Here's another interesting fact Barnsley 0 City 1 - no Meyler City 2 Forest 3 - Meyler City 1 Boro 3 - Meyler Pigs 4 City 1 - Meyler Denmark 0 - ROI 0 - no Meyler ROI 1 Denmark 5 - Meyler in the last month in the two games Meyler hasn't played, no goals conceded - in the 4 he has 15 conceded
Because our team is ridiculously unbalanced. For the majority of the season we've been carrying both wingers and Henriksen when he's played. It's no surprise that our defence has been so exposed and we've shipped goals for fun. Apart from scoring Bowen actually offers very little, he's poor defensively, and frequently gives the ball away. I'd bench him and go with a more solid and balanced line up. Grosicki can play off the top and I'd have Larsson wide left and a midfield duo of Stewart and Meyler. It won't be pretty, but few teams are in the championship and we need some grit and hard work to get us up the table
There's quite a lot actually. 24 I think? I agree, we are ridiculously unbalanced, and it's an interesting point about Bowen; I've also thought similar. I'm buggered if I can come up with answers; it just seems a mess to me (the balance of the squad, injuries, players jetting literally around the world so no real preparation ahead of games coming thick and fast, a manager learning our game without a strong team helping him, ......). Up to Slutsky to do what he's there for, to get the best out of what's available, which so far he hasn't, albeit he's fighting with both hands tied.
Because we've not had issues with scoring goals and I don't think we would have without Bowen either. Why wouldn't I reshuffle it around him? Basically it was between him and Grosicki and Grosicki's a far superior player
We’ve not had issues scoring because he has been in the team. Our next highest goal scorers are Hernandez and Campbell, neither of which can play today. If you take out the player actually scoring the goals, you’re gonna have a bad time.
Grosicki has more goals than both of them. It's not as simple as what you're saying. We aren't short of players capable of scoring goals. The problem is that we're so open we're needing to score 3/4 goals a game just to win. That's not normal. Let's start keeping a few clean sheets, and the results will come as we'll always score goals
But Bowen hasn't contributed to any goals conceded really, no more so than any other outfield player. Going forward, he's doing his bit. You can't honestly tell me that it's the forward's responsibility to keep goals out? Our attacking movement isn't that bad, otherwise we'd be bottom of the league. The problem is two inexperienced full backs who keep getting caught out of position. The last few goals we've conceded have come from defenders backing off or crosses not closed down in the wide areas.
It's funny that you mention the full backs. Neither of them are bad players but both wingers not doing enough defensively is leaving them constantly exposed. You can't just say that its the full backs fault. Yes, they're young but they also need help. You defend as a team, not just as four defenders and a keeper.
I'm not suggesting that they are bad players, just that they've made a few mistakes these last few weeks and we've been punished for them. I just can't see how taking Jarrod Bowen out of the team would improve us as a unit when the main chunk of our goals come through him. It's akin to when we had Robert Koren; we had people calling for him to drop out because he didn't do much else, but he's always worth having in the team because he would set up a goal or score a wonder strike. You need those wild cards for that very reason, especially when the rest of the team aren't doing so well.
You should always drop your most productive players. The enemy won't expect it. Catches them out. We should drop greegsy and play Marshall. They'll never expect that.
The problem is we have too many in the side. As I said earlier we pretty much play with 3. Having one is fine, as it was with Koren but we have too many and consequently no balance. Its a straight choice between Grosicki and Bowen realistically and for me it's Grosicki by a distance.
I'm in some agreement with this and have said it for ages. If you play a cf and two wide men who are more wingers than wide midfielders the only way you can compensate is to play three stron cm's who can cover the ground.
Precisely, at present we're almost playing a 424. The wide players and the attacking midfielders aren't contributing enough defensively so it's no surprise we're wide open.
