Douglas Higginbottom wrote:Not a great performance v Spurs tonight and a draw was arguably all we deserved. I think both teams defensively were poor tonight and it could easily have been 4.4 with the chances missed.
I can't get my head around the teams we put out for games at this level. Maybe players are missing injured or maybe it's a question of giving players experience in different positions but the set up never seems right. Two good solid experienced center backs in Tosin and Humphreys but Oliver ( a center half) at right back and Francis ( a center half ) at left back. Ok they can both do a job if needed but Duheaney ( a proper right back) was playing the wide right midfield role.
I feel for Oliver in the full back role as he isn't that quick and easily beaten by a half decent winger. Diallo was holding midfield. Not sure about him and certainly when Spurs attacked centrally I not sure he was much use in giving protection. One way or another Spurs got seriously dangerous balls across out 6 yard box. Gunn made some great saves,some just missed attackers, but 2 went in and it wasn't really a surprise.
Attacking wise we had some great moments but again I wonder why Fernandez is used so often as a number 10 when he seems so much more effective playing from the right wing ( where we were playing a full back!). It's not that he is useless as a 10 but he just seems easier to mark and thus less effective for the team. Sancho had one of his least effective games but I don't think it was helped when he was moved to the right rather than the left where he is most effective.
Onto the 18's game tomorrow and hopefully we will keep their great run going ( without Sancho I assume after tonight
Excellent post Mr H; many thanks for that and the positional analysis it contains.
I'm just musing but, with regard to your comments about playing two centre-backs in the full back positions, albeit in a back four, I wonder if this is more to see how they would possibly cope with operating in a back three formation, where a bit of mobility and covering in wide positions is required ??
On the other hand, it could just be a furtherance of the policy of getting players to feel comfortable in whatever position they're asked to play.
I wouldn't mind knowing what your thoughts were though, having had time to ponder further.