On paper you're correct but there's a big difference between having a lone striker and having one guy in "detention" up front. Not sure what plan was but I hope we change it.
Too harsh IMO. In the first half he tracked back and won the ball in a tackle three or four times and started a move forward. That might not seem much, but it was the only time he had a chance and he'd started it himself from winning the ball after tracking back. In a dire first half, he actually appeared to me to be trying to do something and more than many others. He was most definitely not absent in that first half. He was quiet in the second half, yet even then he produced our most creative opening when he eventually received a pass near their penalty area, showed some skill to create a shooting chance, but then sadly ballooned his shot. However, he created that chance and it was about the only time he wasn't given the ball on the touch line with three men near him. I'm not saying he was great yesterday, but I am saying he was far from absent and far from the worst.
Here's what I'd like to happen, but it won't happen because modern football doesn't allow it. We are out of the league cup and no other games outside of league games until January. What I'd like MP2 to do now is to pick what he thinks is his best team and play it for the next 6 games without changes, barring injuries. This will take a big pair of balls from him and the fans to show real support and patience. No matter who the player, JWP, Boufal, Pierre, Redmond, Shane, Charlie, any of them, they need to have a true chance in his best side and that means a run of games. Keeping changing personnel when we have a week between games (unlike Puel who had too many games). I'd like to see us do this and the fans back them (none of this half time booing nonsense that really doesn't help). We may need some continuity on the pitch for a few games.
There will be people collecting with buckets for a local charity call the red lipstick foundation outside the ground I agree players need a more than the odd 60 minutes to be able to prove themselves and develop some confidence. Trouble is if a manager was to do what you said and the results not go there way then you know exactly how fans and media will respond. "It obviously wasn't working yet he refused to change things" "Tactically inept, only has a plan A" As you say, it will take a very brave manager to do it.
To be fair the team selections have been fairly consistent this season, League Cup aside, so I think you may get your wish on that score.
"Fairly" yes, but I'm on about really sticking for 6 games or so. JWP started one and not the next, for example. Hopefully changes this time will be avoided with no international travel. If I was boss, I'd tell the players too. Here's your chance for these games. Show me!
Totally agree with this and we also do not appear to have a Plan B. After half an hour you could see that Watford would score and MP2 should have recognized this and made changes then. For me Boufal and JWP should have been replaced at that time and Lemina and Tadic brought on, as Plan A was clearly not working.
While you are working on your full analysis for us, give us another one on Liverpool's performance yesterday.
I didn't see the game as I ended up on my way to watch you lot! Quite fortunate tbh as it didn't sound good
Northam and Kingsland at half time and then much more at the end I may be disappointed but I'll never boo my team. I think these "fans" are turning poisonous and it's effecting the team. How long before we hear the cries of "MP2 out"?
Two long shots, noticeable that it was Boufal closing down so we obviously expect whoever is playing CAM to work hard in a central three without the ball. Not playing to his strengths (doesn't suit his style although he is good at winning the ball back).
Dead right, we need to start playing with a pattern and purpose, too many players yesterday looked lost and there wasn't any cohesion in the play whatsoever.
I agree about the booing Dave, it is pathetic, but the fans never affected the team's first half performance, which was honestly the worst I have seen Saints since Markus bought us. We have to stick with MP2, whatever happens for at least two seasons IMO.
You need something positive to keep fans on board and involved, something we really struggled with in recent times, people are losing their enjoyment of attending. Defences win you titles, goals keep you in a league. I hope that we have enough.
If I was the boss, I would change the formation. As far as I could see, we were playing 4-4-1-1. What bothered me was that the wide players stayed wide. They were far too predictable in their positioning, making it simple to cut out passes hit in their direction. Just about the only time the wide players did come inside, it was when carrying the ball, again too predictable as they seldom tried to go outside their marker, and leading to nothing. The fact that our wide players stayed wide, created a massive vacuum between our defensive midfielders and the front two, so attempted passes forward were hit so fiercely that when they were reaching JWP, for instance, the ball was just bouncing off, and possession lost. When in possession, Watford didn't give us a moment to settle, closing us down mob handed. They also seemed to work out angles for blocking passes, better than we did. One episode, first half, had Bertrand overlapping, with (I think) Redmond on the ball. I watched the Watford player, ahead of Redmond, making small adjustments to his position, to block off the pass to Bertrand, completely blocking that pass as an option. Simple but effective. For me, if MP wants to stick with this formation, the wide players have to be more flexible in their positioning and get more central - leave the width to the full backs. And if the likes of Boufal and Redmond played more centrally, they might get into the box a bit more frequently, taking some attention away from Gabbiadini. Just my opinion, but our players are too far apart to play quick one touch football, as we did under other managers. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Watford. The way they swarmed (no pun intended) forward, whenever they had the ball, was fun to watch. I lost count of the number of times, when the ball was out wide, that they had 4 or 5 players in the box. I think this is a reason for not being hard on the back four, because they were being overwhelmed by numbers, at times. If Watford's final ball had been better, we could have been sorely embarrassed.
For me, one of the key questions should always be 'what would the opposition least like us to do?' I am not convinced we went for that option many times: - Gabbiadini. The opposition would least enjoy constant through balls that he is running on to, with supporting runs from the midfielders behind for him to lay it back to if he cannot shoot. Unfortunately we do not try enough through balls for him to run on to, and the midfield is woefully far away from him - Redmond. As a pacey, tricky winger, the full backs would not enjoy him running at them and taking them on. He could go outside and then cross it, or inside and shoot (we know he can, he did it agains tus when at Norwich!). I don't mind if it only works 2 or 3 out of 5 attempts, it will create chances. Yesterday he would face up to a full back one-on-one, and then turn and lay it back to Cedric/Bertrand instead. Ward-Prowse/Tadic - both excellent crossers of the ball. The opposition hate when the ball gets played out wise and then crossed early and dangerously. Unfortunately yesterday both were far too slow to get crosses in. Whether this is because they themselves take too long on the ball, or because they are waiting for more men in the box to aim for I am not sure. When you see the Man City highlights on MOTD they have 4 in the box waiting for a cross, you see us and we have 1. Central midfield - I know he's been away on internationals, but Watford know they're a strong team and what they'd quite enjoy is battering a few lightweight CMs around. They'd less enjoy going up against the likes of Lemina. Even if he couldn't play the full game, he had to come on at HT to stabalise the middle. If he wasn't fit enough to do that, he shouldn't have been on the bench.
Lots of sense in here. But I particularly want to focus on your opening line, but flip it around. Any team in the PL, big or small, when coming up against us and asking themselves that question about us, must be answering with "score a goal". Watford could have come here and put 10 men behind the ball, seeking a 0-0 or a goal on the break/from a set piece. But they didn't. And aside from maybe WBA, I'm sure all other sides also won't seek to put men behind the ball against us. That is going to put our defence under enormous pressure. Yes it might allow us to create one or two extra chances, but it hardly matters if we can't score them.
