| As good as away performance you’ll get 08:49 - Apr 3 with 783 views | itfcsuth |
Really thought we were terrific, at PL you are always going to suffer at times, but really thought we put together an overall performance.
A match plan I think we probably could have adopted more this year.
Was a real defensively solid performance, with a transitional approach in the attacking play.
O’Shea, Burgess & Townsend absolutely outstanding, and I like the more defensive Tuanzebe/Johnson combo.
Going the other way thought a trio of Broady, Julio and Delap constantly carried a real threat which is absolutely critical.
Really impressed last night, think we got so much right. |  | | |  |
| As good as away performance you’ll get on 09:15 - Apr 3 with 695 views | Herbivore |
I think we've largely been fine away from home. If someone told me we'd win this season at Spurs, Wolves, and Bournemouth and get draws at Villa, Brighton, and Fulham from our first 15 away games then I'd have been thinking we'd probably be safe. Throw in the point at Saints, being very unfortunate to get nothing at Brentford, and narrow defeats at Arsenal and United, and it's generally been decent on the road. It's been easier for us to find that balance away from home, we've been more comfortable sitting a bit deeper and defending with good shape and then growing into games and being a threat on the counter.
At home it's been a bit of a sh!t show, we've had spells in lots of games where we've been good but we haven't consistently found our identity. PR was a fortress for 2 and a half years and we largely just battered teams off the park and overwhelmed them with our quick passing football but we can't do that against better sides and we've struggled to get the balance right between defensive solidity and still carrying a threat. We've not been clinical enough at home either while also conceding virtually every time the opposition gets near our box, often through ropey defending. If our home form had been as good as our away form, which still wouldn't be great, we'd only be 3 points off Wolves going into our game against them. Our home form has killed us. |  |
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| As good as away performance you’ll get on 09:23 - Apr 3 with 659 views | portmanking |
| As good as away performance you’ll get on 09:15 - Apr 3 by Herbivore |
I think we've largely been fine away from home. If someone told me we'd win this season at Spurs, Wolves, and Bournemouth and get draws at Villa, Brighton, and Fulham from our first 15 away games then I'd have been thinking we'd probably be safe. Throw in the point at Saints, being very unfortunate to get nothing at Brentford, and narrow defeats at Arsenal and United, and it's generally been decent on the road. It's been easier for us to find that balance away from home, we've been more comfortable sitting a bit deeper and defending with good shape and then growing into games and being a threat on the counter.
At home it's been a bit of a sh!t show, we've had spells in lots of games where we've been good but we haven't consistently found our identity. PR was a fortress for 2 and a half years and we largely just battered teams off the park and overwhelmed them with our quick passing football but we can't do that against better sides and we've struggled to get the balance right between defensive solidity and still carrying a threat. We've not been clinical enough at home either while also conceding virtually every time the opposition gets near our box, often through ropey defending. If our home form had been as good as our away form, which still wouldn't be great, we'd only be 3 points off Wolves going into our game against them. Our home form has killed us. |
I think the problem is that, rightly or wrongly, McKenna has tried hard to impose our style on the opposition in home games.
Had we deployed last night's system/shape in all of our home games this season, I'm certain we'll have had at least 1-2 more wins under our belt. Although it may not have been overly pretty.
I also think last night's system/shape worked because Delap was much, much more of a team player. He linked play as well as he's done all season and didn't try to do it all himself. That allowed Enciso and Broady to shine too. |  | | |
| As good as away performance you’ll get on 09:27 - Apr 3 with 643 views | Herbivore |
| As good as away performance you’ll get on 09:23 - Apr 3 by portmanking |
I think the problem is that, rightly or wrongly, McKenna has tried hard to impose our style on the opposition in home games.
Had we deployed last night's system/shape in all of our home games this season, I'm certain we'll have had at least 1-2 more wins under our belt. Although it may not have been overly pretty.
I also think last night's system/shape worked because Delap was much, much more of a team player. He linked play as well as he's done all season and didn't try to do it all himself. That allowed Enciso and Broady to shine too. |
It's a tricky one as, bar the best teams, quite a few sides have come to PR this season and played a bit more like we do away, keeping good shape and being effective on the counter. It's interesting looking at the league table, home advantage used to be a big thing in football but with a few exceptions, most sides this season have similar away records to their home record. Liverpool haven't lost away all season but have lost at Anfield. I wonder if it's a feature of the modern game that a lot of top flight sides play in that counter pressing and counter attacking way that's generally more suited to playing away from home. | |
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| As good as away performance you’ll get on 09:35 - Apr 3 with 593 views | IPS_wich |
The defence was terrific, but the other thing that stood out for me was that our front four tried to work more as a unit. Both goals involved Ensciso and Delap - who have become increasingly selfish over the last few games - actually passing the ball to a team mate in a better position. Broadhead and Johnson both hit sublime cross field passes to a team mate in space as well. | | | |
| As good as away performance you’ll get on 14:06 - Apr 3 with 442 views | itfcsuth |
| As good as away performance you’ll get on 09:15 - Apr 3 by Herbivore |
I think we've largely been fine away from home. If someone told me we'd win this season at Spurs, Wolves, and Bournemouth and get draws at Villa, Brighton, and Fulham from our first 15 away games then I'd have been thinking we'd probably be safe. Throw in the point at Saints, being very unfortunate to get nothing at Brentford, and narrow defeats at Arsenal and United, and it's generally been decent on the road. It's been easier for us to find that balance away from home, we've been more comfortable sitting a bit deeper and defending with good shape and then growing into games and being a threat on the counter.
At home it's been a bit of a sh!t show, we've had spells in lots of games where we've been good but we haven't consistently found our identity. PR was a fortress for 2 and a half years and we largely just battered teams off the park and overwhelmed them with our quick passing football but we can't do that against better sides and we've struggled to get the balance right between defensive solidity and still carrying a threat. We've not been clinical enough at home either while also conceding virtually every time the opposition gets near our box, often through ropey defending. If our home form had been as good as our away form, which still wouldn't be great, we'd only be 3 points off Wolves going into our game against them. Our home form has killed us. |
Would agree I think we have performed better away from home, of the top of my head Fulham, Palace, Villa, Tottenham all good examples of that.
I think actually at home we've maybe tried to open the game up too much, and at times have been picked apart with moments of quality.
Last night I really enjoyed that defensive block, and then still carrying a threat on the transition.
I thought we were really good last night. | | | |
| As good as away performance you’ll get on 14:10 - Apr 3 with 433 views | itfcsuth |
| As good as away performance you’ll get on 09:35 - Apr 3 by IPS_wich |
The defence was terrific, but the other thing that stood out for me was that our front four tried to work more as a unit. Both goals involved Ensciso and Delap - who have become increasingly selfish over the last few games - actually passing the ball to a team mate in a better position. Broadhead and Johnson both hit sublime cross field passes to a team mate in space as well. |
There are times Delap/Enciso have either made the wrong decision, or have been untidy when they've made the right decision.
But, and it is a big but, I can excuse that entirely under the fact that they both carry that x factor, and if they attempt things enough, whilst it won't pay every time, they are the ones who look like they can make things happen in the attacking areas.
Secondly to that, when you play a low block, and then you do transition quickly, there are times the likes of Delap, Enciso & others have to carry the ball on their own, and beat men on their own, make things spark on their own - purely down to the fact they can become isolated up there. | | | |
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