23-09-2023, 23:26
(This post was last modified: 23-09-2023, 23:28 by Slick_Footwork.)
A few games ago, I said that I thought Carlos could be starting to lose the plot. I hope I'm wrong, but with each game that passes, I'm becoming more convinced that he has.
This time last year, Steve Bruce was serving up 3 at the back dross. Square pegs in round holes. Dull football with too many players behind the ball.
Carlos came in, got back to basics - 4 at the back, with players playing their natural positions - and sure enough, the results came...
This year, Carlos has reverted from that winning formula to something that resembles a Bruce team. 3 at the back again. A 35 year old full back at centre half. A 32 year old winger at wing back (Might as well be full back). And our wingers having to play out of position, as the wing position is defunct with wing backs. It's the Bruce team reincarnated...
Now don't get me wrong, I'll be the first to admit we're short of quality. Desperately short in some areas (i.e. up top). But we still have enough to be serving up better football than this. At home against Millwall and we need 5 at the back and 2 centre mids who don't cross the half way line from open play? Really?
We're so pedestrian going forward because of having so many players behind the ball. As a result, on the occasions we do break, there's never anybody in the opposition box.
Sacrificing Pieters today for anyone (Yokuslu, Swift, Wallace) surely would've made us better. Yokuslu could've sat and protected the defence enabling Mowatt to play futher forward. That simple change gives us an extra forward body without sacrificing much defensively. You could argue Yokuslu even offers more defensively than Pieters, particularly defending set plays and the like. Plus he's by far our best passer of the ball.
Couldn't get my head around the decision to drop Wallace either. Had Corberan dropped him for the Watford game, it would've made sense as he'd not been playing well. But to drop him after he's scored, with confidence up and against his old side (everyone performs better against their old side) made no sense to me.
Have no idea why we signed Pipa on a permanent deal if he's going to be 3rd choice behind Furlong and Phillips... Thought he'd walk into our side if he was worthy of a contract given how skint we are and how bad we are at right back.
Carlos just doesn't seem to be able to put out a functioning side with players that compliment each other. Felt sorry for Sarmiento today, he's exciting, breaks with pace, but he's got absolutely no support due to this dull defensive-first formation. No doubt he'll be dropped next week, with Carlos picking the team out of a hat and no continuity.
The only positive today was Bartley's return and another good performance by Palmer. Still not 100% convinced by Palmer when it comes to crosses or coming off his line, but it was another great stop for the penalty. As for Bartley, he's not my favourite player by a long shot, but we need centre backs who can do basic defending such as heading and he's our best at that. He also provides a threat at the other end that we don't have when he's not playing. For me it's simple, him and Ajayi at the centre of a 4-4-2 like we had under Bilic. Focus on defending and goal threat from set plays.
Corberan needs to get back to basics like when he came. Despite our lack of quality, we could be in the playoff mix with the right selections.
This time last year, Steve Bruce was serving up 3 at the back dross. Square pegs in round holes. Dull football with too many players behind the ball.
Carlos came in, got back to basics - 4 at the back, with players playing their natural positions - and sure enough, the results came...
This year, Carlos has reverted from that winning formula to something that resembles a Bruce team. 3 at the back again. A 35 year old full back at centre half. A 32 year old winger at wing back (Might as well be full back). And our wingers having to play out of position, as the wing position is defunct with wing backs. It's the Bruce team reincarnated...
Now don't get me wrong, I'll be the first to admit we're short of quality. Desperately short in some areas (i.e. up top). But we still have enough to be serving up better football than this. At home against Millwall and we need 5 at the back and 2 centre mids who don't cross the half way line from open play? Really?
We're so pedestrian going forward because of having so many players behind the ball. As a result, on the occasions we do break, there's never anybody in the opposition box.
Sacrificing Pieters today for anyone (Yokuslu, Swift, Wallace) surely would've made us better. Yokuslu could've sat and protected the defence enabling Mowatt to play futher forward. That simple change gives us an extra forward body without sacrificing much defensively. You could argue Yokuslu even offers more defensively than Pieters, particularly defending set plays and the like. Plus he's by far our best passer of the ball.
Couldn't get my head around the decision to drop Wallace either. Had Corberan dropped him for the Watford game, it would've made sense as he'd not been playing well. But to drop him after he's scored, with confidence up and against his old side (everyone performs better against their old side) made no sense to me.
Have no idea why we signed Pipa on a permanent deal if he's going to be 3rd choice behind Furlong and Phillips... Thought he'd walk into our side if he was worthy of a contract given how skint we are and how bad we are at right back.
Carlos just doesn't seem to be able to put out a functioning side with players that compliment each other. Felt sorry for Sarmiento today, he's exciting, breaks with pace, but he's got absolutely no support due to this dull defensive-first formation. No doubt he'll be dropped next week, with Carlos picking the team out of a hat and no continuity.
The only positive today was Bartley's return and another good performance by Palmer. Still not 100% convinced by Palmer when it comes to crosses or coming off his line, but it was another great stop for the penalty. As for Bartley, he's not my favourite player by a long shot, but we need centre backs who can do basic defending such as heading and he's our best at that. He also provides a threat at the other end that we don't have when he's not playing. For me it's simple, him and Ajayi at the centre of a 4-4-2 like we had under Bilic. Focus on defending and goal threat from set plays.
Corberan needs to get back to basics like when he came. Despite our lack of quality, we could be in the playoff mix with the right selections.