Match Thread vs. Aldershot 04.09.21 [NL]

[jackal2]

Going into the game I was hoping for a far more comfortable victory, but in a strange way we might have learned more from it being a rollercoaster. We've still got the three points, but I also think we've seen enough now to conclude that five at the back in home games is too many. The switch to 4-3-3 in the second half made us play quicker and a little more directly, whereas the three centre-halves seemed to be having a game amongst themselves in the first half, much to Aldershot's relief!

In the second half I thought Ruben Rodrigues showed he is no lightweight if he's put in the thick of the action. He looked really comfortable in his (forward looking) central midfield role and clearly isn't averse to putting his foot in and winning a tackle, which is a real bonus in addition to his known attacking threat. Kairo Mitchell also impressed me again with his pace down the left-side, and Cal Roberts became a real threat once we started getting the ball to him quicker out wide, as opposed to the first half where we played like a team on sedatives.

All in all, a handy little exercise in terms of learning how best to use the undoubted talent we've got, and which formation we should play at home. There may still be a role for a back five away from home, where you want to have a strong defence and sometimes take the heat out of games, but at home you need a more attacking formation and a quicker, more intense tempo to get the crowd excited and really put the opponents under pressure.