Here is the Guardian 'Chalkboard' analysing statiscally our performance and in particular crosses. Tab down to the third set and click on 'numbers'. The article is pretty scathing about Duff but as you can see from the chart pretty much shows that all the team were culpable. Frustrating is the number of crosses never getting past the first defender or hardly making the penalty spot. http://http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/sep/12/premier-league-chalkboards A couple of abstract thoughts. Maybe the club should resist putting the sprinklers on for 10 minutes immediately before the start. The surface is clearly left greasy and I don't see why it's necessary or helps. An example was when, at 0-0, Bobby caught on to a bad back pass then slipped just before taking the ball on and (presumably) shooting ;he was then pushed over - the ungiven penalty. Another is that the squad should perhaps train 1 day a week at CC rather than Motspur Park, practicing corners. The run up at CC is almost nil and there is the way the ground slopes away along the bye line - very different from MP.
That's the problem of having a left-footed player, like Duff, crossing the ball with his right foot. It's a good news - bad news thing. It's nice having a left-footed player on the right because when he cuts into the middle he's immediately on his stronger foot. That's we have: right-footed Dempsey on the left and left-footed Duff on the right. I can't remember the last time I saw Dempsey cross a ball - it's been that long. Duff at least gives it a go. If we switch them, they'll cross the ball better, but we probably won't be as effective in the middle with Dempsey and Duff cutting in on their weaker feet. I think part of the problem is that we're missing two good crossers of the ball: Pantsil and Konchesky. Riise may turn out to be a good source of quality crosses, but Aaron Hughes certainly won't be. Baird isn't much better, I'm afraid.
In Duff and Ruiz we have two left footers - both wings? one crossing, one cutting in ? Having said that I think we need Ruiz as second striker.
