On MOTD they highlighted that we had 28 passes leading up to Pilkington's goal. Great passing football. It's always been my dream (probably not) that MOTD has a passing counter for a Norwich goal and they did last night. I don't think even Swansea reached that number last season in a 'passing counter' highlight (correct me if I'm wrong). Proves that, even under Hughton, we can play different types of football. Also, Carrabuh better be bloody happy with that 28 pass sequence!
Yes, it made a pleasant change. Just a shame we don't try it more often. Although the goal was actually created from a long ball so we still didn't really carve through a team playing it. It just half set it up.
It wasn't a 'whack it up field and see what happens' long ball though, it was a clever long ball to feet that was low and accurate.
Should have kept the ball better in the second half still, that sort of makes how controlling we were in the first half irrelevant, in my opinion we were still lucky to win after a terrible second half.
I suppose it was ostensibly a "long ball" in the sense that it travelled quite a long way - probably about 30 yards, but it was Barcelona-esque in that the reason it was a long ball into space was because the space had been created by all the passing pulling Sunderland out of position. Barcelona have no qualms about knocking the ball over defenders or long passes into space created by their quick passing, so why should we?... My personal definition of long ball is hoofing it up the pitch to a striker not necessarily in space and generally stationary, hoping they can knock it down and bring others into the game. This wasn't that - it was a "through" ball into space, well placed to land at Pilkington's feet, so that he could control it in his stride and keep running. It just happened to also go in the air. There's no pleasing some!
I actually thought it was a very nice bit of vision from Bradley Johnson and well executed. His passing has improved a lot this season.
Thats why I said it was half set up by the good passing, but it was still a long ball over the top which we do all the time. Its not a case of pleasing me, pleasing me has nothing to do with it. We didn't do the pasing in there half of the field (thats not to say I dislike passing in your own area because you can't do one without the other). The good passing allowed the chance to happen, it just didn't create the goal.
"I don't think even Swansea reached that number last season in a 'passing counter' highlight (correct me if I'm wrong)." We did a lot more than that last season. Trouble is, most of it was across the back four This time around we're far more incisive even though our passes and pass completion rate (85%) are around the same as last season. Could be this weekend that we nail that hoodoo you've got over us. It'll be tough for both teams I think.
But did they count the passes in MOTD! 85% is impressive, and it's also great that you've brought in a manager who is continuing to get the team to play in a similar way to last season, which is a lot easier than having to suddenly change your style of play. It worked well last season so why not continue it. Supers has said, and I agreed. that you might be found out with your passing style this season, but you've proven us wrong! Good news for Swansea!
I beg to differ. If you watched the replay on MotD you would have seen that it was only because the ball had been passed around so much that their back four had gone completely out of shape, which left Pilkington with half a yard and played onside by the centre-half not marking him, but pulled the Sunderland right back up so the ball could be played to his left side and Pilkington "only" had to deal with the centre halfs scrambling to make up ground. It was almost entirely Hoolahan that pulled the right back forward and out of shape there and I think about 15 passes were in their half to do that before the pass went back into our half. Went something like this: Pass in their half, hit dead end, pass back into our half to try to create space, pass back into their half and drag the fullback and centre-half out of position, pass back into our half to get their defence running forward and then the killer through ball. Not that Pilks didn't have much to do after that!
Nothing wrong with passing in our own half if there are no options and it is too risky to play it forward.
Your not disagreeing with me, thats exactly how I see it, the passing allowed the chance to be created. I love passing across the back. All I am saying is the final ball was a long one over the top and not a short along the ground incisive pass which was fitting with the previous good work.
I suppose the problem with the way you write is that it somehow manages to denigrate or imply that Johnson's ball was not as good purely by virtue of the ball being lifted off the floor. I don't see why you would want always short passing instead of that?! We would be so predictable. The fact is,the pass was a wonderful piece of skill and brilliantly balanced. If you look at the sorts of goals RVP was being praised for last year, it was a couple of times a "long" pass over the top from Song, perfectly weighted and then a technically brilliant volley from RVP. One of the Barcelona goals on goal of the week on skysports.com has a pass travelling just as far. One of Michu's goals came from an incisive through ball like this one. Just because the ball travels over fifteen yards doesn't make it hoofball. If anything, that pass was more skilful because there's a greater margin of error and you can see the pressure Johnson is under. I'm the first to admit we've played some bad hoofball this season (though the stats appear to show we're merely middle of the table for that?!), but this wasn't it. That was by far and away our most skillful goal of the season, and Johnson's pass was up there with Pilkington's three touches to finish. You're not going to take that away from me, no matter how desperate you are for tiki taka! That was every bit as skillful and impressive as tiki taka, equally well worked and executed, and a bit more exciting to boot!
28 passes. Now that's impressive. That's more passes than Rooney would get on Mastermind. Seriously though, well done lads I'm delighted you've picked up and will be more than fine this season. Complete 28 consecutive passes this Saturday and I'll be even more impressed
the fact is that a ball played in the air but not too high, gets to it's intended player faster than a ball played along the ground. if that pass had been on the ground, the defense would have had at least a second more time to react and that should mean at least 5 yards closer to Pilks.
Bloody hell! Can we all just agree that it was a great goal! There were passes and it looked lovely blah blah blah..................The ball was put into the onion bag and we won the match! Yipeee!
At the end of the day, a perfectly weighted pass found it's intended target, who still had much to do to turn that half-chance into a goal - and what turned out to be three precious points On that basis, I really can't see the need for an extended post mortem. Personally, it's 3 points gained, one fixture less remaining and lord knows how much confidence it will give the lads both continuing the unbeaten run and going into a tough away fixture at Swansea. If I'm judge and jury, I pronounce it an unmitigated triumph for the yellow and green - if MOTD found it easy on the eye, so much the better
