Since you mention stats....
...there are some interesting ones. We’re first in winning aerial challenges, third in shots on target, fifth, I think, in possession, and fourth or fifth in successful pass percentage. We’re also up there in fewest goals conceded...and the problem, as we all know, is the ball isn’t going into the net.
The half-full crowd will say we’re playing reasonably well, but just have had bad luck with shots on target not going on. The half empty will say this is AVB 2: lots of possession and no end product. It’s probably a bit of both, though I think it’s more bad luck so far. Unlike in AVB days, the excellent chances have been coming along at a reasonable clip. Chadli and Kane have each had a few. Adding Dier as DM, along with reuniting Vertonghen with his favorite CB partner, has made us much harder to score against, but has also kept games from getting harum-scarum, which tended to somehow work out for us very well last year. It makes sense, really. A wild game is much more a contest of your skilled players and keeper against theirs, and Kane, Eriksen, Chadli and Lloris are better than most. The truth as I see it is that last year our record of 19 wins and 12 defeats happened despite getting the better chances only about half the time. This year’s record of 1 loss and three draws should be two wins and two draws, if it were determined by who created the better chances, and perhaps even three wins and a draw. I think we’re looking better this year, but at times our buildup is too slow, and we try to push it around at the edge of the box too much, which was our problem at times last year, and throughout AVB’s time. I have to say Mason looked inventive, and able to maintain a good tempo, as number 10. But we clearly missed Eriksen, who looked sharp and created a goal when he played.
Going forward we have to score more. I’d like to bring in Trippier (last year’s leading crosser in the PL) to take advantage of our aerial strength (2/3 of our goals have been headed). He also tends to head off the problem of faffing around at the edge of the box by firing in crosses. Son should start on the right. I hope he’ll make a big difference there. I don’t know what else we can do but play more 4-3-3 to rest Kane, since Adebayor will not play the Europa. Son and Clinton should both be comfortable in the front line, along with a number of our other players, certainly including Chadli.
I mentioned Dembélé as striker not very seriously, since his striking days are some time ago. But it’s worth a try if it’s something he wants to do. I don’t think we’ll see it, though. The 4-3-3 may well be a way forward in the medium term, while Dembélé as striker probably is not. If we do keep playing a lone striker, Clinton and Son look the likeliest to be given time there. I wonder...what about Eriksen?
