So why do the players simply drop into some kind of shell and treat the ball as if it’s a grenade? If that’s not the intention then something isn’t working because they do it quite often and while you could argue it’s because they aren’t good enough, well they have been good enough to take a lead and to play very well against the other team. First half against a Palace for example, Swansea at home etc.
Pressure, mentality, crowd apprehension carrying to the pitch, the opposition upping their attacks, the players knowing we don't have a good striker, inexperience, being young. There are loads of possibilities beyond in being an oversight or not putting everything into combating it. Have a listen to the podcast though.
I’m listening to it and it’s great so far and so is Rafa.
I understand all of those points by the way, but we are definately set up at times at home to get a goal and see the game out and it has hurt us once or twice. You cannot just ascribe all those things to how we played second half away to Palace for example or at home to Swansea when we showed plenty of quality during the first half. We went from playing good football, causing problems, being in the game, to simply being afraid of the ball, dropping deep and basically hoping to see out the draw or to nick a goal. Not when it is becoming a common theme and if this isn’t the tactic then the players are simply not responding to Rafa’s tactics during some second half’s.
At home to Swansea, Lascelles was telling the keeper off for trying to release an early ball and Rafa was clearly seen telling the full-back on his side basically not to get beyond the half-way line.
I believe at home we have a way of playing that we try and get a lead and then try to see the game out against the lesser sides. Against the better teams it’s the opposite, we try and stay in the game and hope not to lose or to nick a goal.
For once I’d like us just to keep playing and going for it which we failed to do at home to Swansea. Again had we went at them the same way we did in the first half we would have won comfortably.
I know you’re gonna come back and say they changed their tactics, pressure got to the players etc. But I’m not buying that not when the manager is discouraging the full back from getting forward and the Captain was bollocking team mates for wanting to release the ball early. This at 1-1 with Swansea on top.
All it does is frustrate home fans, entire pressure and gives the opposition the upper hand. It’s no coincidence our home record is poor and historically even when we have a s*** team, we always do better at home when we attack the opposition and look to win the game and not see it out.
Ironically we are good at neither so tactically it’s all a bit bizarre and kind of baffling.
It's what the man himself has said, not me, so it's up to you if you choose to buy it or not. Everyone has different views on how football should be played but imo, it's nowhere near as simple as you're making out. I think the factors that I've listed are way more influential than you think and you can't just say 'we played this way before we scored, why aren't we now?'. I'd even go as far as saying that that example you've given about Swansea at home is actually an example of Rafa doing the right thing and slowing things down, as opposed to the suicidal (imo) idea of exposing ourselves at 1-1 when the opposition, a fellow relegation candidate are on top. You said yourself that you'd rather we lose 5 or 6 nil trying against Man City than lose 1-0 by sitting back. I just can't get my head around that sort of mentality in our current position.
Personally I'm happy with the way Rafa approaches matches at home and away, because at some point you need to be a realist and look at what you're wanting to achieve. Do you want boring, negative potential survival or exciting, attacking certain annihilation? That's how I see it, and I don't think you can have both at the moment. And that's not some anti-Keegan outlook either btw, I just think there's a line that needs to be crossed in order to play a certain way, and we're nowhere near that with the players we have.
This. x infinity.
