| Teams playing more defensively against us - a sign of things to come? 09:22 - Jan 2 with 1171 views | Dubtractor |
The last 2 games have been somewhat reminiscent of a lot of the games we saw in league one - teams happy to hold their shape and try and hit us on the break. This has been something of an unwelcome novelty this season, as teams have largely been going toe to toe with us, which has led to a lot of entertaining and attacking games with lots of chances/goals.
We clearly worked out a formula to tackle that in league one (eventually), but it's obviously tougher to do so a league higher against better players, especially when missing key men as we have in the last 2 games. Once teams set their 'block' set it is almost impossible to break it down - very fast and precise passing is essential, and as per my deleted (!) thread the full backs are a key part of that.
This is going to be a very interesting transfer window indeed. If we are going to make a sustained challenge for the top 2 - which can't have been the aim this season, but it has turned into the reality - then we're going to need to add some serious quality on the ball, and that could mean as many as 4 or 5 players through the door to challenge for the first 11.
That's not to say that we don't currently have a team/squad well set to compete for the top 6, but the combination of teams changing approach against us, plus a few absences, has shown that we're not as resilient as we'd want to be. [Post edited 2 Jan 2024 9:30]
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| Teams playing more defensively against us - a sign of things to come on 09:36 - Jan 2 with 1091 views | Guthrum |
I didn't think Stoke were massively defensive yesterday, until they were reduced to ten men. I thought it was more that we were missing important penetrative options like the through ball to Hirst bursting between defenders, or Davis steaming down the wing.
Also feel that Hutchinson has lost some of his edge lately, his ability to beat players and make things happen. He might be a bit under the weather, tired (this is the most concentrated period of senior football he's ever experienced) or simply being marked out of games. Perhaps he needs a confidence boost. It's not a drastic decline, just dropped off a bit, which will affect our ability to create goalscoring opportunities. |  |
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| Teams playing more defensively against us - a sign of things to come on 09:37 - Jan 2 with 1090 views | SuperKieranMcKenna |
Indeed, it’s taken a while but finally teams are starting to show us some respect. We’ve missed Davis - and Hirst badly given they’ve contributed a staggering 15 assists between them. Ordinarily Broady is one to pick the lock but he’s sadly off his game at the moment.
Chappers isn’t getting any space and typically only managing one shot per game. He also probably needs a rest.
We managed to not just pick, but blast apart L1 defences from Feb onwards by having the better technical players. That’s not necessarily the case now, and you are much more likely to be punished on the breakaway at this level. Stoke managed to break out a couple of times and a better team might have scored (their lack of goals at home suggests they are not very clinical). Things for McKenna to work out, and personnel strengthening required. |  | | |
| Teams playing more defensively against us - a sign of things to come on 09:40 - Jan 2 with 1058 views | Dubtractor |
| Teams playing more defensively against us - a sign of things to come on 09:36 - Jan 2 by Guthrum |
I didn't think Stoke were massively defensive yesterday, until they were reduced to ten men. I thought it was more that we were missing important penetrative options like the through ball to Hirst bursting between defenders, or Davis steaming down the wing.
Also feel that Hutchinson has lost some of his edge lately, his ability to beat players and make things happen. He might be a bit under the weather, tired (this is the most concentrated period of senior football he's ever experienced) or simply being marked out of games. Perhaps he needs a confidence boost. It's not a drastic decline, just dropped off a bit, which will affect our ability to create goalscoring opportunities. |
I thought that Stoke played on the front foot for the first 15 minutes, but after that they just kept their shape and tried to hit us on the break. | |
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| Teams playing more defensively against us - a sign of things to come on 09:51 - Jan 2 with 979 views | Guthrum |
| Teams playing more defensively against us - a sign of things to come on 09:40 - Jan 2 by Dubtractor |
I thought that Stoke played on the front foot for the first 15 minutes, but after that they just kept their shape and tried to hit us on the break. |
It wasn't, however, like some of the games last season, when only the opposition's home third of the pitch actually got any use. I thought yesterday was reasonably entertaining (until the red), not just attack against defence. | |
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| Teams playing more defensively against us - a sign of things to come on 11:21 - Jan 2 with 858 views | Nthsuffolkblue |
| Teams playing more defensively against us - a sign of things to come on 09:40 - Jan 2 by Dubtractor |
I thought that Stoke played on the front foot for the first 15 minutes, but after that they just kept their shape and tried to hit us on the break. |
Wasn't it typical Schumacher? Defensive solidity and try to create something on the break. His style works very well against us at full strength and missing several of our most creative players we struggled. They have kept 5 clean sheets at home (including against Leeds), only conceded 1 to Southampton and have conceded 2 in their last 4 home matches. They have conceded 5 goals in their last 7 and only 2 in 4 matches since Schumacher joined them. |  |
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