Inability to change our style of play

[zema abbey football genius 34]

The most disappointing thing for me since the restart is the lack of intensity. I expected us to be fired up & in people’s faces...if we lost then it was down to quality, not effort.

I’m not saying the boys didn’t put effort in...Farke just seems so reluctant to change our approach.

Confidence is low...so surely a ‘high press’ and no risks at the back would have been better? 
 

I don’t know the answer...but I have become more and more disillusioned with each game (Man Utd FA Cup game aside)

[Alex Moss 2,165]

I don’t think you can question the lads lack of effort tonight, I’m not having that. Farke was on the touch line barking orders but that doesn’t mean it equates to 3 points - the lads need to make that happen, though it’s not totally in their hands given they’re also facing an equally determined 11 players.

We were especially tentative against Brighton in the main and deserved what was served up. We were crap, perhaps down to nerves I suspect. But we gave it a good go tonight. Effort. And for that, I’m on their side.

[KeiranShikari 1,402]

I have a feeling we would have seen more variety in tactics had we actually had more than 2 central defenders fit at a time at any point this season.

 

[essex canary 490]

Aerial ball is key. One headed goal all season and plenty conceded. Just not robust or varied enough. Hope we retain Vrancic, Hernandez and Stepierman. All key to last years promotion. Quality commanding central defenders are needed.

[SplatCat 18]

For me it’s not so much an inability to change our style of play as an inability to be really effective in a style of play that served us well last year. Through last year and this year we’ve consistently conceded goals. What’s changed this year is we haven’t scored enough. We haven’t scored any scrappy goals, goals from set pieces, have hardly ever battled to a 0-0 draw, and even in open play, implementing our style of football, we have lacked a cutting edge.
 

An inability to have a consistently performing front 4, especially in the number 10 role, has been key. Think back to last year’s attacking 4 and in my mind only Hernandez and Pukki have performed near their potential, and that’s pushing it. Stiepermann and even Buendia have not been as effective, despite impressive sounding stats on Buendia’s part. Meanwhile Cantwell has stepped up but hasn’t been very effective either. His goals/assists are not that high. 
 

I also think our fullbacks haven’t been particularly effective going forward, despite their high valuation. Defensively there’s no doubt they’ve struggled, but going forward too their end product is often lacking. Both of their passing and crossing is often weak. Compare with the simple effectiveness of Sheffield United’s fullbacks swinging in cross after cross -  having a game plan to be effective which doesn’t require too much of limited ability. 
 

We have a style of play which demands effectiveness through the middle of the pitch, incisive through balls, slipped passes from inside channels, e.g. Buendia’s pass to Pukki in the Liverpool game, and this year we haven’t had the quality to be productive through that area often enough. Stiepermann had a surprisingly good year in the number 10 role last year, but this year has gone missing. To be effective in that area in the way we play you have to have real quality. You are going up against top quality midfield players who are often used to Champions League players. As our only mode of attack, we have been snuffed out. Teams in the prem have been used to Wenger’s arsenal trying to pass through them for years; they just get ready for our mistake, often a misplaced through ball in the middle of the pitch, and pick us off. 
 

It’s a laudable and noble strategy that has won us plenty of plaudits, but we’ve ended up being the fall guys. In addition, not picking Vrancic, an incisive and smart passer through the middle to front third of the pitch, has left me baffled. 
 

I suspect Webber’s next move will be to try to find more quality unknown players to try to achieve what we didn’t this year. If we manage to achieve promotion again in the next couple of years and want to stay up, we will have to either have serious quality in our attacks through the middle of the pitch, or we’ll have to be prepared to mix up our style a bit - more klopp’s Liverpool and less guardiola’s Man City, press a bit more from the front and not get bogged down passing out from our own half. 

 

[zema abbey football genius 34]

12 hours ago, Alex Moss said:

I don’t think you can question the lads lack of effort tonight, I’m not having that. Farke was on the touch line barking orders but that doesn’t mean it equates to 3 points - the lads need to make that happen, though it’s not totally in their hands given they’re also facing an equally determined 11 players.

We were especially tentative against Brighton in the main and deserved what was served up. We were crap, perhaps down to nerves I suspect. But we gave it a good go tonight. Effort. And for that, I’m on their side.

I actually stated it wasn’t down to a lack of effort in my original post...

It’s the excruciatingly slow, possession based game we play - all the sideward and backward passing...we lack intensity. 
 

Godfrey aside I can’t remember a player making a full blooded challenge since the re-start either.