Our style of play

[Norbs]

It’s the safety first don’t lose mentality. Go out there to win every game no matter who you are playing and where you are playing.

Like Hodgson without the plan

[danperkins]

It is game to game alright, there is no long term plan just quick fixes to try get us through the next game.

It's desperation from a coaching staff that seem to have ran out of ideas awhile ago.

[SB]

It is game to game alright, there is no long term plan just quick fixes to try get us through the next game.

It's desperation from a coaching staff that seem to have ran out of ideas awhile ago.

Get Johnny Heitinga back. Maybe he’s the missing ingredient

[Exiled_red]

We just need to move the ball faster and be more direct in our passing, we move the ball so slowly, to get from one side of the pitch to the other is 4 or 5 passes, it's so frustrating to watch.

I really liked the football that we used to play, it felt like that was how football should be played and it made games really enjoyable even if we didn't get the result (but we usually did). This is neither enjoyable to watch or effective

[rudedog]

Get Johnny Heitinga back. Maybe he’s the missing ingredient

Heitinga was still here when we started playing rubbish second half of last season though.

I think it’s just a case of Klopps influence has worn off and the players haven’t bought into whatever direction it is that Slot is trying to take us. Add some poor recruitment to the mix and we are where we are - battling for a champions league spot.

[Buzzo]

I think we miss Trent massively. His influence and ability on the ball was a huge asset to us, he was a footballing unicorn, a player that asked questions of other teams with his range of passing and ability to switch play - and given where he played on the pitch a player that it was hard for teams to set up against.

We look utilitarian playing out, Trent gave us x-factor. We could moan about him lacking a bit defensively but, what he gave us in terms of vision passing and tempo was more than worth it. Irreplaceable.

[Catrin]

I think we miss Trent massively. His influence and ability on the ball was a huge asset to us, he was a footballing unicorn, a player that asked questions of other teams with his range of passing and ability to switch play - and given where he played on the pitch a player that it was hard for teams to set up against.

We look utilitarian playing out, Trent gave us x-factor. We could moan about him lacking a bit defensively but, what he gave us in terms of vision passing and tempo was more than worth it. Irreplaceable.

We miss his ability to hit worldie passes from deep in his own half to runners in the last third. We also miss Mo’s ability to run on to them, probably, but we don’t know as he doesn’t get the chance anymore. Mention direct football and people think Allardyce and Pulis but accurate long passes have been a mainstay of our play for the best part of a decade. How many goals have we scored from opposition corners?

[DerKrampus]

Sum up our okay in 3 words

I'll go for Cowardly, Overthought, Fearful

Cock. Piss. Partridge.

[Exiled_red]

Does anyone wonder what the instructions are about Wirtz, he seems to be involved in everything, (I'd like to see his stats on number of touches compared to everyone else). But at times it feels like he has to have the ball every few passes, it feels at times like half the side has delegated attacking play or creativity to him.

[Doc_Piptorious]

I think we miss Trent massively. His influence and ability on the ball was a huge asset to us, he was a footballing unicorn, a player that asked questions of other teams with his range of passing and ability to switch play - and given where he played on the pitch a player that it was hard for teams to set up against.

We look utilitarian playing out, Trent gave us x-factor. We could moan about him lacking a bit defensively but, what he gave us in terms of vision passing and tempo was more than worth it. Irreplaceable.

If you mean the TAA of three, four, five seasons ago then yes that version of the player would be missed by any team.

If you mean the often half arsed version that surfaced over much of the previous two seasons, then no not so much imo.

Last season when we won the title he was not a stand out player for us in the way a well established world class player or top tier player should be standing out. He had good games but had just as many average to sub par ones.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Does anyone wonder what the instructions are about Wirtz, he seems to be involved in everything, (I'd like to see his stats on number of touches compared to everyone else). But at times it feels like he has to have the ball every few passes, it feels at times like half the side has delegated attacking play or creativity to him.

Think a big part of that is down to him looking for the ball and being the type comfortable with taking on the responsibilty of having play go through him.


Where others will go side to side or not show for the ball, Wirtz is onstantly showing for it and especially in tight spaces.


Think that mentality and ability is a big part of why he and Jones seem to mesh so well on the pitch and why when one or both of them go off, we seem to lose control further up the pitch as I think Jones is cut from the same cloth mentally.

