Aye, I get that. I just look at say, Southampton or Brighton, and no way do they have better players than we do, and yet they're capable of being far more expansive than we are.
As I say I don't think it's so much a question of talent as it is mentality.
Look at Moutinho's goal at Brentford, quick 1-2 on the edge of the box, bends it round a defender with the outside of his boot into the back of the net. Lovely stuff and he made it look easy because he's a very good footballer but how often does he take the risk of getting into positions where he can attempt such a thing? He's usually 20 yards or more deeper than that offering an out ball for a retreating wingback.
Similar with someone like Semedo, we've all seen he's comfortable with the ball, can beat a player and carry it up the pitch with ease. Great stuff, how often does he put that to use in the final third and get in behind the opposition into a position where he can deliver a telling pass? Jonny blitzed his goal contributions instantly just by having the willingness to get in the box a bit and have a go.
We saw a new side to Traore in the opening games running in behind, something people have often criticized him for not doing but it was finally embraced and provided some really good chances. Granted his execution was off but a change in mentality, looking for space in behind rather than coming to the ball constantly, created those chances which we'd hardly ever seen him look likely of before. Weird how that play fell away so quickly after the first few games though, some players still make that type of run occasionally but the pass almost never comes.
In terms of ability these players can certainly do a lot more but to me it rarely looks like they're trying to. I've spoke about comfort zones before and I know some didn't agree but I think that's part of the issue, players almost going through the motions doing what suits them rather than what is going to hurt their opponents. I don't feel like any of them ever really step up and take a game by the scruff of it's neck when things are going against them, if anything they seem to mentally decline horribly in those situations, either dropping increasingly deep to invite pressure or completely implode and lose all discipline.
There's definitely an argument to say the manager could be trying different approaches, something I think has rarely happened since the opening few games. It was nice in the first half against Leeds to see the team finally try and play around a press, something the did with aplomb that half, rather than shit themselves and lump it into the channels. However if the mentality of the players is too far removed from what the manager wants then I don't think you'll ever get much harmony regardless of the talents if either party. I think that becomes particularly evident when things are going well because people naturally retreat to their default, you revert to what you know, what you believe in and what you can justify if needs be.
I think there's been enough time passed to take a guess that there will never be great harmony between Lage and this squad. When those situations arise it's nearly always the coach that makes way, he's far easier and cheaper to replace. So I don't expect him to be around long term unless Fosun think he's worth keeping to the extent that they'll do the more difficult and costly task of altering the squad. I think it would be a more pragmatic manager that would get a better tune out of the squad going forwards though, I think that was the foundation of the success under Nuno that he and the squad shared a common mentality and so the squad embraced his ideas much more easily.
