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Big night for Madsen for me. Obvious quality but he has almost hidden from the ball, would like to see him have the confidence to show and demand it a bit more.
For sure, that stuff is a given and is really why we had our good runs last season as we never really developed into the sort of 'footballing' side we all think Marti wants us to be.
I think most of us expected that to be the platform we would hopefully build and improve on this year allowing a foundation to start to add more with the ball. I wasn't expecting to see such a defensive regression.
Early days of course and Dembele looks a proper player!
You can't play good football if you don't even try. Field just looks at the man on the ball constantly pointing to the most obvious pass available. Extremely frustrating! Football at this level is moving beyond teams having defensive mids who cant take a ball, move it forward and then support.
Great to get a win and being out played by a lower league team in August is nothing new but man...work to do. Really looking forward to seeing the 2 new lads but it's how we get the ball up the pitch to them that us the area of concern.
We all love Sam but we will really struggle to improve our ability to move the ball up the field especially against a press with him in the side. He is quite scared of the ball and spends a large chunk of his time pointing to where he thinks the man on the ball should pass rather than making himself a genuine option or at least making clever movements to create space. Also said pointed out pass is ALWAYS the most obvious sideways/backwards safe non progressive one that really needs no pointing out (ie just the sort of pass that Sam always makes that we need to be making less of).
I think we're all agreed that the keeper and back 4 are solid.
A lot on resting on Varane's ability to be the link between the back and the front as Colback and Field together are a tough watch if we are going to be passing from the back. Regardless of the personnel that still needs work as it has such obvious break down points and needs more receiving opportunities for the attacking players than hurtling towards their own goal line trapped by the sideline and a defender right up their arse.
Where's Chair? Could really do with a couple of young ball playing attacking mids on loan from the prem.
Anderson is a little lost, very hard for him playing with the 2 behind and Smyth as there isn't a lot of link up football in them. And he was poor and very imprecise when he did get it.
Kolli definitely promising and seems to have the ability to inter play with others. Smyth is Smyth, we all know what we are and aren't getting with him.
Celar looks like he might have a bit of football in him.
Interesting times ahead, Chairs availability and loans are going to be key.
Even when we partially break the first line of the press the recieving player is under so much pressure with his back to the defender that he plays it back. Then the player who receives it back, rather than having surveyed a potential next forward pass just insta opts to backwards again.
All came from Field turning backwards and playing back to a partly trapped defender when we had just turned the ball over. It's a real issue at the moment.
Plus so often we turn back even when we have it behind their midfield on half breaks allowing them to get everyone behind the ball again. Dykes just did it and ended up giving away a foul because he had to beat 2 men to turn back when there was space in front if him to run forwards and look for a pass! Got to be a bit more positive in a friendly, surely.