We were all disappointed with both the result and performance at Sunderland, and whilst 5 of the top-6 clubs dropped points, (Man United & Arsenal, like us, from games that should have been winnable), it was of no consolation to us. There is no doubt we missed the opportunity to close on Chelsea and put some distance between us and the chasing pack.
It was a tired performance, reminiscent of an end-of-season game with nothing to play for, and a performance harder to explain when 8 of the starting line up had been rested on the weekend. They should have been fresh and raring to go. Despite dominating the game at no stage did we have a spell where we looked like scoring. We never looked close to making the breakthrough.
Some of the social media criticism centred on a return to 4-2-3-1 after the recent pattern of 3-4-2-1 and used this as the main explanation for our flat performance. Unfortunately for us, Kevin Wimmers' performances of late have been way below the levels we saw from him last season, and having been substituted at half time against both City & Wycombe, it would appear Poch has lost faith in the Austrian.
Added to that, Son had come on at City and scored that vital equalizer, and it was Son that dragged us back into the game against Wycombe, and then later won us the game. If players are told to show in cup games why they deserve PL starts, then Son had done exactly what had been asked. Therefore, pre-match, I too had said 4-2-3-1 with Son in for Wimmer.
A Back 4 may not allow us to fully utilize the strength of Walker & Rose, but Stoke had been beaten 4-0 away, Man City had been blown away at WHL, Swansea had been demolished with us playing back 4’s, and in fact even in the win at Watford, having set up with 3, we had made a subtle change during that first half of Wimmer actually playing as a normal left back, and won 4-1 there, with Rose actually playing alongside Wanyama, and Son playing wide left. With the injury sustained by Danny, then we’d have had to switch to a normal back 4 at that stage anyway.
Those that were not complaining about the tactical side were vocal in their criticism of the back-up players that were involved, Son and then Ben Davies, and the murmurings of them ‘not being good enough’.
Ben Davies is a back-up to the best left back in the country, a player who is now much loved at Tottenham, and seen as part of one f the best full back pairings in Europe. Of course Ban Davies is not as good, who would be? Who could come in and do the job Danny Rose can with little change in the performance levels? Alba & Alaba are at Barca & Bayern, and others would not come to be back up’s. Ben Davies is a very solid Premier League left back (never a wing back), and probably as good a back up as we can get to cover for Rose.
Son, as we know, can be hugely inconsistent, but he carried the threat of the team when Kane was out, it was his performance that was a major reason we beat City, Middlesbrough, that first CL win at Moscow, and he has continued to chip in with goals since.
Whilst Son so often made the wrong choice on the night, dribbling when a pass was easier, a safe pass when he had the chance to run at the defence, delivering a poor ball into the box etc., it was still Son who laid a chance on that Wanyama headed poorly over the bar. Son was at least involved in the game whereas the big 3 of Dele, Eriksen and Kane offered no sign of their recent form. Dele (there is no bigger fan than myself) failed to impose himself on the game, too often trying a fancy flick only to lose the ball, Kane struggled to hold the ball, Eriksen never found that creative pass.
When we were dominating the game and needing to break them down, Mousa Dembele, who was dominating in midfield and was our best player, driving past players in that rolls Royce way of his, only to reach the edge of the box to immediately look sideways. Not once did Mousa continue his run at the defence and drive into the box.
Whilst it’s fair to say the back-ups on the night didn’t have great games, the fact that we are looking for them to break down a limited Sunderland says a lot, and we only notice their failure to do so because so many of our mainstays were contributing little. If Son had played and been poor in that 4-0 WBA win, few would have noticed or complained, because the key players that day did deliver.
If we are struggling to break down a massed defence, a side who showed no desire in the second half of coming forward, maybe it was up to us to find another way, an unconventional way of trying to open them up. Maybe had we taken Wanyama off it would have left us more open to the counter attack, more vulnerable to concede, but maybe by giving that invitation to Sunderland to come at us, it may well then have taken a player solely focused to defending away from doing that, and creating space that way.
Either way, jumping on the backs of Davies or Son is failing to see the main reasons for our poor display.
© e-Media Group 2017 All rights reserved no part of this document or this website may be reproduced without consent of @e_media_group
We needed JD as our back up Main man he is, Top Mann. COYSS
ReplyDelete