Evening everyone. I don’t think it was the manner defeat or the performance for me but who we lost to. They were one of the worst teams we’ve played this season. It was our game in hand and in all honesty should have been as close to a ‘gimme’ as you could get. I don’t even think they played any better than us. That’s what rankles with me. I look at the table and can’t believe we aren’t top after our catch up game against qpr. If we narrowly miss the autos this will be the game that haunts me. Now we play the team with the best away record. Teams like to hit us on the break and expose our lack of pace, which I think also accounts for our goals drying up.
I echo your sentiments. I'm not about to slash my wrists over it but FFS it was our chance to go top against a team who had not won in yonks. Nothing can be taken for granted I admit in this league but losing to them....really????
They have been guilty of some keystone kops defending in their bad run, but nobody’s really outplayed them... if you read the match reports... it was never going to be a gimme. And that’s not hindsight, I said it before the game. Hugely disappointing result obviously, but they really haven’t been as bad as people assumed.
I've read a lot of the above posts with interest, the energy levels seem to be the main topic, as is loss of form. I think we can discard the lack of energy theory, but loss of form is up there for debate. Bielsa is a great coach, a first half of season form, and our position in championship shows that, however, Bielsa has coached teams in the past where they dominated the first half of season, then slumped and slid in second half. Could it be that's what's happening to us at moment. Given our position, with 12 games to play, and our loss of early season form, it can be arguable both ways, but at same time, too early to make a judgement. If we lose to WBA, then I think it's fair to say, we're on a slump and slide; having said that, anything can happen in last 11 games after the WBA game. Plagued with injuries hasn't helped, but we have been scrimping and scraping draws and wins, but also lost games we should've won. By all accounts, we should've beat QPR, it certainly said that on paper, but we don't play on paper. Form has been up and down during second half of season so far, look at our comebacks against Blackburn and Aston Villa. These games show we certainly have the ability to come from behind and win. During those games we saw skill, determination, commitment and resolve, and it paid off........so why not with all the other games we ask. We've dominated, controlled and out played other teams, only to settle for a draw, a scratched win or a loss, where had the skill, determination, commitment and resolve disappeared to. Consistency certainly seems to be part of the overall problem, and there is a problem. I think it's fair to say, losing Saiz has added to the problem. So, we have inconsistency, the loss of a key player, and plagued with injuries as being part of the problem, but, they weren't a problem against Blackburn and Aston Villa..........So what's the common denominator? A while back I mentioned we could upset the applecart by playing certain players, I would say the applecart has well and truly been upset at moment. Harrison has upset the applecart, seems to play for himself and impressing his own club, as many have said, he shouldn't be starting. Bamford had the opportunity to hit the ground running after Roof's injury, he hasn't. No malice to those who say he'll get sharper with each game, I don't think he will, he's too casual and complacent for me, and we can't wait while he finds any form, but I hope I'm wrong for the teams sake............He seems to be creating a bit of conflict in the team when it comes to wanting the ball, he did it with Robertson, then with Pablo; if he's not carefull he could be ostracised. When it comes to Pablo, other players need to be on par, a few aren't, or just can't think that far ahead, especially the young players, that's creating problems. Most players should know how good Pablo is by now, and be on the lookout for where he's going to put the ball. Phillips for me is a weak link, as is Ayling now. I know a few rate Phillips, but his constant sideways passing, and passing back to the player who just passed to him is not creating any impact in the team, Occasionally he'll do something good, but that's about it. He's a liability when it comes to tackles and is found out of position quite a lot. Ayling has lost it, hopefully Bielsa will put Berardi at RB for the WBA game. Too many players are trying to play the tippy tappy football now with their footwork, instead of finding a player in a better position. Roof, Ayling, Harrison to name a few, a lot of the time they lose it. Our free flowing passing style football has virtually disappeared thanks to those who want to play as individuals. Most teams seem to have worked out our style of play through this second part of season, they pack their goal area and catch us on the break, they seem to know how to break up our play and tactics..........thing is, we haven't responded or changed our tactics, Bielsa is sticking by his guns, it may well pay off at end of season, but at moment, it doesn't look that way considering our form. We don't have anyone who can, or shoots from edge of box, we're always trying to walk the ball into net, but other take long shots against us, and score. I personally don't think it's any one thing, or loss of form, but a few problems that have crept into the team, and changed how we use to play during first half of season. Some players are not buying into Bielsa's instructions imo.
Don’t think it’s any one thing either, teams definitely know how they need to play against us now, bit of individual loss of form, lack of confidence in front of goal, a run of bad individual mistakes and frankly not a lot of good fortune... though we needed some to beat Bolton. As for the bielsa team’s fading. Read some myth busting article on that a while back. Evidence was inconclusive... It has happened to some of his teams, but certainly not all of them... and one of his sides recovered from a blip like ours to finish the season really well. But it has happened before and it’s natural for it to be a concern.
So if I'm reading this correctly, we should drop Ayling, Phillips, Harrison & Bamford? Sadly for this assessment, either one could have arguably been considered MOTM against the Baggies. And I though it was just 'keepers that LL incompetently assessed. Now we have confirmation that his incompetence is consistent.
