It hasn't really, and it isn't even the first time this season that people have said what you're saying.
The last two games we've played teams who play similarly to us and were happy to go toe to toe with us rather than sitting back. As a result, there are gaps to play forwards and through them (just as there are also gaps for them to play through us).
But there are other situations where the opposition don't play like that. They sit back and restrict space in their half. Against those teams, we will play more passes between our defenders - because that's where the space is - whilst they probe for openings further up. This did actually happen in the closing minutes against Boro, when we wanted a winner but they started to sit back and protect their point, so the defenders were having to try and find gaps from a deep position, which a critic might call "faffing about with it at the back". Boro played like this for a few minutes but some teams play that way for the majority of the game. We will play teams like that again in the future and the defenders will have the ball for long periods at times. When this happens, it doesn't mean that we've chosen to go back to doing it because we like being frustrated and don't want to score goals, it usually just means the opposition are set up in a way that means our defenders are left with space to get the ball and our attackers aren't. Almost any team defending a lead late on does this.
As I mentioned, there have been other times this season when people have declared after a good result or two that we've stopped passing it about at the back, and people have also previously said that Rosenior must have learned from his mistakes or been told to change his style by those above him, which also seems to be being repeated again now. This is essentially saying that the manager knowingly conspires to restrict our attacking play with his instructions, but occasionally relents and lets them off the leash, or is told to do so. I can't really understand why such an extreme thing is so popular to believe.
So your logic is essentially that we always play the same way every time and it'll work when the opposition come at us and it won't work when they sit deep. It's that simple is it? I don't think that gives the team or Rosenior much credit for the recent turnaround we've been gagging for.
In terms of space opening up, it's not down to just how the opposition set up. It's far more down to US creating that space with players like Ömur and Carvalho and Tufan and Philogene and Slater and now even Morton and Seri making runs off each other etc. and the players around them actually threading those passes through. For the vast majority of this season whenever those instances have arisen we've chosen to not commit players forward (Seri being the most standout example), or pass sideways or backwards rather than take that chance to go for it about 90% of the time.
We've had numerous games this season where we've had nigh on 70% possession and created between zero and two chances/half chances all game. Now we're creating four minimum every 45 minutes. We have numerous players getting forward quickly and we're playing them in on goal too for clear and obvious chances.
You honestly can't see the difference in how we've played between those games like yesterday and say, Stoke at home?
The reason people think we play better when we spend less time with possession in front of our own box is because we literally do. How can you score goals and put teams away convincingly (which we've barely done at all this season) when you spend so little time doing anything worthwhile when in possession?
55% possession vs QPR = 3-0 win
57% possession vs Cardiff = 3-1 win
52% possession vs Leicester = 2-2 draw
45% possession vs Boro = 2-1 win
41% possession vs Southampton = 2-1 win
56% possession vs Birmingham = 2-0 win
57% possession vs Cardiff = 3-0 win
37% possession vs Blackburn = 3-2 win
50% possession vs Stoke = 3-1 win
63% possession vs Stoke = 2-0 loss
63% possession vs West Brom = 3-1 loss
62% possession vs Watford = 2-1 loss
66% possession vs QPR = 2-0 loss
67% possession vs Norwich = 2-1 loss
66% possession vs Plymouth = 1-1 draw
64% possession vs Birmingham = 1-1 draw
There are obviously a few games that buck the trend, we had loads of possession vs Rotherham and put 4 past them, but they're League 1 standard. We had loads of possession vs Wednesday and beat them 4-2 but thanks to a penalty and two wonder goals. Wednesday away we had very little possession and lost but we were a man down for most of it.
The stats do generally show though, that when we focus on keeping the ball, we don't score as many. It's not just down to the opposition, it's because we haven't been rolling the dice on making those defence splitting runs and not picking those passes either.
Many of the games where we have two thirds possession we only have a couple of shots on target per game, if that. Bear in mind a lot of these are hit and hope efforts as well that their keeper just picks up and the goals we have scored were more often than not where Delap or Philogene did something special with 4 or 5 defenders in front of them.
In all, to suggest we've not changed anything and it's down to the opposition is a poor take. Even without stats or data etc it's clear as day to see that we score more goals and get better results when we take more chances and don't play overly cautiously.
Yes, there are some games where we've won with higher possession, but they're lower score lines with fewer shots on target - they're just instances where we've been more clinical with limited chances.
