I disagree that we're back to square one PTF. The pressing tactics have worked well up to the point where we were bullied by Newcastle physically, and today where we just didn't operate them well at all.
Doesn't matter if we played how Adkins set us up or if we played like we did today, it still takes us far too many chances to score. With us not being a clinical side it only takes the defence to not be on song for us to lose.
I think we need to be realistic. Pressing isn't a new idea and if it was so easy every team in the land would do it. Sure its great for some games but we need more flexibility and a plan B or were in trouble. It was too easy for qpr to sit back and soak up pressure and then play one ball and be straight at our back four, it wasn't just that we didn't play well today.
We need to actually create some chances before we can complain it takes too many of them to score. Apart from Ramirez's tap-in, which owed more to luck than any creativity on our part, how many chances did we have today?
True, we need a plan B which was lacking, but then your key point is the last one, we just really didn't play well today (as much as we did play well against Wigan/City/United/Everton)
There were two players on Remy when he scored. The second goal, Yoshida turned a simple situation into an easy goal by getting stripped and then falling all over himself.
Didn't watch the game as I was out, but listened to the last half hour. Why was Ramirez taken off? Seemed strange to take off your most creative player when you need a goal to get the win. Honeymood period is over. Pochettino has his work cut out now.
I get what you mean but even if we did theres no gurantee we would have got the result. Its very difficult to break open teams who sit back we would always be succetible to breaks. Also we've conceded 8 goals in three games to teams at the bottom. I just think we need more options I'm not quite sure what but then I'm not a manager!
There were no players on Rémy when he scored. They both ran away from him leaving him with all the time he needed to control the ball and shoot. Yoshida made a mistake but in a 50/50 challenge that can happen. The real crime was leaving Bothroyd unmarked on the six-yard line. At least our old friend Coutinho is doing the business, just created a tap-in for Downing.
Ramirez had tired by that point - was the right move (though I perhaps would have liked to see Davis)
Yeah, I don't think that the pressing was the problem; we won the ball back time and again, and while stretched at the back both goals came from situations that should have been dealt with. Not for the first time, we failed to use the width of the pitch...QPR is more than capable of defending in a static lump around the box, as are most teams. Hard to thread a pass through twenty legs.
If he was absolutely knackered, then fair enough I guess, I agree that Davis should have been introduced. He's better than Ward-Prowse for me, no disrespect to him.
I agree that we are not clinical enough and that causes us to drop some points and run into problems when teams sit back. But realistically that should be the difference between 15th and 10th. And I only expect the offense to be but so good considering our status. It's a problem yes, but one that I think we can try to tackle after the season. The problems with the defense are more immediate, although I suppose there's not much we can do about that right now either. We really needed to bring in a top CB in January.
We had at least 6 on target. *Edit checked the stats 21 shots 7 on target, 6 blocked, 14 from out side the box, 7 with in the box and 46% accuracy. Not good at all.
People need to start getting real, As i said after the city game, we are well and truly in the repegation scrap people who said we would go on to finish in mid-table need their heads checked. Take away the 3 points against City and our results are shocking. We failed to finish off a poor Everton team, We blew a once in a blue moon chance to get a point at Old Trafford. Threw away 2 points against Wigan after only needing to hold on for 5 minutes, Lost to a Newcastle team after we didn't bother defending. Qpr today, we never turned up and i can't really remember a time where we actually penetrated their defence. ****ing shocking, I've got a horrible feeling about how our season is going to turn out.
Exactly. So how was pressing the problem here? We had the defenders back, they just totally blew it. And the second goal was never a 50/50 challenge. Boothroyd was open because Yoshida gave the ball away stupidly and then spazzed out. Again, we had the players back and the possession. It wasn't a breakaway goal on a counter because we had too many players up.
I wonder how much is due to lack of creativity from our midfield vs lack of penetrative movement from up top....
