Val had taken us from bottom to mid table without Dike and Morris, so the improvement was already well underway.
The press was also sustained by having 5 subs playing 45 mins each and Dike winning most headers. We also have Morris out due to being cleaned out from the back.
Mowatt was often slagged off here for his lack of pace. But there were many games where he’d cover the entire pitch, he certainly wasn’t lacking intensity in my understanding of the word. Idiots on here joked that last year there was no need for a midfield as the ball was always going over their heads. Completely missing the point that the midfield was crucial in pressing to stop the ball coming into our half. Mowatt was the pivot around which Val’s team played, hence why West Brom fans worry what would happen if he got injured. As for our current manager; I reckon if he had Dike and Mowatt, playing this style we’d be mid table at best. It might be simplistic to say we can’t score goals whilst holding possession in our own half, but it doesn’t stop it being true.
Technically yes but we’d been a mid table side the previous season ever since Struber took over. We were never relegation candidates last season but there was a lot of uncertainty with everyone knowing Struber wanted out & it was just a case of sorting the compo out.
Does anyone know what Schopp sees as our best team. Of course we dont, but so far its hard to see what he is thinking. Last season we knew exactly what we were aiming for under Val, more importantly so did the players. Is Cole a first team squad player? Is Gomes expected to start? Where does Vita fit? Who is our first pick centre mid? To be honest i have no idea what the roles are right now.