Pre-Season 2023

[The Golden Eel]

Just now, elvis said:

Any link to doak goal?

Doak didn't score. 

[Carvalho Diablo]

Got to get used to these sort of games with this formation I fear.

 

Rollercoasters or piledrivers.

[an tha]

The ball over the top really is our kryptonite - and teams are going to target us with it week in week out.

 

We've got to stop it.

[Scott_M]

I don’t think any surprises in anything we saw against Bayern. 
 

Great going forwards and will score a hatful, even against the very best. 
 

Ropey at the back and need a designated #6. 
 

I’m starting to turn against the box midfield. The negatives are outweighing the positives. We need to do it less or be much, much better without the ball. 

[Red Phoenix]

Sucks that it ended that way, we did have our chances near the end though. Great game for the most part.

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

Just now, an tha said:

The ball over the top really is our kryptonite - and teams are going to target us with it week in week out.

 

We've got to stop it.

No point playing this system with these players it will offer up chances continually and is not necessary for our attacking or defending. A CB and aDM must arrive or we will be in trouble.

[DaveT]

14 minutes ago, Tenfolder said:

 

I don't necessarily disagree but this ref is also absolutely determined to give them everything.

These cunts have been watching too much PL.  Yellow cards to one side only, offsides missed etc. Acclimatising us for August 13th.

[Tarwater]

To be fair, two of their goals would not have stood with VAR. Or a decent linesman.

[sir roger]

I think the inverted full back thing is fine against poor teams where we have 60 odd per cent possession, but any team with a bit of quality will be rubbing their hands together.

[Tenfolder]

Just now, DaveT said:

These cunts have been watching too much PL.  Yellow cards to one side only, offsides missed etc. Acclimatising us for August 13th.

 

It did feel a bit like theyd been instructed to ref like PL refs, aside from that a fair result I think. Lots of positives and lots negatives to take away from that game, have to find a way to stop those balls over the top(it's been our kryptonite for a good while now).

[torahboy]

Pre-season friendly in a land where the offside rule is only appiled sporadically, some casual stuff against a team who decided it was a CL Final, missed chances at both ends, brilliance and bullshit from both teams and Doak looking quite good. Can't be too concerned or enthused by any of it. Wait for the real stuff to start and then, depending on how you're predisposed, be enthralled or just be a whining shitbag.

[BeefStroganoff]

Not going to win a fucking thing conceding like this, not a chance.

[3 Stacks]

So surprised we conceded goals with Curtis Jones and then Harvey Elliott as lone 6's.

 

Should have thought of Elliott as a shout to play 6 beforehand, to be fair. Hilarious solution for now.

[Strontium]

3 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

Should have thought of Elliott as a shout to play 6 beforehand, to be fair. Hilarious solution for now.

 

I'm off to buy some football boots because it's only a matter of time before they try me there.

[Bjornebye]

4 minutes ago, Strontium said:

 

I'm off to buy some football boots because it's only a matter of time before they try me there.

 

I'll stick you in my fantasy team. x

[Chip Butty]

Positives, negatives, lots of substitutions, some good passages of play, some disorganised passages of play. 
 

Sounds like a pre season friendly to me. 

[BeefStroganoff]

7 minutes ago, Chip Butty said:

Positives, negatives, lots of substitutions, some good passages of play, some disorganised passages of play. 
 

Sounds like a pre season friendly to me. 

Ok I guess our defensive shortcomings will just disintegrate at the Bridge.

 

Happy days, nothing to be concerned about.

[Scott_M]

1 minute ago, BeefStroganoff said:

Ok I guess our defensive shortcomings will just disintegrate at the Bridge.

 

Happy days, nothing to be concerned about.

You are aware everyone is saying we need defensive reinforcements? 

[Barrington Womble]

27 minutes ago, sir roger said:

I think the inverted full back thing is fine against poor teams where we have 60 odd per cent possession, but any team with a bit of quality will be rubbing their hands together.

 

To be fair there wasn't much right back inverting going on for the 4th goal and they still took us apart. Sometimes it's just a question of good defending and bad defending. The goal in the 1st half where gnabry ran off Trent and onto matip was just poor defending from both (and Trent was in his position at right back at that time, him being inverted made no difference). The 4th goal an almost identical problem. Most concerning with the goals is nobody seems to learn from last year. Trent gets it positionally wrong and little desire to get back, matip let's himself get all tied up instead of just showing the outside. The 4th again poor full back positioning from Gomez and an alarming lack of pace, with little or no cover from centre back..

[3 Stacks]

We have no 6, Szoboszlai and Mac Allister were getting waltzed by, Trent has no desire whatsoever to defend and we have Matip who cant run playing centre back in a high risk offensive system. Thats just the 1st half.

 

Then, you just have a bunch of kids or players who arent good enough getting dominated. 

[Barrington Womble]

With the current slim downed squad, this preseason I have been most interest in what the u23s can give us. I don't think we learnt anything. Doak looks ready to play a part. Clark looks nothing like ready, a good loan will do him and we can see more of him. The others back to the u23s or low level loans for me. 

 

Just on the subject of youngsters, the thing that stood out for me with Elliot, was he looked one of the most (only!) composed players in that last 20. Some great touches and passes. Without the ball, it was last season's horror show all over again. 

[Rotpeter]

35 minutes ago, sir roger said:

I think the inverted full back thing is fine against poor teams where we have 60 odd per cent possession, but any team with a bit of quality will be rubbing their hands together.

It looks like it fixed the lack of offensive output from RB, but hasn't helped with the defensive vulnerabilities.  We still haven't made any changes which would shore up the right side, so we can expect more of the same.

[Chip Butty]

8 minutes ago, BeefStroganoff said:

Ok I guess our defensive shortcomings will just disintegrate at the Bridge.

 

Happy days, nothing to be concerned about.

The way I see it, the defensive shortcomings we have revolve in the main around the high line we play and  that high line compounded by the soft underbelly of our right hand side. This has been with us longer than a pre season and that high line is by choice, it’s the protection of that high line that’s probably going to be key, so whist the defence could do with a freshening up( I think that will be next season) - the midfield and how it protects that high line playing, weak on the right defence- is going to be the biggest focus.

we’ve walked a tightrope for a few seasons now, it’s the risk game we play.

rightly or wrongly, it’s nothing new 

[etho]

42 minutes ago, BeefStroganoff said:

Not going to win a fucking thing conceding like this, not a chance.

 

This can't be enjoyable for you surely. I'd be looking at taking up gardening

[Bobby Hundreds]

Hard to take much from friendlies today means nothing but nothing would piss me off more next season than if we keep being done by the long ball/pass out wide. At some point after constantly being punched in the face you've got to think hey this is dumb as fuck maybe I should change my tactic a bit here and protect my face. We don't react quick enough to fixing mistakes even during games its been a problem, we just watch the until the inevitable goal is scored. I'll take a season of rock and roll football again but please do not let the goals we concede be the template goal that we just keep ignoring exists.