I don’t like writing super long posts about our problems because it’s sort of pointless nowadays, but the way we play and the personnel we deploy really gets to me.
Our aim is to exploit the flanks. That much is clear. What is less clear is how we try to go about doing so. We try(almost exclusively) to overload the wings, it’s so stupid and predictable and easily stoppable with disciplined defending. Even worse it leaves us susceptible to quick counters once we lose possession, which we always will with Xhaka! and his merry men orchestrating things. My theory is simple: If you intend to exploit the flanks, you use the middle. And if you intend to exploit the middle, you use the flanks. But make sure you have the right players to do whatever you’re trying to do. Our options along the wings are not great but they are decent. Certainly much better than most teams in the league outside the top 6. We require a group of brave, nimble and technically accomplished players in the middle to drive us forward and control the tempo of the game. It’s what Ceballos was brought here to do, and which he attempts to do with varying degrees of success. There was a point yesterday where we had 4 players on the right wing just standing around doing nothing. Disgusting stuff. When we are pressed high you only see two players (Xhaka and Doozi) showing for the ball, neither of whom have the requisite skill to play us out of danger with accuracy. Our wingers who remain up front don’t seem to make any runs down the channels in behind the opposition defender for the release through ball.
Then my pet peeve. We play out of defense always towards the touchline. I understand that it’s the safest bet because we are liable, with the quality of players we have, to lose the ball in the center and get in big trouble as a result. But the problem is we already limit the room the fullback has to work with and since our Centermids are so poor and movement upfront is so static, we end up regularly losing the ball down the wings also.
It’s all so frustrating.
