Crystal Palace away - 5th October @ 12:30

[rudedog]

Don’t think Mo was particularly wasteful in this game - think he only had 2 shots on goal, the big chance being from Virgil’s amazing pass.

Mo just didn’t seem to be as involved or find space, I think this might partly have been due to Trent not overlapping anywhere near as much as he had been lately. This might have been a result of not having Dom available to help plug the defensive gaps that get created when Trent gets forward.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Don’t think Mo was particularly wasteful in this game - think he only had 2 shots on goal, the big chance being from Virgil’s amazing pass.

Mo just didn’t seem to be as involved or find space, I think this might partly have been due to Trent not overlapping anywhere near as much as he had been lately. This might have been a result of not having Dom available to help plug the defensive gaps that get created when Trent gets forward.

Basically that our right flank is only effective if there is at least one other player having to plug the gaps for the two on the right flank.


What has been noticeable is that TAA is still trying to play quick long balls down the right to catch the other team flat footed, but as Salah is not the Salah of 2020 he simply does not have the pace to get onto those long passes.


We seem to have one guy (TAA) playing a different way to the rest of the back line and another guy in Salah that can no longer take advantage of the passes from the first guy that used to be so effective.


We imo either need to change the tactic in terms of the type of pass or build up from RB or we need to add pace on the right flank ahead of the RB to take advantage of the fast long pass.

[Charly]

We could move Mo centrally. It might get hom more involved without him having to rely on pace, and give taa a longer ball outlet. Diaz might combine well with taa, but would he be cutting in on his wrong foot?

[Doc_Piptorious]

We could move Mo centrally. It might get hom more involved without him having to rely on pace, and give taa a longer ball outlet. Diaz might combine well with taa, but would he be cutting in on his wrong foot?

Would not like to move Mo centrally tbh. Think he might be a bit too static these days to play as a striker or false 9 and he does not have the legs to play deeper in the AM or advanced CM role where we seem to need one of Szobo/MacAllister/Jones put in to add serious tracking back to the role.

Chiesa, if fit, is as good on the RW as he is on the LW and has pace, but the being currently fit thing is the problem.


Out of Gakpo and Diaz, think they are about even in terms of being able to play on the right but at the same time I think both lose something from their game on that flank.

What would help Mo, again I think rather than with any certainty, would be if whoever we play at RB started to run up and down that right had side channel and provide over laps and the like.

That way Mo would have someone closer to him at time to play off of at close quarters, but we would then need that RB to be busting a gut to get back if/when we lose possession.


TAA brings the quality in terms of crossing etc in that role but not so sure he has the drive/inclination to do the workhorse side of it with the chasing back and in Bradley I think we have a guy who will bust a gut shuttling up and down that flank all game long but, whilst a very good young player imo, simply does not have a final ball of the quality that we know TAA has in his locker.


Think we are stuck with how we are playing on that side for now, but come next summer a complete overhaul will be forced upon us there.

Maybe a fast new winger playing with the solidity of Bradley behind him or maybe a fast winger with someone like Frimpong (or of that style of play) behind that winger.



Hell maybe get Frimpong and play him as a RM rather than a RB/RWBand put the solidty of Bradley behind him as Frimpong can play in an advanced wide right attacking spot too.