[Albion] The main difference between the 1st & 2nd half against Huddersfield

[Triggaaar]

I've noticed in the past we tend to try and absorb the pressure, frustrate the opposition and deliberately slow the game down, when they want to score early. The more frustrated the opposition get, the more mistakes they make.
It isn't pretty but it can be effective.

That's a fair tactic against the top teams, who are expecting to come here and get 3 points. It's not appropriate against Huddersfield. They weren't expecting to come here and win, so they weren't going to get frustrated while it remained nil nil. Indeed they were wasting time.

Huddersfield defended in numbers and we couldn't work out how to break them down in the first half. Not helped by playing 451 IMO.

 

[dazzer6666]

That's a fair tactic against the top teams, who are expecting to come here and get 3 points. It's not appropriate against Huddersfield. They weren't expecting to come here and win, so they weren't going to get frustrated while it remained nil nil. Indeed they were wasting time.

Huddersfield defended in numbers and we couldn't work out how to break them down in the first half. Not helped by playing 451 IMO.

Pretty much as I saw it. We normally defend in a 451 and try to attack in a 433, but we seemed to just stay as a 451 when we had the ball, isolating Murray and offering nothing going forward as we passed the ball laterally over and over again. The stark contrast in the second half was (hopefully ?) down to CH either giving the players a bollocking for sitting back or more likely reassuring them 'it's only Huddersfield FFS, get forward' - then changing Glenn for Florin added the final impetus (and also meant Hudds had to sit further back). Hope we learned from that second half - if we'd started like that we'd have walked it - think player's nerves are playing a huge part, hopefully the 3 points (and much improved 2nd half) will have eased those a bit.

 

[LVGull]

This. It really was this simple.

Will Chris now make FA first choice striker, or will GM start next game?

 

[Triggaaar]

If they weren't playing to CH why were they disregarding him? If they weren't, why was CH playing like that?
...
So... if we were playing a coaches game plan in the first half, why? It was absolute dross. If they weren't playing to instructions then they were quite clearly not doing their jobs.
...
Why does the manager only pick them up at half time and not from KO? Or conversely, why do the players decide not to perform until they have to?

It might not be as simple as either a) Chris told them to be crap, or b) They ignored management and chose to be crap. There's also c) They were trying not to be crap, but failing.

Huddersfield haven't been good enough this season - mostly up front, where they can't score. But that didn't mean none of their players can do anything and they wouldn't work hard to stop us. I suspect it was their game plan to frustrate us and keep it nil nil until late on, then try to score a winner near the end.

I for one find it quite baffling how the same team can turn out different performances from one 45 mins to the next.

Because it's a game of two halves

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Because it's a game of two halves

Thanks Jimmy Hill

 

[Triggaaar]

Hope we learned from that second half - if we'd started like that we'd have walked it

My concern is that in our time in the PL Chris has been relatively cautious, and it's worked, and in the last few months he's been a bit more attack minded, and it's failed. And the lesson he'll take from yesterday is not that we should have started the way we finished, but that we played 451 and we won.

It may be that attacking football is a nice goal to have, but you can only do it successfully with the right players, and maybe we don't have them? So until we do, we need to be a defensive team. That's not what the fans want, but that could be where we are.

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

Simple

Florin Andone

Exactly this. It's so simple it's unbelievable if people can't see it. He runs in behind, he pushes the opposition back, he gives more space to the midfield as a result, making it harder for them to press us.

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

Bissouma has all the attributes to be a top midfielder which is why the fans have warmed to him. He can tackle, pass, shoot, go by players. But to date his end product has been patchy. Two assists against Derby, a goal against Bournemouth. He's still young and learning.

We need to get away from the eternal 'brilliant or useless' narrative on NSC. (This isn't aimed at you Jem as you are more nuanced than most). One reason the club has progressed so much in recent years is because we don't get too high or too low whatever the outcome of games. We have a consistent philosophy we fine tune, led by the gaffer. It has served us well.

We all get frustrated by poor periods of play, up and down form of players. But we owe the team and the gaffer not to judge by the knee-jerk.

PG

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All fair and that first half in particular showed just how much we missed Gross in terms of being able to create chances from a cross or a simple slide rule pass. But similarly, Bissouma looks like a much better midfielder when he's got someone like Andone to play off of and who will run in behind. Personally I'd still have Bissouma in the team most weeks (how can he improve without game time and having the chance to make the odd mistake?) because he offers a verticality that our other midfielders don't, aside from Propper at times. But to be more vertical, you've got to have someone up front to play off of and Murray, at this moment in time, just isn't that player if we're sitting so deep.

 

[Triggaaar]

We need to get away from the eternal 'brilliant or useless' narrative on NSC.

So you're suggesting Bozza deletes the entire forum, and starts from scratch?

 

[scoobiewhite]

Apart from the multiple times this season that he hasn't. Bissouma started 10 games out of 28 this season and 10 further apps from the bench. The other games he was injured.
And likewise Bernardo had a run of 9 games in a row in Nov / Dec (then he was injured) ahead of Bong and is now back , fit.
Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.
PS: Bissouma is still yet to score in a premier league game and alongside some flashes of brilliance (the cup games especially) has had below par performances, including on Saturday.

This. From what I’ve seen Bernardo is no1 choice when fit and ready.

Love bissouma’s potential but has looked much better I n the cup than the league. Expect him and Ali j to really kick in next season.