by Snowflake Royal » 25 Oct 2020 08:16
by Zip » 25 Oct 2020 08:31
Snowflake Royal Rotherham had the same problem a lot of teams had, and will probably continue to have, against us.
We let them play nice looking football in the middle of the pitch whilst giving them absolutely nothing in our final third and being utterly ruthless in theirs when we got there.
Might cause us problems against the really good attacking teams, or mean some draws with the really strong defensive ones, but a fair few middling teams are going to come away wondering how they played well and lost.
by Snowflake Royal » 25 Oct 2020 08:41
ZipSnowflake Royal Rotherham had the same problem a lot of teams had, and will probably continue to have, against us.
We let them play nice looking football in the middle of the pitch whilst giving them absolutely nothing in our final third and being utterly ruthless in theirs when we got there.
Might cause us problems against the really good attacking teams, or mean some draws with the really strong defensive ones, but a fair few middling teams are going to come away wondering how they played well and lost.
It will be interesting to see how we react when the opposition score first.
by Stranded » 25 Oct 2020 08:44
ZipSnowflake Royal Rotherham had the same problem a lot of teams had, and will probably continue to have, against us.
We let them play nice looking football in the middle of the pitch whilst giving them absolutely nothing in our final third and being utterly ruthless in theirs when we got there.
Might cause us problems against the really good attacking teams, or mean some draws with the really strong defensive ones, but a fair few middling teams are going to come away wondering how they played well and lost.
It will be interesting to see how we react when the opposition score first.
by From Despair To Where? » 25 Oct 2020 08:52
by Zip » 25 Oct 2020 08:59
by Snowball » 25 Oct 2020 09:12
CountryRoyal Feel bad for them. Lots of comments saying that's the best football they've played for years.... and they still lost 3-0 to a Reading playing like crap and couldn't get into any kind of stride.
by Snowball » 25 Oct 2020 09:18
by Zip » 25 Oct 2020 09:20
SnowballCountryRoyal Feel bad for them. Lots of comments saying that's the best football they've played for years.... and they still lost 3-0 to a Reading playing like crap and couldn't get into any kind of stride.
I for one was a believer in possession (as long as it was meaningful possession) but seeing sides with 60-70% possession lose so often now it is clear that either it never meant much or game-tactics have moved on.
Arsenal being man for man sometimes streets better and being parked on the edge of the opponent’s penalty-area for (it felt like) 90% of the game but losing 0-1 was a great example.
Packed defences these days seem much harder to break down.
I think there is a natural tendency to equate possession and passing movements with playing well, but, apart from the obvious metric of goals, there is shots on target and the QUALITY of those SoTs.
Meite’s fluffed chance v Wycombe and his first goal v Rotherham were near-certain goals, seriously good chances, the striker with a free shot or header and 5-10 yards out.
A very high percentage of our shots conceded have been long shots from just inside the box, or outside it. Two of our goals yesterday OUGHT to have been scored. Did Rotherham have such chances?
Even Rafael’s good save was to a shot from, what, 15 yards? Much higher chance of a miss or save.
(EDIT: Just remembered Moore’s clearance of a shot from 10-12 yards)
Sometimes you see shots ten yards wide and ten yards high where every fan knows the goal isn’t threatened. We also see powderpuff “shots” or headers that are meat and veg for keepers, not really likely goals unless the keeper totally fluffs it.
The only time I felt we MIGHT concede was early on when their wingers got behind.
But the quality of the final pass wasn’t there. Because they were, overall, at best a top of the bottom third side and lacked quality.
Ultimately our quality showed when Ejaria for the second game on the trot gave Meite a free strike on goal.
How many free strikes on goal have we given opponents in seven games?
Our quality showed when Joao won a penalty. Defenders will panic when Joao has the ball in the box because they know his conversion rate in such situations this season is ridiculously high.
People say 3-0 flattered us. I’m not so sure. We worked two “cast-iron” chances and scored from them.
