Forum | 3 big challenges for McKenna by Chris_ITFC

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3 big challenges for McKenna 10:15 - Sep 2 with 2664 views

1. Our left-hand side. It should be our strongest threat, given the calibre of players available. However, it’s clear that Philogene and Clarke love being in the same space that Davis needs vacant. Can Davis still be as effective inverting? How do you get our two £20m widemen to flourish?

2. The #10 connection. In the promotion season, we had 2 proper #10s in Chaplin and Broadhead, who were all about getting on the ball, linking play and gelling the team together. We’ve seemingly moved away from that, with width on the left and a #10 being more of a second striker type. How do we adapt to that? How do we avoid the team losing its creativity and lacking a playmaker to link midfield and attack?

3. How to manage the RB situation. There will soon be 4 options, with no seriously standout player. I’m sure Furlong will get a run, but how does he get a settled defence and keep all 4 happy? If Furlong hits a bad patch, there’s 3 guys of a similar-ish level queueing up, but none seem certain to nail down that spot.

I have every faith in McKenna. I just see those as 3 tactical points that will go along way to deciding our season - including how quickly we can sort them.

Poll:

Right, we’ve all slept on it. Let’s settle this?

3 big challenges for McKenna on 09:21 - Sep 3 with 234 views

thebooks

1. I think it worked with Philogene out wide in the second half v Southampton, but yeah, Clarke is better cutting in from the left, and was effective against Derby.

2. Depends on whether it's Nunez or SS. I think we have enough trickery and linkupability elsewhere (Cajuste or one of JP or JC coming inside) for SS or the Norwegian lad to play there.

3. Ben Johnson is the standout for me, and has enough versalitlity to come inside if needs be.

But I guess it's good to have choices. Maybe KM will rotate a lot and mix it up more.

3 big challenges for McKenna on 09:30 - Sep 3 with 215 views

Chris_ITFC

3 big challenges for McKenna on 09:21 - Sep 3 by thebooks

Choices can be good, but I think the issue is:

LW - 2 very similar choices, who expect to start, and aren’t naturally compatible with Leif
#10 - Choices very different to what we’ve been tactically used to.
RB - 4 (FOUR) choices that are much of a muchness.

Ideally, you want a clear starter (because they’re so good) and an able deputy with enough ability / potential to really push them to maintain their level, whilst also being able to cover adequately, e.g. Davis/Townsend.

Poll:

Right, we’ve all slept on it. Let’s settle this?

3 big challenges for McKenna on 10:31 - Sep 3 with 158 views

billlm

Il set him one challenge,
Try winning a game,

3 big challenges for McKenna on 10:35 - Sep 3 with 145 views

badadski

Davis rampaging runs worked first season as we were an unexpected force so teams didn’t give us as much respect as they are now. This season 80% of our games will be against a flat back 11 and they trying to break on us. It pretty much renders Davis old way of playing and role non effective as we have found. We will need now to break through middle, more quick interplay and exchanges which will take time for players to get used to each others patterns or wingers to actually beat their man to draw other players out of position. That’s reality of this season compared to 2 seasons ago. It will come but not expecting it to look good for at least another 7-10 games of same team and style. Having cajuste as per his previous display was a massive need for us to give drive through midfield and willingness to take a player on akin to Morsey. We will be ok but needs some patience.

[Post edited 3 Sep 10:37]

3 big challenges for McKenna on 10:38 - Sep 3 with 139 views

RIPbobby

3 big challenges for McKenna on 09:09 - Sep 3 by Exiled2Surrey
It's interesting - I haven't seen the stats but the sense I got from those who are familiar with Nunez's play is that he runs all day. No question he has the skills and the eye for the pass, but he is not going to stand statuesque and just spray the ball around. Really looking forward to seeing him in action

I was actually thinking he would receive the ball on the edge of the box and use his skill to take a player on and create space. Sorry if I didn't make that clear.

3 big challenges for McKenna on 12:18 - Sep 3 with 99 views

Horsham

1 and 2 are very much linked.

We’ve moved away from playing 10’s I think. Broadhead, Omari and Chaplin really were our number 10’s. Now all gone. Szmodics and Akpom more second strikers and the whole set up looks much more 4-4-2 or 4-2-4 to me.

There’s logic to the Davis change of role. The high and wide Davis despite actually pretty extraordinary powers of recovery has been frequently found out defensively being too high up the pitch against faster, better and more athletic premier league opponents.

The not so high and wide Davis has a better chance of recovering when attack needs to turn to defence and allows him to pop up in the 10 position joining up the attack better in theory (but not practise yet) with Akpom/Szmodics being more of an in the box option with Hirst.

I’m not sure it can’t work and in any case it might have to now as we’ve sold our number 10’s anyway.

I think it really needs a lot more from the wingers. Philogene and Clarke seem to lack decisiveness when we need good quick service into the box too often we don’t get it. The two of them surely can do much better.

Strangely enough in 4 games where we’ve produced so little threat, the classic example of what I’d like to see was Clarke’s ball in from the right against PNE. I’d like to see a lot less drifting from left to right from him and a lot more crossing/direct running at defenders.

Right back I think is a bit seperate. Quite often KMac prefers two full backs on the bench to having a centre back so I’d guess Furlong and Davis start and Johnson and Young are benched. Johnson actually seemed to get the new Davis role quite well at Bromley (yeah texters - I know Bromley but there’s not much else to go on!), but apart from that I think it might suit him better than our more defensive right back role.

So in summary we might keep the same tactic. It might work or it might not but I’m guessing KMac knows what he’s doing…so he’ll make the right call.

One thing is for sure this squad has some pretty big differences to the 23/24 one but if folk want to cling to something in common, despite being derided for its imbalance having 4 right backs we did have the same in the promotion season with Axel, Clarke, Williams and JD…just saying.

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