[Sus]

Think a big part of that is down to him looking for the ball and being the type comfortable with taking on the responsibilty of having play go through him.


Where others will go side to side or not show for the ball, Wirtz is onstantly showing for it and especially in tight spaces.


Think that mentality and ability is a big part of why he and Jones seem to mesh so well on the pitch and why when one or both of them go off, we seem to lose control further up the pitch as I think Jones is cut from the same cloth mentally.

Yep agree with this, think it's a good summary of what Wirtz (and Jones) bring to the team - a level of bravery in possession many other players could learn from

[Exiled_red]

Think a big part of that is down to him looking for the ball and being the type comfortable with taking on the responsibilty of having play go through him.


Where others will go side to side or not show for the ball, Wirtz is onstantly showing for it and especially in tight spaces.


Think that mentality and ability is a big part of why he and Jones seem to mesh so well on the pitch and why when one or both of them go off, we seem to lose control further up the pitch as I think Jones is cut from the same cloth mentally.

I agree with all that the problem for me is it tends to channel so much of our play through him and it seems other players don't think for themselves or take responsibility.

[Norbs]

Wirtz is a kid and has been entrusted with an unfair amount of responsibility, IMO. Our only senior players are Alisson and VVD, Dom is a leader but hasn't been given the responsibility to step up

[Doc_Piptorious]

Wirtz is a kid and has been entrusted with an unfair amount of responsibility, IMO. Our only senior players are Alisson and VVD, Dom is a leader but hasn't been given the responsibility to step up

Surely a lot of that potential responsibility is on him to step up when on the pitch. Leaders lead, they do not wait to be told to do so. And that would not mean he would go against Slot's instructions but rather he could be encouraging teammates more, bollocking them when needed, keeping people alert and so on. He is quite vocal for his national team so a bit more of that would be nice.

MacAllister also has no excuse not to act as a senior player, same with guys like Gakpo, Jones, Konate, Gomez etc.

To be fair I think from that list Jones does step up when on the pitch, but all the other names are at the club long enough and been pro footballers long enough to not need being hand held through games and all of them are more than experienced enough to be helping the newer guys out.


We can slam Slot all day long for the tactics, and some of that criticism is well justified imo, but basic on pitch stuff is 100% on the players.

How quickly a player shows for the ball, how quickly they release a pass, the making of runs and so on. That's on the players imo.

Take our current way of playing but have a lot of the players taking one or two touches before passing instead of the current three or four touches many take, and suddenly we are moving the ball quicker, pulling the other team out of position more and maybe creating more problems for the other team than they are for us.

Our players are all experienced, are all on huge money but many need to take as many touches of the ball as a sunday league player. It's touch touch, take a look around, touch touch, then go sideways or backwards. The other team never really gets forced into a reset as the ball moves at glacial pace.

Fair enough do that if you are seeing out a lead and are capable of holding onto the ball whilst doing so, but we have players that are doing that crap in the first minute.


Tactic are playing a part in how ponderous we are (though it has to be said that the same tactics have played a part in a nine game unbeaten run too) but the lack of urgency by the players is what is killing the tempo.

Funny thing is you can see the players that are looking to do the opposite straight away.

Wirtz, Jones, Bradley, Ekitike, Frimpong, Rio, Chiesa, Gravenberch and Kerkez all try to be proactive on the ball (with different levels of success it has to be said).

Frimpong and Rio look to push forward any chance they get and look to make the fullbacks on the other team work hard and also that directness will bring a CB out to try and double up.

Bradley does a mix of carrying the ball and also of trying to play it quickly. Ekitike, Gravenberch and Chiesa do the same.


Kerkez you can see making runs and overlaps game after game but if Gakpo is on the left, those runs get ignored.

Wirtz and Jones do a bit of it all. They will recycle the ball, look for the ball, make runs and are always available as an outlet. Hence it being so noticeable that our play slows even more when they go off.


The problem that all of the above players face imo is they advance with the bal or look to play a quick pass but then find that many of the senior players have not moved with the play, are not showing to receive a ball or worse they DO show for the ball but once they get it they do the four touch thing and then just go sideways to the closest player and kill the move altogether, then even though WE have the ball we are the team having to reset.