I still admire the positive approach he takes.
For games like this though, you have to ask a) will we be able to dominate the ball and take the game to them b) can our back players handle their attackers 1-on-1 if required. You should know really that the answer to those questions are NO and NO and adapt accordingly, especially in the very early days of your tenure. As I said on the other thread, this game alone will have cost him a chunk of goodwill from a portion of their fanbase.