[Albion] Mr Potter has got to sort out his blind spot or else...

[Pavilionaire]

Potter's problem is that his forwards have let him down all season long. We have scored 33 goals; our xG is 48.67, so above Tottenham, Arsenal and Everton.

We should be comfortably midtable, if not top half. He has to get mean and purge those that have not delivered because the worry is our xG will not be as high next season and if the strikers carry on like this we'll fall into the bottom 3.

He needs to send out a signal; drop Maupay and Gross, start Zeqiri and MacAllister. The team looked too comfortable vs Sheff Utd, not like a team worried about relegation. Contrast that with Burnley's splendid performance vs Wolves.

That might be harsh on Gross but the dynamic has to change.

 

[KeegansHairPiece]

Potter's problem is that his forwards have let him down all season long. We have scored 33 goals; our xG is 48.67, so above Tottenham, Arsenal and Everton.

We should be comfortably midtable, if not top half. He has to get mean and purge those that have not delivered because the worry is our xG will not be as high next season and if the strikers carry on like this we'll fall into the bottom 3.

He needs to send out a signal; drop Maupay and Gross, start Zeqiri and MacAllister. The team looked too comfortable vs Sheff Utd, not like a team worried about relegation. Contrast that with Burnley's splendid performance vs Wolves.

That might be harsh on Gross but the dynamic has to change.

Really harsh on Gross to come into that conversation given he has been filling in as a wing-back, looked the best partner for Biss in the centre of midfield, and is our leading assist creator. Funny person to require dropping to change the dynamic.

I have more issue with Trossard who is given more freedom, often playing as a 3rd striker, and too often just doesn't turn up as he didn't Saturday. Yes, he can be a match winner, but we seem to have to wait far too long for those moments.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Really harsh on Gross to come into that conversation given he has been filling in as a wing-back, looked the best partner for Biss in the centre of midfield, and is our leading assist creator. Funny person to require dropping to change the dynamic.

I have more issue with Trossard who is given more freedom, often playing as a 3rd striker, and too often just doesn't turn up as he didn't Saturday. Yes, he can be a match winner, but we seem to have to wait far too long for those moments.

I say that as a Gross fan. He is not fast, he has been shot-shy this season and we have not been scoring from set pieces of late.

I'd also disagree that Gross is the best partner for Biss in central midfield. We've seen those 2 together plenty of times and it hasn't worked.

 

[rippleman]

Maupay might be "pint sized" but he is a mere 2cm shorter than Michael Owen. And I think around the same height as our own Wardy. We really can't use his size as any excuse.

I like his industry; he certainly puts in a shift (more than Welbeck does). But sadly he just doesn't appear to be good enough for a PL team, let alone one with top 10 aspirations.

 

[Stat Brother]

That's all you have to do and yet, in 20 games this season, teams haven't been able to do that. Its the only way some of the teams can hope to win against us and any team. If we don't make the mistake on Saturday evening, we come away with a point probably. A striker, who offers us something different : pace or aerial threat or finishing (or any combination), will make a difference based on the season and allow a different approach more readily?

But the team did make its customary mistake.
&
Didn't/couldn't score a goal.

Far far to much 'if's and but's' surrounding this season.


Not every team wants to 'do a Sheffield' to beat us.
Not every team can do a Sheffield' to beat us.
But
Every team that can and have needed to do a Sheffield to get a result against us has.

That'll be why the team will be playing in May still not safe from relegation.


Thankfully we have The Leeds next, a side with a pathological hatred of doing a Sheffield.

We'll have less of the ball.
We'll have more space in the final third.

I have higher hopes for a win and possibly a bit of a masterclass.

That in turn will have the disciples frothing at the mouth, bouncing posts left right and centre, completely missing the point of the post Utd threads like this one.

 

[Hamilton]

Agree with you KZN, [MENTION=225]Hamilton[/MENTION], Connolly came on and played on the left a front 3, Ali_J then played as a winger, not a wing back - he worked with Trossard on that side. It completely changed our angles of attack as we sought to exploit their left side which is why it suddenly appeared Ali_J was more dangerous than other players had been; yes because he was given cover and basically told to sit on their full back.

It might not have fit into a conventional, oh, he's switched from a 3-5-2 to a 4-4-2, but there was a change in shape a tactics. Didn't work as we now know, but don't think you can say we went like for like with substitions and tactics, that just didn't happen.

Looking at the heat maps Moder didn't change that much - see the touch maps on goal.com. Trossard just went everywhere, like a player without portfolio. He may have been trying to change something, but perhaps the message didn't get through top the players - or it did.

