The way to counter that gameplan is to pack the midfield, put wingers in front of the fullbacks and hit them on the break. Was Puncheon injured, he could have been useful? It's something we will need to come up with a gameplan to counte as in the PL, more teams with better players will do it. In L1, we had Chamberlain to run at people and cause havoc when teams tried to press us, think we need someone like that in the summer as De Ridder haswn't been able to hold down a place.
Holloway got it right yesterday. He did his homework and it paid off. His players hassled us from the off. Love a manager that has the guts to change 7 players just because he's the manager and he can do. All 11 players yesterday were fighting for that win on every area of the pitch and this ended in the result they worked for. They were fighting for the shirt next game as well as they know Holloway will not be afraid to alter it all again.
I agree, not sure about Puncheon he seems to have fallen out of favour almost as quickly as he 'came back', it's a shame because he is clearly a good player at this level, but it seems he just doesn't seem to work with us. Chaplow hasn't produced any real form since his return either, (maybe he is just a 1st 1/2 of the season player, think it was the same last season too). I also think the loss of Lee (although he wasn't around for long) is a big miss particularly away from home. His pace and energy up front is what we need in these instances, as you say De Ridder hasn't made RM his own like Chamberlain did. But when we are missing pace away from home we need to at least nulify other teams options, and packing the midfield when teams set up like Blackpool etc have against us seems to be the way to go.
Totally agree and when I saw that we were playing a diamond I knew we were in even more trouble. Butterfield lacks pace and acceleration. Ince is a handful and with seemed to play quite a narrow diamond; the two full backs were left exposed. After 10 minutes I was thinking we should change the formation; a point would have been good enough for us yesterday with West Ham loosing (sorry â I do not accept Adkins statement that you do take note of earlier kick-offs); we did not need to out to win the game. Tactically; Holloway eluded in the interview he thought he knew how we would set up and he got that right too. What Adkins got wrong yesterday was being not man-enough to accept his error; that he had been sussed out and to correct it; either by going 4-4-2, or perhaps 4-5-1. He didnât and we paid for it. It is right to say players put in poor performances yesterday; but so did Adkins. This is not the first time we have been undone playing the diamond formation away from home either. It has been effective on occasion when we have switched to it during a match, but starting with it does not suit us. It didnât in League 1 and it doesnât in the Championship either. After the earlier kick-offs: Blackpool had an even greater incentive to go of it; they did and we should have stifled them from the kick-off; shut down the wingers by doubling up on their wide men with our left and right midfielders and used numbers in the midfield to dictate play. Used numbers through the middle to unsettle the two central defenders and kept the ball on the ground. âKeeping it simpleâ⦠who told us that â oh yeah â Nigel Adkins. Before fans think I am anti-Adkins â or simplify what I have written as getting on his back because we lost â I am not. I simply think that on rare occasions; he gets it wrong and he was very wrong yesterday with the formation from the kick-off and even more wrong for not changing it when we all realised we were undone tactically after 10 minutes. This thread is about Holloway - don't like the man - but he taught us a serious lesson yesterday and what is more he played to his strenghts - we didn't.
I was listening to the Pompey game on Radio Solent yesterday and Portsmouth were playing really well, even when Burnley scored the first goal, they hit back well to equalise, they then missed some sitters and the rest is history, Austin came off the bench and did what he is always best at.
There was a thread on here recently about what players we would need to sign next season, should we go up. I said that for our starting XI, we'd only need to sign two players - two pacey, direct, tricky wingers. They'd allow us to attack on the break, stretch the field (a benefit of which would be to free up more space in the middle), give us the option of playing a long ball down the channels, and put fear into the opposition FBs minds (a benefit of which would be to stop those FBs bombing forward as much). Everyone talks about how great Swansea are (and rightly so), and how great and refreshing it is to see them playing it out from the back and being so comfortable on the ball. But they wouldn't be as good as they are without Dyer and Sinclair on each wing. And while we don't have players like that, I don't think we'll ever be as good as them. Davis Richardson Fonte Hooiveld Fox Morgan Cork WINGER Lallana WINGER Lambert So long as those two wingers fit the bill, then I think that XI would survive in the PL.
Like Oxlade-Chamberlain or Nathan Dyer! Maybe even Gareth Bale or Theo Walcott. If only we could find players like that! Problem is, every time we seem to put wingers out there, some Premiership club snatches them off us.
Difference is though, we've always been outside of the PL when we've lost those players. I don't think Dyer and Sinclair would still be with Swansea now, if they were still a Championship team.
That's pretty much what Blackpool were playing. Swansea have played like that since Martinez was manager and I don't think we could come close to matching the fluency of what Swansea do. Even Blackpool have played 433 since Holloway. I like what we do at St Marys ( think we'll give Pompey a good hiding), but some explosiveness is definately needed when we face tough opposition.
If saints get to the premier league they must buy two fullbacks that can handle fast wingers as the two we have cant.
I've said why. I've said exactly why. Because we don't have any pacey wingers. Having Dyer and Sinclair in the team gives Swansea the space to play.
