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lordjord
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I was sceptical before the league season that 4-4-2 can be our go to formation throughout the year with the personnel we have and yesterday solidified my opinion of that. You could have drawn a straight line across our defence, midfield and forwards, no angles what so ever to allow for creativity of shorter passing.
Both strikers were doing the same thing, staying pinned up against the CB's, one of them needed to be able to drop deep to offer something different. Etete was trying to do too much and ended up taking far too many touches, perhaps understandably with how poor the service was too him.
Both midfielders were attempting similar things. Neither offered any sort of angle to receive the ball and when they did get it never attempted to carry it forward or to inject any tempo into the passing. Because the team was so rigid when they did get the ball they were simply going long or backwards. The quality of passing was so so poor throughout the team, but IMO neither of the midfield 2 have the passing ability to play in a 2 for a promotion winning side. The ease with which the ball was passed through them was really surprising also.
Because the gaps between the team were so large and the structure was so rigid players just either went long or would try and do it themselves (like Etete or Pinnock who kept trying to knock it past the full back and run round him, which never worked).
The CB's seemed petrified to bring the ball out and of trying to pass it to the midfield, so many times there was plenty of space but they were so hesitant.
The one glaring gap in our squad currently is a number 10. Pollock could very well be the answer to that as he seemed to feature in that kind of position in pre season. Also would not be against a player of that ilk, can see why we were in for Ryan Broom on loan a little while ago.
Either that or a holding midfielder who can dictate the play and let Shaun just be a destroyer in the centre.
Clearly things to be worked and improved, which can be fixed without doubt. But I was concerned that instead of trying to change the formation and get hold of the ball, we simply changed out strikers for 2 other strikers who's goal records for us are atrocious. Why we also ended up with Hoskins in CM is beyond me.
Still a good start to the season, dont want to go too overboard. But there are some glaring issues that need to be addressed, hopefully as the team continues to gel those will be sorted.
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