 

[Eric Youngs Contact Lens]

But the team did make its customary mistake.
&
Didn't/couldn't score a goal.

Far far to much 'if's and but's' surrounding this season.


Not every team wants to 'do a Sheffield' to beat us.
Not every team can do a Sheffield' to beat us.
But
Every team that can and have needed to do a Sheffield to get a result against us has.

That'll be why the team will be playing in May still not safe from relegation.

I may be taking your points too literally, but we have only lost once to West Brom and once to Sheff Utd, securing draws in the reverse fixtures and 2 wins vs Newcastle. Every team can do a Sheff Utd - its the easiest way to play and its hard to break down. Those teams are not selecting that style of play out of a vast array of options open to them, they literally don't have another way of playing. That's why for me, adding a player or two that give us a flexible option, or who will bury more of the chances when faced with that approach would be ideal.

 

[KeegansHairPiece]

Looking at the heat maps Moder didn't change that much - see the touch maps on goal.com. Trossard just went everywhere, like a player without portfolio. He may have been trying to change something, but perhaps the message didn't get through top the players - or it did.

Heat maps can’t really tell you the tactics and relationships between different players. Trossard was in a different role after the break then a different role when AJ came on. His heat map will look all over the place because GP changed tactics through the game, something you said or implied didn’t happen?

 

[KeegansHairPiece]

But the team did make its customary mistake.
&
Didn't/couldn't score a goal.

Far far to much 'if's and but's' surrounding this season.


Not every team wants to 'do a Sheffield' to beat us.
Not every team can do a Sheffield' to beat us.
But
Every team that can and have needed to do a Sheffield to get a result against us has.

That'll be why the team will be playing in May still not safe from relegation.


Thankfully we have The Leeds next, a side with a pathological hatred of doing a Sheffield.

We'll have less of the ball.
We'll have more space in the final third.

I have higher hopes for a win and possibly a bit of a masterclass.

That in turn will have the disciples frothing at the mouth, bouncing posts left right and centre, completely missing the point of the post Utd threads like this one.

Now you’ve only gone and cursed it. Saturday afternoon ruined already through SB’s loose postings...

 

[FF1]

Personally, I think we badly lack pace. It's no coincidence we looked a lot better when Izquierdo and Jahanbakhsh came on to actually run at players, and they got more joy than arguably anyone else. March provided some but is obviously now out, Lamptey the same.

Agree with you on pace. We also need width... notice that Izquierdo, Jahanbakhsh, March and Lamptey are fast and play wide. Part of the problem is that defenses are compact and we try to attack them through the middle!!!! Width helps open up compact defenses that sit back.

 

[Hamilton]

Heat maps can’t really tell you the tactics and relationships between different players. Trossard was in a different role after the break then a different role when AJ came on. His heat map will look all over the place because GP changed tactics through the game, something you said or implied didn’t happen?

Take a look at Trossards touch map then. He was playing FIFA2021. Moder's didn't change that much which could mean he wasn't able to carry out GP's instructions as much as either would have liked. Who knows? Basically, GP replaced the wing backs bringing on Connolly and Jahanbaksh and retaining 3 at the back. My sense was Connolly just didn't really know what to do and was pretty anonymous.

We could go on. Either way, I didn't feel much of a change and as Sheffield were by now just defending deeply, neither did they. They had decamped to 11 at the back.

 

[A1X]

Agree with you on pace. We also need width... notice that Izquierdo, Jahanbakhsh, March and Lamptey are fast and play wide. Part of the problem is that defenses are compact and we try to attack them through the middle!!!! Width helps open up compact defenses that sit back.

Ultimately we come back to a problem we’ve always had under Potter, the utter lack of a plan B. When Plan A doesn’t work we just try more Plan A with some different players.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Obviously having non scoring forwards is a problem, but I think our criminal lack of pace severely hampers us. Last night, for example, dozens of times we broke through the middle and Biss/Lallana/Moder/whoever are looking to play the ball either side of the narrow back 3 and in between the full back, unfortunately the options are pedestrian at best, almost every other team has pace to nip in behind but we have to stop, turn back inside or try a cross to 5’9 goal shy striker. Obviously losing Lamptey AND March was a hammer blow, but not having a single midfielder or forward with pace is borderline scandalous.

Pace, risk taking and importantly movement.

We do not move well as a team and have been saying this since last season. I don’t see players coming for the ball and offering options in our build up play.

How many times For example is gross presented a ball on the right and the contribution due to lack of pace and the above point is to pass it back to Webster or Sanchez.

