AFC Bournemouth v Wolves

thegazzyb said:
Having had time to digest yesterday's performance I am struggling to understand why we still haven't addressed our very static forward play.

Numerous times we got up the pitch pretty quickly only for various players to stop and stand on the ball for a few seconds, instead of playing a killer forward pass. Surely quick attacks with forward motion are a key part of AI's tactics ?
Why are the players still playing as they have done under GO, Parker etc.
Have they still not understood what the new coach wants ?

Multiple times during such attacks, Solanke made a run in behind, calling for the ball and just about every time the player with the ball stopped, looked around and then played a short sideways or backwards pass to somebody else near the edge of the penalty area.

Why is nobody being brave in attack ? It's like nobody wants to take responsibility for possibly losing us possession, so nobody tries anything clever.
The mentality of the players MUST change if AI's plan is to work.

In the earlier games we saw less of this. Maybe the lack of wins is playing on the players' minds now and they've slipped back into a GO, SP style more cautious mode ?
Also, why are our wingers etc. never trying to get a shot off ?
Surely we can't rely on Dom for all of our goals and I thought AI's system gave the wingers and midfielders license to "have a crack". We've seen very little of it so far this season. If our attacking play keeps grinding to a halt on the edge of the box, at least we should try to get a decent shot away in the absence of other options. Again here, few players seem to want to take responsibility by getting a shot away.

Maybe the issues are less in the players' feet and more in the players' heads ?

I think AI's system will only work if the players are brave and shed this cautious mentality, which admittedly has been hammered into them over multiple seasons now !

I think the players are letting AI down at the moment and I'm not sure how he can go about changing that. It's a precarious situation we find ourselves in.
Click to expand...
It’s certainly odd to say the least. I remember reading some stats about Rayo under Iraola having the most shots at goal from outside of the area. I think you may be right, I imagine the players have the latitude to do this, they need to change their mentality and be brave.
 
I feel worse today than after Everton. We started quite brightly and played well enough in the first half to be leading at halftime, it wasn’t great but decent.
The second half was a joke, conceding like that was ridiculous. Cook is so far out of position and off the pace he’s clearly angry with himself and goes looking for trouble, booting their player was unnecessary then butting him was worse.
I won’t comment on Neto or Billings best Crazlegs Crane impression, just felt for the manager, what can you do about unforced errors week after week?
Enjoyed seeing Scott, he looked comfortable on the ball and looked to pass forwards.
The manager will turn it round but confidence is killing us. UTC
 
Last edited:
Bishop said:
I feel worse today than after Everton. We started quite brightly and played well enough in the first half to be leading at halftime, it wasn’t great but decent.
The second half was a joke, conceding like that was ridiculous. Cook is so far out of position and off the pace he’s clearly angry with himself and goes looking for trouble, booting there player was unnecessary then butting him was worse.
I won’t comment on Neto or Billings best Crazlegs Crane impression, just felt for the manager, what can you do about unforced errors week after week?
Enjoyed seeing Scott, he looked comfortable on the ball and looked to pass forwards.
The manager will turn it round but confidence is killing us. UTC
Click to expand...

Would certainly put a lot of it down to confidence. This visibly disappeared second half against Arsenal and hasn’t returned.

It’s why we see players who have the freedom to play short or long, to shoot from distance choosing not too, they revert back percentage no risk stuff. They treat the ball as something they just need to shift on towards someone else.

That said, this happens to all teams who are front foot sides, you need confidence to play it right. That’s why they go through ruts.
 
Neil Dawson said:
Sinisterra is an option to buy but he is on a lot more than JA was on. What have we gained for this outlay? A disinterested unfit player who had an attitude problem at his previous club and can’t make the bench. What have we lost.. a decent hardworking player who knew where the net was, was valued by the manager and started most games and could cover at full back.

A club ran by charlatans. Stealing a living.
Click to expand...
and who didn't start for Leeds yesterday.
 
Druss_the_Legend said:
As bad as yesterday felt....I think it's a bit early to be calling it relegation certainty. We had people doing that in spring this year. Mostly the same people on here who struggle to read a game but they still did it nevertheless.

Let's keep fighting...we do have some good players. It's about playing them the right way. Not leaving the gaps we saw yesterday and when we press, we do so effectively and against the right teams.

I don't care what people on here say, no one is going to tell me that Aarans, Smith, Kerkez, Senesi, Cook, Solanke, Brooks, Taverner, Billing, Adams are not premier league quality. We have players, if they are played to their strengths then we can get results. It's been a tough period but let's hope Billy Ocean was correct.
Click to expand...
The leaders on the pitch should be experienced players like Neto , Cook and Billing , yet they made the awful areas that led to the loss ….
Lack of focus , concentration and application of the manager’s plans leads to this ….
 
purbeck67 said:
Isn't this when we look at the U21s and take the defensive midfield player and say "This is your chance, go and grab it."?
If, as a Premier League team we don't have one, then we are not a Premier League set-up.
Click to expand...
Exactly . There is no excuse. If a premier league club lose a player in a certain position , they should be looking potentially at the youth.
 
purbeck67 said:
Isn't this when we look at the U21s and take the defensive midfield player and say "This is your chance, go and grab it."?
If, as a Premier League team we don't have one, then we are not a Premier League set-up.
Click to expand...
Hang on a sec, we ain’t a PL set up tho. Up until v recently our academy was Cat 3!! That’s league 1/2 level. Probably why the majority of players we produce end up at that level or below
 
  • Like
Reactions: DJ
MB1980 said:
Problem is none of them are proper defensive midfielders.

There is something in having Rothwell deeper again alongside a more resolute DMC like last season, but that would mean AI changing the formation... which you could argue he needs too strongly consider at this juncture, but unlikely he will change to 2 DMC's v Burnley.

Senesi has never played there, he's always been an out and out CB. I know several on here have mentioned Senesi playing in midfield but that's almost fantasy football type stuff and there's nothing that indicates he could play there imo. He's too solid/tank like, and not balanced or agile enough to turn/change direction as sharply or have speed of thought/decision making in possession , positional awareness (stepping into a new position on the pitch) as you need too as a DMC/midfielder in tight spaces imo.

Who will play there is anyones guess. Right now the only candidates are Rothwell, Billing or Scott, but none of them are proper/specialist DMC's, which you need at this level.
Click to expand...
Kilkenny is in our 25. Can't he adapt as a DM?
 
Poppedmycherry said:
Hang on a sec, we ain’t a PL set up tho. Up until v recently our academy was Cat 3!! That’s league 1/2 level. Probably why the majority of players we produce end up at that level or below
Click to expand...

We’ve been punching well above our weight, but players being able to step into the Premier League and make a difference are the exception to the rule rather than to be expected.

Over the next few years with cat 2 and the new training ground this will hopefully improve.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

;