Why the slow starts ?

[SB]

I've read a lot about how we need to get off to a good start this season and can't help but wonder why we seem to be slow starters each season! Can anyone offer reasons why ?

Do we tend to rush too many new signings into the starting team too soon? Should they be given more time to adapt and therefore not put them under too much pressure?

Are the players not fit enough at the start of the season?

Is our pre season theory / schedule of matches flawed?

Is Rafa's rotation policy to blame? eg it's OK to rotate players after they have built up an understanding but not at the beginning of the season?

I've racked my brains thinking about this and look forward to your thoughts.

[dww]

I would tend to put it down to the necessary amount of squad upheaval/tactical changes that the squad has undergone each season.

Last season was made worse by key players apparently having a world cup hang over. You need the core of the team which has been well established and was at the start of last season to play well to allow new additions to settle in.

I also think that the fact we do not play aggressively enough away from home has been a problem. A blip of a single game looks much more significant at the start of the season and you need to get amongst the goals for the sake of players confidence.

I think that rotation is the right policy but it can be a problem when we have changes in the squad and players in bad form. Some people need a run of games to play themselves into form and I suspect it takes a while for a manager to learn which players this applies to. With such a lot of changes in the first team squad each year in Rafas reign so far it means we have to hope they all get used to the way rotation works quickly.

The training thing is interesting. We have never looked in bad shape to me at the start of the season. however reading the article posted yesterday it appears we have changed the way we are training this preseason. Maybe this is in part to try and improve our starts. It would make sense as previous seasons have always been talked about in terms of physical training and Crouch mentioned an increased emphasis on ball work. Maybe this is to help knit in the new players in order to start the season more in tune with one another.

[Pablo]

Yep according to Rafa we had almost been overtraining in previous pre-seasons meaning the players were still a little heavy legged at the start of the season. This season we have eased off a little and concentrated on tactics and ball work to keep the players fresher for the big kick off. I just hope the stamina lasts come the end of the season.

[bazza76]

Squad rotation for me, and like dww says, lots of new additions to the squad.
I think it takes time for the squad to settle into Rafa's system, especially with so many changes. Our squad always improves through the course of the season, I think that is the reason why.
I also noticed that, in Rafa's three most recent successful league seasons (two league winning sides at Valencia, and the season we finished 9 behind the chavs) that the unsuccessful season started after a summer where there was no European Cup or World Cup tournament. Maybe this has had an effect on Rafa's keep em fresh rotation policy, ensuring that the players were even fresher at the start, or hungrier to play.

[SB]

I would tend to put it down to the necessary amount of squad upheaval/tactical changes that the squad has undergone each season. Bearing that in mind, should we not start with pretty much the same side that finished odd last season?

Last season was made worse by key players apparently having a world cup hang over. You need the core of the team which has been well established and was at the start of last season to play well to allow new additions to settle in.

I also think that the fact we do not play aggressively enough away from home has been a problem. A blip of a single game looks much more significant at the start of the season and you need to get amongst the goals for the sake of players confidence.

I think that rotation is the right policy but it can be a problem when we have changes in the squad and players in bad form. Some people need a run of games to play themselves into form and I suspect it takes a while for a manager to learn which players this applies to. With such a lot of changes in the first team squad each year in Rafas reign so far it means we have to hope they all get used to the way rotation works quickly.I agree that rotation is neccessary but I think that it works against us at the beginning of the year as new players don't get the time to develop an understanding with the core players and if they don't produce good results straight away their confidence can suffer.

The training thing is interesting. We have never looked in bad shape to me at the start of the season. however reading the article posted yesterday it appears we have changed the way we are training this preseason. Maybe this is in part to try and improve our starts. It would make sense as previous seasons have always been talked about in terms of physical training and Crouch mentioned an increased emphasis on ball work. Maybe this is to help knit in the new players in order to start the season more in tune with one another.Maybe Rafa has thought this to be the reason and in so rectified the problem. Here's hoping hey

[JPK]

Being too cautious against crap opposition and a lack of confidence due to average signings in years gone by.This year we now have our best squad since the late 80's/early 90's.Still short though.

[bigfooty]

Squad rotation is part of it, plus the nature of the signings.