Give and go apart from a few efforts from AL or MacAllister is redundant.

I’d like to see a front three of

Izzy
Welbeck
Trossard

Against Leeds


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[Marshy]

That's fine if we're talking about the odd 'shit happens' game, but we're not.

The Sheffield United game was just the latest in a long line of identical loses.


Q - How do you beat Brighton?

A - Simple.
Give them the ball until they make a mistake in front of their own goal.
Punish that mistake.
Then drop back and defend resolutely.

That's it, that's all there is to it to beat a GPott team.

Being that clear cut isn't just a squad/striker issue it's bordering on negligent.


If he doesn't sort it out his team will always have too many 'shit happens' games irrespective of who is missing the half chances, decent chances and occasional open goal (because the next man up is still going to miss chances).

Thanks for backing up my point, this is not a Potter blind spot, everyone knows its a collective finishing issue.

Maybe a finishing coach or something is required ?

Its certainly not Potters fault though, and Mr Bloom will know it.

 

[heathgate]

Thanks for backing up my point, this is not a Potter blind spot, everyone knows its a collective finishing issue.

Maybe a finishing coach or something is required ?

Its certainly not Potters fault though, and Mr Bloom will know it.

It IS Potters fault if he hasn't, after all this time, after repeated similar failings, addressed the issue.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

 

[Stat Brother]

Thanks for backing up my point, this is not a Potter blind spot, everyone knows its a collective finishing issue.

Maybe a finishing coach or something is required ?

Its certainly not Potters fault though, and Mr Bloom will know it.

Maybe I'm doing it to your post, but you seem to be applying a bit of 'aggression' (prob not the right word) to my post.

I'm not talking wholesale changes.
I've already called out a poster who thinks I've joined his 'Potter Out' gang.

For about the 5th time of explaining:-

In certain absolutely crucial games GPott's team has come up short under very similar circumstances.

500+ shite shots smacks of something more than better coaching.

I hope next season we'll be in the mini League we seem to scared to join, but I can't help thinking then I'll be reading:-
'with better strikers we'd be knocking on top 10', and so on.

The structure appears to be set up to create an awful lot of chances, but many flatter to deceive.


So going right back to the beginning I think GPott has a blind spot when it comes to scoring an eclectic mix of goals, those that are required to breakdown a stubborn side.

 

[raymondo]

Potter's problem is that his forwards have let him down all season long. We have scored 33 goals; our xG is 48.67, so above Tottenham, Arsenal and Everton.

We should be comfortably midtable, if not top half. He has to get mean and purge those that have not delivered because the worry is our xG will not be as high next season and if the strikers carry on like this we'll fall into the bottom 3.

He needs to send out a signal; drop Maupay and Gross, start Zeqiri and MacAllister. The team looked too comfortable vs Sheff Utd, not like a team worried about relegation. Contrast that with Burnley's splendid performance vs Wolves.

That might be harsh on Gross but the dynamic has to change.

I agree that Zequiri should be given a run of games. He played a bit on the wing, looked good, lively, hungry. We do need more pace and width, give the lad a chance, Mr P. And, as you say, it will at least change the dynamic

 

[Hamilton]

Thanks for backing up my point, this is not a Potter blind spot, everyone knows its a collective finishing issue.

Maybe a finishing coach or something is required ?

Its certainly not Potters fault though, and Mr Bloom will know it.

I remember suggesting this weeks ago and was then hauled across the coals by the pro-Potter camp and told that 'that's not the way it works'.

I've voted Potter Out in the past as I have concerns, but I'm not anti-Potter. I just want him to fix a few things that have seemed to me to be obvious for quite some time.

That said, I'm not a football coach and know bugger all - like most of us on here.

 

[raymondo]

Could we be the first team to stay in the PL without beating any team below us?! Quite an achievement if we manage it

 

[Mo Gosfield]

I am happy with the Way we play but I don't think Potter is the only person to get us to play like this I'm sure theres someone who can get us to play like this and win.

There are no new styles of playing football just tiny variations on what has gone before. From Herbert Chapman and the innovative Austrian and Hungarian coaches of the 30's/40's and 50's. Tottenham's ' push and run ' Deep lying centre forwards ( Di Stefano/Revie ) 'Italian ' Catenaccio ' Michels free flowing Dutch style. Attacking fullbacks ( wingbacks ) Long ball ( Wimbledon/John Beck ) and so on and so on.
GP is not doing anything new ( it might be to some Brighton fans ) Others can play it and do play it. What differentiates is tactical acumen, fitness and man management skills.