Match Report v Man City

Eddie Howe has previously been criticised for an “apparent” lack of tactical accuteness because he’s been unable to make anything other than 4-4-2 work and lacks a plan b.

He changes his system to a 5-4-1 and limits the highest goal scorers in Europe to one goal. This despite two of the back three having started a total of 3 Premier League games between them.

The starting XI missed Francis, Cook, Lerma, L.Cook, Stanislas and Wilson all of which would have started if fit and on form.

With a bit more control in central midfield, better hold up play from Wilson and a bit more creativity. We may well have had that one chance to snatch something, be that from open play or a set piece like how we took surprise wins over “the big six” in previous years.

Tactically I thought we were excellent. I also enjoyed the commitment from the players who put an awful lot of effort into the first half in particular.

Add that bit of quality to that system and formation and I’d like to see it again.
 
Ken Baileys Ghost said:
Ederson gets a rating of 6 out of ten. :slap:

It should either be 10/10 or 1/10


How do you get a 6 for doing the square root of nothing?


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He played the perfect sweeper role. 2 or 3 times he was alert enough to rush out of his box to clear away a potential through ball to Josh, who was certainly faster than their central defenders.
 
DJ said:
Eddie Howe has previously been criticised for an “apparent” lack of tactical accuteness because he’s been unable to make anything other than 4-4-2 work and lacks a plan b.

He changes his system to a 5-4-1 and limits the highest goal scorers in Europe to one goal. This despite two of the back three having started a total of 3 Premier League games between them.

The starting XI missed Francis, Cook, Lerma, L.Cook, Stanislas and Wilson all of which would have started if fit and on form.

With a bit more control in central midfield, better hold up play from Wilson and a bit more creativity. We may well have had that one chance to snatch something, be that from open play or a set piece like how we took surprise wins over “the big six” in previous years.

Tactically I thought we were excellent. I also enjoyed the commitment from the players who put an awful lot of effort into the first half in particular.

Add that bit of quality to that system and formation and I’d like to see it again.
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Completely agree. Given the previous result at Arsenal, the game was always close enough for it to be interesting.
 
DJ said:
Eddie Howe has previously been criticised for an “apparent” lack of tactical accuteness because he’s been unable to make anything other than 4-4-2 work and lacks a plan b.

He changes his system to a 5-4-1 and limits the highest goal scorers in Europe to one goal. This despite two of the back three having started a total of 3 Premier League games between them.

The starting XI missed Francis, Cook, Lerma, L.Cook, Stanislas and Wilson all of which would have started if fit and on form.

With a bit more control in central midfield, better hold up play from Wilson and a bit more creativity. We may well have had that one chance to snatch something, be that from open play or a set piece like how we took surprise wins over “the big six” in previous years.

Tactically I thought we were excellent. I also enjoyed the commitment from the players who put an awful lot of effort into the first half in particular.

Add that bit of quality to that system and formation and I’d like to see it again.
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Absolutely agree! - Hopefully we can retain the attitude and application over the coming games...
 
Neil is spot in highlighting yesterdays game as a reason why we shouldn't fear relegation...my biggest fear when we came into this league is that we would become just another bottom half team desperately trying to keep the score down against these elite teams....yesterday we became one of those teams.....personally i never feel any shame in getting thumped 5-1 or whatever if we try our best and are just beaten by a much better side as we were on Wednesday...thats what sport is about .....yesterday i felt shame....i never wanted us to become one of those 'we only got beat 1-0 teams'....it may have only been 1-0 but in many ways it was our biggest defeat since we've been in this league.....total surrender.
 
DJ said:
Eddie Howe has previously been criticised for an “apparent” lack of tactical accuteness because he’s been unable to make anything other than 4-4-2 work and lacks a plan b.

He changes his system to a 5-4-1 and limits the highest goal scorers in Europe to one goal. This despite two of the back three having started a total of 3 Premier League games between them.

The starting XI missed Francis, Cook, Lerma, L.Cook, Stanislas and Wilson all of which would have started if fit and on form.

With a bit more control in central midfield, better hold up play from Wilson and a bit more creativity. We may well have had that one chance to snatch something, be that from open play or a set piece like how we took surprise wins over “the big six” in previous years.

Tactically I thought we were excellent. I also enjoyed the commitment from the players who put an awful lot of effort into the first half in particular.

Add that bit of quality to that system and formation and I’d like to see it again.
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I totally disagree. It’s more proof we can’t play anything other than 4-4-2. Yes, we came up with a plan b ....and in the process had 18% possession and became the first premier league side to never have one shot at home and lost. Think how many premier league games there have been where people have been heavily beaten since 1992. Think back to that Derby side that got 11 points or that Swindon side. But we were the only side to never have a shot. That’s shameful. Yet you herald it? Incredible.

That’s not an effective plan b to anyone other than an absolute blinkered devotee.

West Ham went to the Etihad on Wednesday and got beat 1-0. City have just had a monstrous run of fixtures and an extra time cup final. On their own admittance they are leggy.

I understand why we did it but I never want to see us do it again. Totally agree with Top Farrier.
 