We also had two excellent “classy” shots tipped onto the bar by their keeper
And of course Meite’s worldly
So genuinely worth 2-0 and surely deserving of one more goal from those attempts by Esteves/Meite/Olise
Just look beyond bumbling round in midfield or Stan ball and ask how often we actually have looked like conceding?
Watford, maybe, but they as yet aren’t firing up front (and we have ATM the clear best defence in this league) AND the best GD
I GUESS, just about, only seven games in, we can still argue that the data set is too small, but the signs are very strong. Six clean sheets from seven games (and the goal conceded was scrambled in) is quite remarkable and our eyeballs tell us that Morrison, Moore have been outstanding, full backs very decent, Rhino-Laurent great at shoring up the middle.
If and when we are undone it may well be by top-end wing play combined with our strikers having an off day.
We are doing this without Swift and Yiadom, too, with a manager who is very new to the Championship
With McIntyre, Holmes and a highly-rated loanee as cover for CB, with Esteves likely to improve, Olise growing with age...
We will get beaten, maybe Tuesday night, but I find it hard to believe we won’t AT LEAST be challenging for top six.
What will matter is how we respond to our first bad defeat. If it’s not Ruesday, say game 37
by Snowball » 25 Oct 2020 09:21
ZipSnowballCountryRoyal Feel bad for them. Lots of comments saying that's the best football they've played for years.... and they still lost 3-0 to a Reading playing like crap and couldn't get into any kind of stride.
I for one was a believer in possession (as long as it was meaningful possession) but seeing sides with 60-70% possession lose so often now it is clear that either it never meant much or game-tactics have moved on.
Arsenal being man for man sometimes streets better and being parked on the edge of the opponent’s penalty-area for (it felt like) 90% of the game but losing 0-1 was a great example.
Packed defences these days seem much harder to break down.
I think there is a natural tendency to equate possession and passing movements with playing well, but, apart from the obvious metric of goals, there is shots on target and the QUALITY of those SoTs.
Meite’s fluffed chance v Wycombe and his first goal v Rotherham were near-certain goals, seriously good chances, the striker with a free shot or header and 5-10 yards out.
A very high percentage of our shots conceded have been long shots from just inside the box, or outside it. Two of our goals yesterday OUGHT to have been scored. Did Rotherham have such chances?
Even Rafael’s good save was to a shot from, what, 15 yards? Much higher chance of a miss or save.
(EDIT: Just remembered Moore’s clearance of a shot from 10-12 yards)
Sometimes you see shots ten yards wide and ten yards high where every fan knows the goal isn’t threatened. We also see powderpuff “shots” or headers that are meat and veg for keepers, not really likely goals unless the keeper totally fluffs it.
The only time I felt we MIGHT concede was early on when their wingers got behind.
But the quality of the final pass wasn’t there. Because they were, overall, at best a top of the bottom third side and lacked quality.
Ultimately our quality showed when Ejaria for the second game on the trot gave Meite a free strike on goal.
How many free strikes on goal have we given opponents in seven games?
Our quality showed when Joao won a penalty. Defenders will panic when Joao has the ball in the box because they know his conversion rate in such situations this season is ridiculously high.
People say 3-0 flattered us. I’m not so sure. We worked two “cast-iron” chances and scored from them.
We also had two excellent “classy” shots tipped onto the bar by their keeper
And of course Meite’s worldly
So genuinely worth 2-0 and surely deserving of one more goal from those attempts by Esteves/Meite/Olise
Just look beyond bumbling round in midfield or Stan ball and ask how often we actually have looked like conceding?
Watford, maybe, but they as yet aren’t firing up front (and we have ATM the clear best defence in this league) AND the best GD
I GUESS, just about, only seven games in, we can still argue that the data set is too small, but the signs are very strong. Six clean sheets from seven games (and the goal conceded was scrambled in) is quite remarkable and our eyeballs tell us that Morrison, Moore have been outstanding, full backs very decent, Rhino-Laurent great at shoring up the middle.
