The second half against west ham was probably the best half of attacking football we have played and as I pointed out was through more direct higher tempo football. The team will surely improve its execution but I'm not at all convinced we have the tactical nous to break down defensive teams. We failed to get the fullbacks involved and weren't generating any width. It was only on fast counters that our attackers got into space. When there were men behind the ball and no space in midfield we couldn't penetrate at all and that is what needs to be drastically improved. I would suggest a higher tempo and more direct passing to bypass the midfield or at least move it quicker through that area. However we didn't have the options to move it quickly through midfield, particularly in the first half and this was a failure of the way we were set up.
I saw it completely differently.y relies on taking the ball from defense and quickly transitioning into attack. There's absolutely nothing slow tempo about it. We control possession not because we dither on the ball but because we take it away from other teams quickly.
The problem we had in the first half was that we were disorganized. West Ham was able to play long balls up or equally as often across the pitch to beat the press. This did not result in many goal scoring chances as our defense was able to shut down the initial attack. But what it did do was pull our formation out of shape because we had overloaded an area to try and shut down the initial passer.
If anything, our problems result from trying to transition too quickly, not too slowly. If you watch Wanyama play, when he tackles a player he almost always immediately looks to go forward into space until challenged and then he dumps it off. It's really effective and smart play for a holding mid, but sometimes you can't play that way.
Because West Ham was playing on the counter, they had a bunch of players behind the ball quickly rushing forward in support to join the attack. Wanyama kept dribbling right into those players before our attackers had time to get back. He would have been better off immediately passing
decisively to a fullback on the opposite side of the attack (which I think was mostly the right side of the pitch). But also, the attackers have to do a better job of immediately shifting into a the defensive posture once the press is beaten.
I think that is why we have trouble scoring as well. Lambert and Osvaldo are quick players. Not fast, but quick and a lot of that is mental. They are able to switch from defense to offense immediately. Rodriguez isn't. He likes space. He wants to either run onto the ball or to get the ball early and run with it. I think that is partly the reason behind the heavy touches. Osvaldo had already mentally and physically transitioned into attack, Rodriguez was not quite ready to receive the pass yet. Lallana has a similar problem where I think he favors controlling the ball, getting his man to stop, and then beating him off the dribble. He likes bringing the ball up himself, not being one in a chain of quick passing.
Rodriguez is still a pretty lousy defender. Lallana has gotten to be pretty decent (for an attacker). But both of them put in an effort so it's not like they are just lazy on the pitch and not willing to run or play defense or in support. They're just not quick/fluid enough.
All these quick movements and one-touch passing and beating your man quickly in short spaces is something Lallana and Rodriguez have to get used to. I believe that Rodriguez and Lallana both have the ability to be more fluid but simply lack experience. A slower build might suit both of those players, but then it somewhat takes away from Osvaldo and Lambert.
I think we have 9 outfield players out of the starting XI who can play MP's style. It's just the pesky winger/outside forward position that's been haunting us this whole time, and I'm still reasonably optimistic Lallana and Rodriguez will get the hang of it, but if not then maybe JWP will or we bring someone in. This is how MP plays, and it's not like it's been a disaster. So for now I think the solution is still to get work at getting better at Plan A, rather than go to Plan B.
But maybe it's a silly debate. You and I both agree that the second half of the West Ham game is what we need to see. Maybe we read it differently or call it something different but it doesn't matter. That's why I'm still not too worried about things. It seemed everyone finally got on the same page with a tactic that was working great, so the blueprint for success is now out there. I'm sure MP saw it and all the players did as well so it's just a matter of the squad gelling and reaching a fuller understanding/buy-in. Whatever it was we were doing in that second half, we just need to do more of that.
