With McLean injured, Marshall could move forward, but that would mean dropping either Trybull or Leitner. Will Tettey be able to play against Preston and Leeds? If not, Thompson or Godfrey could come in. It's like trying to get all the pieces in the right places in a puzzle.
Clean sheets are great, but they aren't the be all and end all. Away clean sheets are often the hope of teams who 'park the bus' and hope for a lucky breakaway to score. I'd rather we went for the first goal and then look to build on it. I'm encouraged by the goals we've scored so far and the 'entertaining' football that has produced them. Defending is easier when you have the lead and can look to control the match.
Clean sheets are not just a hope, but a target for any well organised and upwardly mobile side. That it looks little more than a pipe dream for us ATM, just shows the scale of things that need to be sorted by Farke before we even approach being a balanced side. And whilst I agree that any side with a modicum of ambition should love to score first and then build on it, we're currently trying to build on sand. Bah!
It does seem like that at times, but I'd hate to see us blunt our scoring threat for the sake of clean sheets. A team that scores first has a tactical advantage, forcing the opposition to commit more players forward and thus be open to counter-attacks. Score twice and this is even moreso. Yes, we need to tighten at the back as well, but for me, scoring is the first priority.
After last years dire fayre and lack of goals, of course it should be the priority, but last season saw us lurch from defensive hari cari with an attacking threat (Sound familiar?) to that best run of the season where we squeeked a few games 1-0 by carrying very little threat or intent going forwards, for the greater defensive good. We lost Tettey then and had neither. And in the later half of the season when we openned up again we were too easy to score against and beat. But we scored a few again. No side goes up if they simply can't defend. Farke cannot have us defend with any competency whilst maintaining an attacking threat on evidence so far. Bah!
Ain't that the truth! If we could go the whole game without conceding a corner, our chances would improve significantly. Bah!
I think the comment has been brought up before but the goals we have conceded appear at least to be more down to individual errors rather than tactical ineptness, not much Farke can do with the best will in the world about that. I think we have all been pretty happy with the team selections and in fact the formations for the first 3 games
I agree with that. The frustrating thing is that we are well organised defensively for most of the game, only to concede through defenders switching off and making individual errors. Hardly DF's fault. The line-ups and formations have been good, though we missed Lewis in the first two games. We're moving the ball more quickly and Hernandez has been a revelation so far (would anyone drop him to play Josh?). The pre-season worry was how we'd manage without the goals of Madders and Josh. Nine goals in four matches have answered that. Individual errors can never be eliminated, but they can be cut down. Do that and the season could turn around dramatically.
Is RER or Any Head your pseudonym??? From Andy Head of MFW - 'We are attacking more effectively. The big worry was that without the goals and assists of Messrs Maddison and Murphy that made up the vast majority of our attacking threat last year we would be every bit as toothless as Iwan Roberts. Ironically while I would love some of the menace of the Welsh marauder to add a battering ram to the current options, the fact is that a loanee, a free signing, and a German third division striker, have been able to feed off better quality supply than was available for much of the last campaign and we are looking dangerous in front of goal once more. Our goalscoring return of three in two away matches and six in two home games is better than expected and without some profligate finishing should have been even more. We are moving the ball more quickly through the thirds which was the chief criticism last year. Daniel Farke has clearly tried to shift the balance of the side to create more chances and as yet he hasn’t got it quite right. He has to show that he can and soon. The indicators are that the right blend isn’t a million miles away but results are everything and can’t be ignored indefinitely.' http://norwichcity.myfootballwriter...rnt-so-far-andy-h-examines-citys-tepid-start/
The defending from corners, long throws and free-kicks is the worry. Looks like we a zonal marking, and it's just not working. Also, many, many individual errors. People keep saying "that's a freak error, you see that once a season". Nope. Keeps happening. I also don't like the formation. It's too one sided. The opposition know what we will do, because it's all set up to just play it to Hernandez. A bit like when our tactic was "Just play it to Maddison", but Maddison was a fair way above Hernandez, despite Hernandez amazing start. Just looks like he's still trying to workout a system and a tactic.
The balance is achieved by Marshall overlapping on the right to put in crosses. Neither McLean or Pukki are playing WR.
I was referring to your comments about all of our attacks being channeled through Hernandez. Marshall provides another option on the right flank (he played a whole season at RB for Blackburn). Like Brady he's a winger who can also play as a FB/WB. It's a compromise certainly, and that may change as Pinto is now available and Passlack and Aarons are also options.
I have just started a "How long do we give Paul Hurst" thread over on our board! It could well be that either manager will get the bullet after the Old Farm!
Kenny Sampson, Ashley Cole. OK, better class, but proves you do no need to be 6+ft to succeed at fulback.