If and when we are undone it may well be by top-end wing play combined with our strikers having an off day.
We are doing this without Swift and Yiadom, too, with a manager who is very new to the Championship
With McIntyre, Holmes and a highly-rated loanee as cover for CB, with Esteves likely to improve, Olise growing with age...
We will get beaten, maybe Tuesday night, but I find it hard to believe we won’t AT LEAST be challenging for top six.
What will matter is how we respond to our first bad defeat. If it’s not Ruesday, say game 37
Good post that.
by Hound » 25 Oct 2020 09:35
by TiagoIlori » 25 Oct 2020 10:36
by CountryRoyal » 25 Oct 2020 10:46
TiagoIlori Somewhat a refreshing thread instead of the usual in the pre match Blackburn forum(so far). Seem to think they’re in for a difficult game https://www.brfcs.com/mb/index.php?/for ... ual-ewood/
by WTRoyal » 25 Oct 2020 10:54
CountryRoyalTiagoIlori Somewhat a refreshing thread instead of the usual in the pre match Blackburn forum(so far). Seem to think they’re in for a difficult game https://www.brfcs.com/mb/index.php?/for ... ual-ewood/
Not sure how we’re flat track bullies if we’re the only team to have beaten Watford but ok.
It worries me though I’d rather be underestimated
by Norfolk Royal » 25 Oct 2020 11:30
CountryRoyalTiagoIlori Somewhat a refreshing thread instead of the usual in the pre match Blackburn forum(so far). Seem to think they’re in for a difficult game https://www.brfcs.com/mb/index.php?/for ... ual-ewood/
Not sure how we’re flat track bullies if we’re the only team to have beaten Watford but ok.
It worries me though I’d rather be underestimated
by NewCorkSeth » 25 Oct 2020 12:07
TiagoIlori Somewhat a refreshing thread instead of the usual in the pre match Blackburn forum(so far). Seem to think they’re in for a difficult game https://www.brfcs.com/mb/index.php?/for ... ual-ewood/
by Snowflake Royal » 25 Oct 2020 13:24
by CountryRoyal » 25 Oct 2020 14:20
Norfolk RoyalCountryRoyalTiagoIlori Somewhat a refreshing thread instead of the usual in the pre match Blackburn forum(so far). Seem to think they’re in for a difficult game https://www.brfcs.com/mb/index.php?/for ... ual-ewood/
Not sure how we’re flat track bullies if we’re the only team to have beaten Watford but ok.
It worries me though I’d rather be underestimated
I think the poster was saying that Blackburn are flat track bullies rather than us tbf.
by bcubed » 25 Oct 2020 16:04
Zip Agree about the first half containment part. Let the opposition play a high press in the knowledge that they won’t be able to maintain it in the second half. We could have scored five or six after the break yesterday.
There is much more balance to this side. We know there are players in the team who are technically right up there with the best in this division, Ejaria, Olise, Swift and Joao. Esteves may well end up in that list too. However we have been defensively too weak through the middle of the pitch in recent seasons so haven’t benefited enough from their talents. Playing Rinomhota and Laurent together has worked a treat.
by leon » 26 Oct 2020 01:29
bcubedZip Agree about the first half containment part. Let the opposition play a high press in the knowledge that they won’t be able to maintain it in the second half. We could have scored five or six after the break yesterday.
There is much more balance to this side. We know there are players in the team who are technically right up there with the best in this division, Ejaria, Olise, Swift and Joao. Esteves may well end up in that list too. However we have been defensively too weak through the middle of the pitch in recent seasons so haven’t benefited enough from their talents. Playing Rinomhota and Laurent together has worked a treat.
We no longer have a powder puff midfield and that combo has a lot to do with it.
Watching on Saturday I was actually thinking Laurent could be our most important signing. Really like his play. Nothing fancy, doing the basics really well and great positioning. Add Olise and that midfield looks really strong.
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