The answer is that we are NOT actually set up to pump crosses into the box. The whole point about inverted wingers is that they are not there to perform the traditional wide player's role of taking on the full back, getting to the by-line and crossing. They are NOT there to hug the touchline and cross TO the strikers in the middle; they are there to move into the middle and play WITH the central forward players. By moving in and drawing the defenders with them, space is created for the full back to run past and onto a through ball, or receive a pass out wide and cross from the by-line. This is not rocket science to understand, or strange or novel; inverted wingers are pretty much the norm in top leagues. Yet on here we have people constantly calling for Snodgrass to be played on the left and Redmond or Pilkington on the right. The irony of this is that on Saturday we actually saw this beginning to take shape, albeit imperfectly. Russ Martin's terrific run onto a straight ball played inside the full back, which he collected on the by-line and fired in a great cross (which in three games out of four would probably have produced a goal and very nearly did but for two strokes of luck on Villa's part), was exactly the type of play intended. The further irony is that we are being set up in fact to play more as carrabuh wants, as opposed to what he fears. Even he has has noticed a change, but puts it down solely to better players. That is nonsense. It is the product of a slow but definitely intended change of approach plus the arrival of players better equipped to realise it. If you look at the pattern of Norwich passing in the second half, the entire pitch forward of our penalty spot is a criss-crossing mass of blue lines; it shows just how false it is to say that Hughton's strategy is to get the ball out wide early, play up the touchlines and throw long crosses in to the traditional two strikers. That is a travesty of what actually went on on the pitch on Saturday afternoon. Villa were extremely lucky to go away with a win; they would have been lucky to go away with a draw. As Dangerous Marsupial posted yesterday, on our play we deserved to win that game. But as anyone who studies the game seriously knows, football teams get their just deserts only 50% of the time. The other 50% of games are decided by the balance of fortune, which yesterday fell on Villa's side. Most independant observers reporting on the game said as much; and Paul Lambert definitely knew it.
anything carrabuh says about the villa game is null and void anyway - he admits he didn't watch it