Neil Dawson said:
I totally disagree. It’s more proof we can’t play anything other than 4-4-2. Yes, we came up with a plan b ....and in the process had 18% possession and became the first premier league side to never have one shot at home and lost. Think how many premier league games there have been where people have been heavily beaten since 1992. Think back to that Derby side that got 11 points or that Swindon side. But we were the only side to never have a shot. That’s shameful. Yet you herald it? Incredible.
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I believe, the stat is actually only since Opta records began so some of your examples are prior to then as they were formed in 1996 not 1992.

Splitting hairs admittedly but if we’re trotting out stats let’s have them accurately.

Edit - Having had a look at other articles opta have only kept their shots stats since 2005/06.

Incidentally 48 teams have registered no shot on target in that time. (I guess we should have a random pot shot from kick off to avoid an unwanted stat next time).

Defensively the system did what it was suppose to do, against the best side in Europe when we don’t play it often.

All it needed was a free kick for the high boot to Surman’s face to be given and the free kick to be deflected off of King’s **************** and we get an unlikely point against the likely league winners.

Play it more often and the players get better at it, with more quality added from the absentees and it wouldn’t create zero efforts on goal.

You moan about your perception that only 4-4-2 works but expect any other system against the elite to work perfectly on its first outing (to those players available)...
 
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Topfarrier said:
Neil is spot in highlighting yesterdays game as a reason why we shouldn't fear relegation...my biggest fear when we came into this league is that we would become just another bottom half team desperately trying to keep the score down against these elite teams....yesterday we became one of those teams.....personally i never feel any shame in getting thumped 5-1 or whatever if we try our best and are just beaten by a much better side as we were on Wednesday...thats what sport is about .....yesterday i felt shame....i never wanted us to become one of those 'we only got beat 1-0 teams'....it may have only been 1-0 but in many ways it was our biggest defeat since we've been in this league.....total surrender.
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there have been a number of occasions when we tried to park the bus against top sides, usually in those games we have played a 3 man central defence. Never really worked because we didn't have the discipline to follow it for 90 minutes. I had absolutely no problem in EH trying it yesterday particularly with the very limited options we had available in terms of player strength. Sure it was frustrating that we couldn't hold the ball up when we got it but City were up for it yesterday - they sense they are on the run in and every win is vital.
But for a somewhat fortunate goal EH would be hailed as a tactical genius.
 
The worst part of the game for me was seeing players going down at the slightest touch (or not) and screaming for a free kick. Take a look at how Lukaku responded to a challenge yesterday, brushed him off and ran with the ball. I'd like to see some of our players stay on their feet a bit more.
 
Topfarrier said:
Neil is spot in highlighting yesterdays game as a reason why we shouldn't fear relegation...my biggest fear when we came into this league is that we would become just another bottom half team desperately trying to keep the score down against these elite teams....yesterday we became one of those teams.....personally i never feel any shame in getting thumped 5-1 or whatever if we try our best and are just beaten by a much better side as we were on Wednesday...thats what sport is about .....yesterday i felt shame....i never wanted us to become one of those 'we only got beat 1-0 teams'....it may have only been 1-0 but in many ways it was our biggest defeat since we've been in this league.....total surrender.
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Get a grip. We had a number of would-be starters missing, and two defenders who hadn't even started a handful of games.
 
Topfarrier said:
Neil is spot in highlighting yesterdays game as a reason why we shouldn't fear relegation...my biggest fear when we came into this league is that we would become just another bottom half team desperately trying to keep the score down against these elite teams....yesterday we became one of those teams.....personally i never feel any shame in getting thumped 5-1 or whatever if we try our best and are just beaten by a much better side as we were on Wednesday...thats what sport is about .....yesterday i felt shame....i never wanted us to become one of those 'we only got beat 1-0 teams'....it may have only been 1-0 but in many ways it was our biggest defeat since we've been in this league.....total surrender.
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There’s a difference to playing like that 38 games a season against all opposition as that’s the only style you know and playing it when required about half a dozen times a season.
 
When we get beat like that we all come up with ways to talk it away....bits of truth scattered across the Forum. Im so glad I wasnt in the pub with any Saints fans watching it Tbh. However it was Evil on Radio too!
Eddie tried something that partially worked and kept the score down...best leave it there, although many of us think we should have taken risks! Another day with different resources Eddie will go a different way.
Im not in the camp that witters on about the 'season starts next week"....it started in August.....highs and lows since......its dangerous to think its easy from now!
But....we are Not going down and its an interesting mix of players now to keep us guessing outcomes!
 
I'm sure it's the same people moaning about this defensive display that always moan when we get spanked because we go for it.... so basically you don't like losing.

I thought we did go for it a bit more in the last ten minutes when moose came on and later Ibe. They created more than we did in that period because they are much much better than us.

I can't believe anyone who was at arsenal on Wednesday was upset by our tactics yesterday. We needed a return to defensive confidence above all else - we got that despite a massively inexperienced back line. Mepham in particular was very good after a game on Wednesday that could have wrecked his confidence. I was pleased with what I saw yesterday.
 
At the end of the day if we were 3-0 down at half time it's game over, ok we still lost, but one break away in 90th min and we get a point. We couldn't afford another drubbing like Wednesday.
Must admit I feared for the worse when I saw the team. But with a few players coming back, we will have more attacking options
 
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