First-half

[Darth Vadis 167]

The amount of points we have dropped at home...

What do people think the reason for this is? Fear? Bad game management from players and manager? Opposition better at regrouping at HT?

 

[Jim Smith 2,610]

There are a few versions of these half time tables doing the rounds. Does suggest we have a major second half issue which is probably no surprise to anyone. Suggest is a combination of squad depth/fatigue in games/lack of subs/half time team talks. 

I think the last 2 or 3 of home games have been absolutely crying out for fresh legs in the central midfield from about 60 minutes onwards but we also have a terrible habit of coming out off the pace after half time. 

[Disco Dales Jockstrap 1,959]

6 minutes ago, Darth Vadis said:

The amount of points we have dropped at home...

What do people think the reason for this is? Fear? Bad game management from players and manager? Opposition better at regrouping at HT?

 

Lack of squad depth is a factor. In-ability to focus as a defensive unit for 90 minutes is another. Not pre-empting/reacting to how the other team changes at half time. There are probably loads - add them all up and you get that table... 😢

OTBC

[GenerationA47 864]

Bloody hell, Harry!

This all while playing fewer games than last year too, imagine if we had to squeeze in another 8 .

Wass gorn on in traynun, etc.

 @Parma Ham's gone mouldy or other ITKs to comment on whether it’s likely to be chiefly physical or mental..?

[Parma Ham's gone mouldy 2,462]

1. We work harder than other teams because we are not as good as them.
2. Our style of play requires high levels of repeated mental processing (vid Positional Play).
3. Better teams (Particularly ‘asking tactical questions repeatedly’ like Man City) typically see the advantage of their approach pay dividends as teams tire mentally in the last 15 minutes of games. We did the same to others in the Champs. It is by design.

4. We don’t have the resources to buy game-changing weapons to sit on the bench (Crouch, Carroll, Set piece specialist etc)

 5. Our squad is elegantly designed as interchangeable to fit the model. Thus change is only fresh-legged versions of the same. 
6. Given 5. there is likely as much risk from changing - and disrupting the very smooth, mentally-intense style of play - as there is to gain. 

Parma

 

[ron obvious 1,711]

1 minute ago, Parma Ham's gone mouldy said:

1. We work harder than other teams because we are not as good as them.
2. Our style of play requires high levels of repeated mental processing (vid Positional Play).
3. Better teams (Particularly ‘asking tactical questions repeatedly’ like Man City) typically see the advantage of their approach pay dividends as teams tire mentally in the last 15 minutes of games. We did the same to others in the Champs. It is by design.

4. We don’t have the resources to buy game-changing weapons to sit on the bench (Crouch, Carroll, Set piece specialist etc)

 5. Our squad is elegantly designed as interchangeable to fit the model. Thus change is only fresh-legged versions of the same. 
6. Given 5. there is likely as much risk from changing - and disrupting the very smooth, mentally-intense style of play - as there is to gain. 

Parma

 

Yup, tat's how it looks to me.

I would say however that there's no harm in bringing on players like Onel & Tom to replace tiring players, because they are fresher players at the same level (if different in attributes) who know our system well.

 

[The Bristol Nest 597]

It's the fundamental first point that explains why we struggle in the second half.

[Making Plans 957]

When you look at "goals scored" at 17 we've scored more than the 10 teams immediately above us in that table who have all got more points at home than we have so we should really have done much better than we have.

When you look at goals against (25) we are joint worst with Southampton and they got 9 of theirs in one match.

The next worst is then West Ham with 19 and Burnley and Arsenal with 17.

Furthermore, since the start of December at home at we have lost 10 points from winning positions.

That all says to me that we probably aren't fit enough, we get tired, we lose concentration, Farke makes the wrong subs and at the wrong time (i.e. not early enough) and we can't defend sufficiently well for 90+ minutes to keep a clean sheet.

Towards the end of games we also get nervous, the crowd also gets nervous/goes quiet/moans and then we make too many unforced errors and it costs us.

[Capt. Pants 5,008]

9 minutes ago, Making Plans said:

When you look at "goals scored" at 17 we've scored more than the 10 teams immediately above us in that table who have all got more points at home than we have so we should really have done much better than we have.

When you look at goals against (25) we are joint worst with Southampton and they got 9 of theirs in one match.

The next worst is then West Ham with 19 and Burnley and Arsenal with 17.

Furthermore, since the start of December at home at we have lost 10 points from winning positions.

That all says to me that we probably aren't fit enough, we get tired, we lose concentration, Farke makes the wrong subs and at the wrong time (i.e. not early enough) and we can't defend sufficiently well for 90+ minutes to keep a clean sheet.

Towards the end of games we also get nervous, the crowd also gets nervous/goes quiet/moans and then we make too many unforced errors and it costs us.

Agree with all this particularly the point about substitutions.

Additionally it seems the opposition always seems to have another gear to go into 2nd half, usually straight from the kick-off. We seem very one dimensional and unable to change the course of a game in any way.

[Cantiaci Canary 610]

For me it's partly because visiting teams arrive less desperate to win all three points and so sit a little deeper and play with greater patience. If you force Norwich out wide by screening the middle you kill them.

Defences and DMs at this level are comfortably better than anything faced last season and they can neuter us pretty well by forcing us to rely on springing intricately precise passing moves to create goalscoring opportunities - which often, by nature break down and/or are rare.

Away from home the onus is on the opposition to put us to bed before half time and this allows us to attacks gaps on the break.

 

Sadly, a lot comes down to a lack of both quality and diversity.

Hopefully we'll bounce back and be better able to invest in players thanks to the sacrifices made this summer.

In Webber we trust!

Edited January 2, 2020 by Cantiaci Canary