aftermath but I thought we played well on Saturday, and I enjoyed the game.
If we play like that for the rest of the season I will be happy
@eric_plant granted Eric, but at 80 minutes I think Blooms being substituted might have galvanised the mdifield a bit.
Yes, irritating and frustrating but, at what point in the season does the consideration of goal difference get looked at seriously?
@eric_plant I don't think GA wanted to use Sam Saunders so early, but the injury to Dom Gape upset the plans a bit.
agreed - and I don't think he was 100% certain that he would make it to the end of the game
encouraging that he did though, and also how well he played, despite what a certain poster said about his performance
@eric_plant but totally agree with your last sentence...we looked better than we have for a long time for the vast majority of the game and deserved to beat the Hatters.
@Fabian not bothered about the goal difference but at 3-1 up against a struggling team in extra time...I would rather the free-kick was used to try and score again...even in the unlikely event they would have raced down the pitch and made it 3-2! perhaps I am a purist!
Was it a cup game?