Minority Report V Blackburn Rovers

I didn't think Collins came off his line quickly enough first half and there was a lack of communication between him and Sibbick on a couple of occasions in the first half. I thought we were vulnerable to the ball over the top. The second half we were much better and more decisive in defence until we scored our second. We didn't manage stoppage time very well.

 

The 5 substitutions rule is working to our benefit at the moment, but I assume that we'll revert to 3 subs at some point. When that happens, changing the front 3 won't be possible in most games, which makes me wonder how VI will adapt.

 

I agree with all of that.

 

Change 2?

 

Agree prioritise your work load.

 

I made this comment last week, and I do wonder how it will affect his management of games. He is going to want to keep a substitution back until late in games, in case of injury. That gives him only 2 substitutes, and that will be a severe restriction.

 

We usually need to change at least one midfielder. Last night we also brought on Williams at half-time. And then you need to be wary of potential injuries. Even changing 2 forwards might be tricky - and even trickier if you want to do it on 55 minutes.

 

He'll have to ditch his rotation policy and pick his best team from the start.

 

To be fair to Val we always commit plenty of players foreward and play a very high defensive line which isn't exactly playing without risk.
We took the lead against Brentford early on and should have been leading Chelsea 2 -0 at halftime so I don't think that he's trying to nullify the first 60 minutes of any game. Last night was just one of those crappy first halfs that can happen in football.

 

As you have said many times you do not care about the performances f individuals and it's all about the system for you so I have to wonder why the specific criticism of styles' individual performance again? We didn't play better because of any system change just that Williams can pass and styles hits random balls to no-one?

 

I predicted 4-0 for yesterday's game. If we'd started with the front 3 we finished with, I might have been right.

 

there’s a school of thought in rugby that your better players should be the substitutes, arguably we did that last night

 

It was still three subs for a few games after he took over, and he was taking two forwards and Matty James off.

Leaving a sub free in case of injury doesn’t seem to be factored in even with 5. We’d used them all with 20 mins left last night

 

Risky business using them all up like that, feel it will come to bite us at some point but in the bigger picture maybe it is worth the gamble.

 

Or Rugby Union. I reckon VI has taken a leaf out of the Eddie Jones coaching manual. Hold teams for the first two thirds of a game. Kick for territory. Get the finishers on for the last third of the game and win from there. Well.....it's working okay.

 

The greatest potential weakness with a back three is down the flanks. If the opposition set up with a couple of speedy wingers, or wing-backs and they have players in the middle of the park, or up front who can pick the correctly-weighted pass over the top, or out wide, that's the weakness. I recall Jon Stead doing exactly that for Bristol City in our 5-3 defeat there some years ago. The wingers just tore us apart. We seem more savvy these days, though, and Brittain and Styles will no doubt be given more precise instructions as to how to defend that risk on both flanks.

 

If there was one player who made a significant difference in the last thirty minutes, it was Carlton Morris. He showed the full array of skills of a target-man/striker. Trapping and holding up the ball to bring the midfielders into play; running at defenders; winning headers; a great right-foot shot to score again. For £300k, he is a bargain. Any more undervalued players around MKD?? Cameron Jerome is too old.

 

they should petition for 5 subs to carry on from now on, helps teams with smaller squads, also helps develop players ,give them game time, can only benefit everyone 5 subs

 

If the WWE contest between Daryl Dike and Lenihan is anything to go by, we should have some really brutal physical battles against sides who try to match muscle with muscle. I liked the way that DK bundled into one of the Rovers defenders with such force that he just fell out of his way - no foul either if you use upper body strength. I think that DK will come good. It will settle him when he scores his first goal. He already has assists to his name.

 

Surely it helps teams with larger squads, not smaller?