I normally like Clive's reports, but that's rubbish. I know he's been dealt a poor hand, but Cifuentes ought to be doing better with this group. Begovic passing the ball to Dunne is something that should never happen and if you can't get professional footballers organised to defend a corner, you're not a proper coach.
I don't think the Begovic to Dunne should ever happen. Also ... Jake Clarke Salter's corner positioning should of never happened v Cardiff, he didn't move while Kholli contented with Perry Ng? And then had the audacity to wave his arms around as if to say what are you doing? JCS should be in the middle and clearing out any trouble. It's worth watching back again to see the incompetence.
And specifically now, where Cifuentes has, in my opinion, done as much as you possibly can with this group of players and now either needs further help or we’re going to be in League One. From “not because I’m a genius but because they’re good players, that’s the truth” after Preston and “we’ve got to work with what we’ve got” before Christmas, his post-match interviews are becoming ever darker and angrier. He’s pissed off - with the players, with the club, with the situation he’s inherited here, and with the standards around the place. Are you pissed off Marti? So am I, sort it out.
I don't understand why many professional players don't seem capable of playing a pass to a team mate. In my playing days I was a midfielder, although I started senior football at fullback and I could pass a ball to the feet of a team mate. So if I could do it, surely every professional should be able to? Now, I realise there's more to it than that, mainly the movement of team mates to make the pass possible and pressing from the opposition, but Dunne often just kicks it into touch or straight to an opponent. Marti clearly wants players to be braver, both with and without the ball. They all should be capable of showing for the ball, controlling it and passing it on. It's baffling how bad some of them look at attempting this.
I don’t think. Ego is to Dunne would ever be Marti’s first choice as I don’t think Dunne would be playing if we had a fully fit squad. He’s pony.
Spot-on report. And Clive makes a great point that I've never even thought of. To practice defending corners in training, you need someone to deliver decent corners. And as we all know, that's another area we're hopeless at!
