As well as better threat up top, we looked much more solid too. Under Walt, every time we gave the ball away, it looked like the opposition would score. Their goal was poor defending, their centre back stayed up and so was 2 against 1, which was pretty basic. But overall, we hardly gave them a sniff.i If we didn’t get that right, we were relegation cannon fodder.
Someone made the comment that it was no different to the Blackburn or Watford games and in a way I agree, in the sense that we barely gave the oppo a sniff and should have comfortably won 2- or 3-0, but have been unlucky/poor in conceding soft goals. I feel confident having that as the issue - i.e. something within our control to fix - and hopefully continue to see the 1 or 2 goals regularly being scored each game. If the clean sheets come we should surge up the table.
What a huge result and team performance that was Yesterday.Ruben Selles has galvanised the team and the mentality and we were chasing down the opposition with real purpose and aggression,we haven't seen that previously,the fight and determination to win was there for all to see... The City faithful are back buzzing like HowdenTigress's faulty fridge(hopefully Santa pops by Currys and sorts that out for her) ,it's been a long time coming,long may it continue. U.T.T !!!!
Heart lifting stuff. Loved the manager embracing players and telling them to enjoy the moment. Well done Reuben and the players.
Next time he misplaces a pass or misses a tackle some will still insist you can tell he's not bothered and doesn't want to be here
Also Hughes skill level is high. That moment in the second half where he controlled the ball coming high to him and ran onto it was really good stuff.
I'm liking how this team is looking. The work rate, the directness, the aggression.... shouts to the front four Pedro, Longman, Pueta Slaters work rate is unreal....Sellés very quickly has found a style which suits these players. Hughes is soo slick. It feels like we have our team back!
Buzzing with that. It's rare to see a team come to the MKM and look so ineffective. Long punts and hopeful crosses was all they had to offer. Yet again, we should have been home and hosed by HT but confidence is only creeping back. Fortunately, they now have organisation and a system they can all really get behind, plus a manager who demands intensity on and off the pitch. Onwards and upwards.
To me it's always looked like he enjoys being here. Other players appear to like him. And it doesn't look to me like his not bothered (a bit like Kamara, his 'style' doesn't help maybe). However, I'm just not seeing what some others appear to be seeing in him. One very good cross that Slater should have buried, but otherwise, time and again it's receive the ball in a good position, take a couple of touches, play it safely backwards, even when there's options to go forward or, heaven forbid, a chance to actually take his man on. And then he's very suspect defending, particularly with crosses. He's not tall so you wouldn't expect him to be dominant in the air or anything, but you should expect him to at least put his body in there and disprupt. Their first goal was a great cross and header, and you wouldn't expect him to outjump their No 6, but what the heck was he doing? He let both their No 6 and 20 get ahead and away from him. Then even worse, take a look at that 2nd half chance where they hit the post. He left his man (their No 5). That's so poor from a defender. Had his header been an inch to the left, Giles would rightly be getting absolutely slated. Funny old game eh.
And a big up for the East Stand, E3/4 lot stood up at the back, for getting the chanting going on more than one occasion...
Still feel the East Stand is where the hard-core support still is. North seems to me to be full of kids who go quiet when we're not doing well.
Nit picking.imo The ball could have been cleared better by Puerta in the corner, but it came back to the edge of the box when it could / should have been dealt with again. The whole passage was a bit haphazard so nobody was really where they would have liked to have been. Get the win, stop the rot and start looking upwards. The result mattered more than the performance. UTT
One thing I’ve noticed is that under Sellés, we press high but defend quite narrow/compact. Swansea are a team that like to control possession and play out from the back and Grimes is very similar to Seri in that he likes to receive the ball deep and try to progress it from there. Because we defended so narrow, they couldn’t progress the ball through the middle at all so they were restricted to chipping the ball to their fullbacks and wingers out wide when they played out from the back. Their goalkeeper undercooked one of these passes and Burstow intercepted it, chested it down and was able to run and score. Under Walter, we were quite open through the middle. Under Sellés, we’re a lot more compact like West Brom have been under Corberán.
I think it was also telling how well organised we were in comparison to previous games under Walter, its definitely a refreshing sight seeing us competitive, little step forwards is all we can ask for.
