Pace

Forgive me for indulging in one of my bugbears but I want to have a go at the Alex about pace of the game. The first half against Eastleigh was quite promising as we moved the ball about quite a bit and with some tempo. Even Charlie was quite positive and aggressive. However, the second half was a bit like the game against FGR and other games this season. I find it really frustrating when we really slow it down, even to the extent that Charlie was actually walking with the ball and at one point just standing with his foot on it.
Why does it annoy me? Well, taking the Eastleigh game as a good example: the first half, when we moved the ball with some pace, we were able to make the opposition lose shape and created a lot of space for ourselves. In the second half we slowed it down so much that they were able to keep their shape, pick off our passes and then launch their own attacks as we had slowly moved our whole team forward leaving space for them to attack. To me, it isn't rocket science- keep the ball moving and the opposition on the turn. If the opposition are doing all the chasing, then they will
tire and lose shape more than we will and make themselves vulnerable to making mistakes.
This is not really a moan but analysis of something I perceive as something we could improve on. If you disagree with any part of it, please state your argument.
Who knows we might develop some deep insights between us!🙂

Sorry Gazan but can't disagree with your analysis, our best moves all season have been played at pace with quick interchange of passes. It definitely slowed second half and Kirk is often guilty of slowing play when a quick break seems on particularly in a second half when he can go missing.
Many a time for a throw in he'll hand the ball to Pixie to take it but then just walks off with his back to the ball and doesn't offer himself to recieve it.

Just look at Man City they play with pace to pull other teams out of position and this creates space for chances to be taken . I am not saying we are near there standard but at least we could try it and see how it goes. In most games we do try this method for about 40% of the match then slow down and this allows the other team back into the game. The players are young and eager and should be able to run around at full speed for 90 minutes. If they want to move to higher football this is what will be expected of them .

Sorry Gazan but re the second half of the Cup game the problem was not slowing down the pace. It was that 2 of our players decided that they could not be bothered even tryiing for the whole of the second half. Add to that the 2 muttonheads who did not have the sense to take those 2 off after 55 minutes.

However I do agree with your point in a lot of our other games It is probably true that we have only 4 players in our 1st team that can last the whole 90 minutes. Namely Ng, Nolan, Pickering and Wintle. Hunt make up for it by his clever reading of the game. The rest of the team quickly tire and most certainly cannot last the whole game.

I have said for a long time that because a lot of our players are young we should be copying Man. City and Liverpools non-stop energy and pressure play. But that takes a long time to develop. It is not only about high energy and fitness, it includes tactics, movement and positional play. An ideal example is Oxlade-Chamberlain who Liverpool signed. It took him 6 months to adapt to their style, and Klopp had actually fully expected it to have taken that period of time. Another supporter has told a friend of mine that the Alex have a close relationship with Liverpool therefore it would be pobbible.

Obviously some of our players would not be capable of the high energy require therefore it would require changes.

Try telling Exeter and Swindon that we don’t last 90 minutes! 2 goals in the 90th and stoppage time saw off Swindon and Exeter were hanging on for grim death in the last 20 minutes.

We have scored 9 times in or after the 75th minute in league matches this season and conceded only 2 (Plymouth and Newport). In the years I’ve been watching the Alex I can’t remember this before - the last 10 minutes under Dario could be like coronary corner desperately hanging on, and it was no better when he stepped aside.

I tend to agree that, generally speaking, our fitness levels are definitely up on previous seasons. There's possibly only Ainley (and possibly Porter) who finds it difficult to last a full game. So I stick to my original thought that some players lack a sense of urgency at times and just lapse into a pace they cannot change out of as the game goes on.

When we control a match we are much better at retaining possession, even if that means passing around the Back 4 and Wintle. The analogy with City is a good one as we then try to pass the opposition into submission..... or boredom! They are also prone to cock-ups at the back of course!

I agree that some of our players lack intensity throughout the match and tend not to play a full part all the time. We all know who the culprits are and that they don’t include Wintle, Ng or Nolan - I’ll say no more on that.

Regarding lasting the full 90, I guess that Ports will find that harder as he pushes on well past 35, but I would say he looks fitter this season than last and pace would never seem to have been his greatest asset. More worrying for me would be that the same is true of Green, where fitness and pace would seem to be the fulcrum of his game and where age is (finally) catching up with him. I attach no blame to him, he is 37 after all, but his role in the team needs better management and I don’t think he should be expected to play every match and seldom all of the match. Time that either Jones stepped back up to the mark or Finney got more chances - I favour the latter.