Crusaders (H) 25-07 Build Up

[Deleted Cyber]

Traore wasn’t great as his delivery wasn’t the best but at least he nearly made stuff happen. If he didn’t play that could easily have been 0-0.

If MGW miscontrolling it, making abysmal runs, shit passes, shit shots, shit headers is being too clever for the rest of the team then Jota and moutinho must secretly be conference north standard.

If anything they were too clever for him and he couldn’t execute the tight intricate stuff, or just got in the way or made the wrong run. Very poor display which was worrying considering he should have had too much for them.

That's close to how I saw it too.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I genuinely think nobody was very good, or even good tonight. Limited opposition. And 2-0 flattered us. So if I am picking on Traore I will stop. Nobody was above 4/10 for me at all, bar the keeper because he had nothing to do.

 

[AndyWolves]

Did Traore not get two assists?

He was the only one who could really beat his man

 

[slink]

Traore was more than fine, our best player and most effective all night. Was similar to last season against a team that sat in and several players took the easy option to give it Adama and let him beat the full back. Couple of crosses in the first half were poor but apart from that his crossing was pretty good, got an assist from one of them, played a couple of cut backs that were messed up by players he cut it back to and had a few crosses clipped in to great areas that players didn't really attack or had weak headers on the end of them. Pretty sure none of his crosses ended up in the Southbank either being down that end and probably would have had a goal with his left foot shot but for MGW getting in the way.

By no means is Traore a world class footballer but he's made serious progress since signing and tonight showed glimpses of that. MGW the biggest disappointment for me, picked the ball up in fantastic areas but too many touches or loose first touches and a lack of drive forward. Too happy when playing in that advanced role to play an easy pass backwards or sidewards when it needed him to drive forward.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I was obviously watching a different match so I will sign off and go to bed.

 

[Deleted Cyber]

I genuinely think nobody was very good, or even good tonight. Limited opposition. And 2-0 flattered us. So if I am picking on Traore I will stop. Nobody was above 4/10 for me at all, bar the keeper because he had nothing to do.

That's really harsh. Donk was a 7 at least. The back three were all fine so get a 6. Mgw a 5 .

 

[AndyWolves]

I genuinely think nobody was very good, or even good tonight. Limited opposition. And 2-0 flattered us. So if I am picking on Traore I will stop. Nobody was above 4/10 for me at all, bar the keeper because he had nothing to do.

That's a bit much

We completely dominated the game against a team who celebrated when they got out of their own third.

No one was imperious because they didn't need to be, it was very easy for our boys.

On another night MGW ends up with a hattrick

 

[Deleted Cyber]

I was obviously watching a different match so I will sign off and go to bed.

Night mate. It happens. All coins have two sides

 

[Tony Towner]

Too happy when playing in that advanced role to play an easy pass backwards or sidewards when it needed him to drive forward.

That's where he was trying the give and goes at least in the first half, laying the ball off and then making runs in behind the defence, but not getting the ball back. He did that on at least 3 occasions on two the ball was moved sideways on the 3rd Neves tried to find him, but underhit the pass and it was cut out

 

[AndyWolves]

As an aside tonight ended up being way more expensive and frustrating than it should have been :-

2 tickets but my dad couldn't make it so that's a waste
Didn't think I'd get there so I bought a months subscription to Premier Sports to watch the game
Tram got fixed so I got to the game 20 minutes late
Left 1 minute before the end (first time ever leaving early) and missed the goal
Sweaty tram back to Brum
£20 taxi ride home
Left my phone in the black cab, driver brings it back so I give him £30 for his troubles

 

[Tony Towner]

Neves off to hospital for precautionary tests on a side injury

 

[Deleted Cyber]

As an aside tonight ended up being way more expensive and frustrating than it should have been :-

2 tickets but my dad couldn't make it so that's a waste
Didn't think I'd get there so I bought a months subscription to Premier Sports to watch the game
Tram got fixed so I got to the game 20 minutes late
Left 1 minute before the end (first time ever leaving early) and missed the goal
Sweaty tram back to Brum
£20 taxi ride home
Left my phone in the black cab, driver brings it back so I give him £30 for his troubles

Someone please add call me lucky to his user profile?

Seriously Andy, that's a Shi t day!

 

[AndyWolves]

Something else I noticed, the crusaders forward marked Boly but they left Bennett wide open. A good tactic on their part, hopefully, Vallejo will present more danger with the ball at his feet.

Our system relies on our CB to move the ball well when teams sit deep

 

[Tony Towner]

Something else I noticed, the crusaders forward marked Boly but they left Bennett wide open. A good tactic on their part, hopefully, Vallejo will present more danger with the ball at his feet.

Our system relies on our CB to move the ball well when teams sit deep

I like Bennett, but in games like today he's more of a weak link than against some of the better sides for exactly that reason

 

[AndyWolves]

Someone please add call me lucky to his user profile?

Seriously Andy, that's a Shi t day!

It could have been worse!
If the tram wasn't fixed I'd have missed the game
The cabby could have ignored my phone or been a complete arsehole and demanded more money
Plus, I now get to watch the 2nd leg which I probably wouldn't have!

 

[PuntsWolf]

I’ve said it before, but we basically play with 4 CBs with Neves dropping deep. Makes it all too easy to defend against in the attacking 1/3.

When teams are attacking with 4 at the back, their full backs are as wide and high as our wingbacks with only 2 or at worst 3 people in the middle. Us having 4 in there is just a complete waste of a man.

Playing a better CB isn’t going to make a huge difference. He isn’t going to suddenly start committing players, give and go with the CMs/ WB. It will be more of the same.

When Boly steps in it never leads to anything. Just goes to Jonny and recycles.

 

[The Weasel]

Traore just edged MoTM for me on a night where we all broadly looked exactly where you'd expect us to be sharpness wise mid July.

 

[AndyWolves]

I’ve said it before, but we basically play with 4 CBs with Neves dropping deep. Makes it all too easy to defend against in the attacking 1/3.

When teams are attacking with 4 at the back, their full backs are as wide and high as our wingbacks with only 2 or at worst 3 people in the middle. It’s just a complete waste of a man.

Playing a better CB isn’t going to make a huge difference. He isn’t going to suddenly start committing players, give and go with the CMs/ WB. It will be more of the same.

When Boly steps in it never leads to anything. Just goes to Jonny and recycles.

Point being though it gives teams something else to think about

Boly can hurt teams with the ball, but you'd let Bennett have possession all day long.

If all 3 centre backs can pick a pass which one do you close down / put a man on

 

[Tony Towner]

Because Traore spent most of the game as a right winger Bennett was further forward than usual in right midfield. If he was more comfortable on the ball there were first time passes which could have helped to develop situations rather than controlling it with his first touch and playing the easy ball with his second

 

[Banjo]

Traore was clearly our best attacking threat today.

The criticism I have was the positioning of the three central midfielders, especially Neves. Everyone needed to be playing further forward. Have we learned nothing from home v Brighton?

Too many slow and ponderous balls between Neves, Moutinho and our three centre halves. At least one - if not two - of that lots needed to either be further up the pitch or replaced by someone more capable of playing further up the pitch. On days like today, what's the point of playing both Coady and Neves when they stand in the same place and do the same thing all game long?