Rafa 'got his tactics wrong'...

[Biff]

Small margins seem to define the difference between genius and stupidity

Especially when it comes to football.

We all have our opinions but I'm loathe to criticise Rafa on the back of yesterdays poor showing.

As an example when SG plays wide right the media bandwagon starts about how its not his best position and how ineffective he is when compared to playing in centre. Why does a starting position some 10 metre's from his perceived best role affect his performance so much. Is that tactics? The player? Or something else?

I think more than anything its a failure of players to deliver when they need to.

[Red_Al_77]

Small margins seem to define the difference between genius and stupidity

Especially when it comes to football.

We all have our opinions but I'm loathe to criticise Rafa on the back of yesterdays poor showing.

As an example when SG plays wide right the media bandwagon starts about how its not his best position and how ineffective he is when compared to playing in centre. Why does a starting position some 10 metre's from his perceived best role affect his performance so much. Is that tactics? The player? Or something else?

I think more than anything its a failure of players to deliver when they need to.

SG seems to sit so deep in the first half of games. It's surely a gameplan of Rafa's. SG is pretty anonymous in the first half of must recent games. Then he comes alive in the 2nd.

[alunevans]

Small margins seem to define the difference between genius and stupidity

Especially when it comes to football.

I know what you mean but to be honest, if we'd have snatched the winner I'd have loved it, but I'd have still said it was last and not how we should be playing.

[Biff]

SG seems to sit so deep in the first half of games. It's surely a gameplan of Rafa's. SG is pretty anonymous in the first half of must recent games. Then he comes alive in the 2nd.

Part of that may come down to Alono's lack of mobility. Mascherano IF he's ever allowed to play for us will gives us the same as Alonso (albeit not nearly the same passing range although he is a very good distributor) and hopefully some more movement.

I don't believe that Rafa see's SG as a pure centre midfielder. To really get the best out of him you have to give him freedom, much in the same way Evans gave licence to McManaman. He would be devastating in a league like Spain given a more free role. In the premiership the speed and hustle and bustle doesn't really give you that option - unless ofcourse you are the Chav's and have a game plan which requires the ball to be given to Fat Frank anywhere from 10 to 40 yards at goal with the simple instruction of 'close your eyes and **** it as hard as you can'....!

[marcus50bucks]

I don't think we are a long ball team - we do mix it up with players trying to get wide but the problem is our wide players are ****e. Having Crouch up front simply gives us an easy option when in possession.

But I see where you're coming from Marcus.

Kewell can't come back quick enough. I think Pennant isn't going to cut it. I have never seen a player so scared to take people on. he's average at best.

[Craig_H]

If he'd got his tactics right, we would have won.

Nonsense.

[Craig_H]

I think more than anything its a failure of players to deliver when they need to.

Spot on.

If Bellamy hadnt been offside, or Howard hadnt saved Crouch's shot, no one would be saying anything about tactics.

[alunevans]

Spot on.

If Bellamy hadnt been offside, or Howard hadnt saved Crouch's shot, no one would be saying anything about tactics.

Thats presumptious and also not true. People will still quibble about the way we play even after a drab win.

Its unfair to say that people only discuss tactics and patterns of play after a failure to win.

We won 3 trophies in one season under Ged, but there were plenty of us who could see that the way we played was dreadful and were hoping and discussing the possibility that we might step up to the next level and start playing the game as its meant to be.

If we'd have won 1-0 yesterday I'd have been thrilled with the result, but I'd have also known that we didn't play to our best, and I'd have pinned that on the long ball game we decided to adopt.

[FoxForceFive]

We werent balanced, due to everything going through the right hand side, this made us far too predictable.

Crouch & Bellamy seemed to not quite understand each other due to Kuyt being there, it led to them all, or two of them, constantly going for the same balls.

We didnt do enough holding the ball in the centre of the park, which would have drawn them out a little more.

Rafa's side looked okay on paper, but in reality it was lacking; Rafa should've addressed these problems at the very latest mid-way through the second half, as kit was he didnt address them at all, & only made changes very late on.

[dww]

Spot on.

If Bellamy hadnt been offside, or Howard hadnt saved Crouch's shot, no one would be saying anything about tactics.

That maybe so but just because our joy at a victory would have made us ignore the shortcomings of our team in the match doesn't make them go away. We lacked the ability to breakdown the Everton defence regularly.

It is probably a combination of players and tactics (obviously the tactics are constrained by the players we have). I think most people think that having two wide players would have exposed the Everton defence more. It is something Rafa has done in a number of games when the opposition have used similar tactics to Everton. I have a suspicion that Rafa has lost faith in Gonzalez and this is why we didn't play that way in the match.

[Red Chilli]

Nonsense.

Like you know

Like your "easy money" thread, your trouble is you can't accept you might be wrong.

[redlancer]

a Problem IMO was our bench yesterday looked poor and there was no one to come and add something bar say Speedy

We missed Aurellio and i'm sure if he was fit we'd of tried the 3 forwards and 3 CB's.

lets not take anything away from stubbs who defended superbly.

I'd of prefered Fowler on earlier the game was deep in thier half and we haven't anyone who's instinticve in the box to slot that half chance away.
Bellamy's pace was no use yesterday. Which could explain why Speedy wasn't used.

Tactics wrong or key players on an off day. Either way Rafa tried something new another day it might of paid off.

[Craig_H]

Like you know

Like your "easy money" thread, your trouble is you can't accept you might be wrong.

What do you mean 'like i know' ?

So you think that every single time a manager gets the tactics right, the team wins?

[Bob]

lumps DJS in the RCDNW brigade

[Craig_H]

lumps DJS in the RCDNW brigade

Most certainly not.

You lot are a funny bunch. One week i'm a miserable git who sees everything negatively. Now i'm a RCDNWer...