We decide to play our left back in the midfield, which results in a right back (who can’t use his left foot) to start at left back. On top of this we have a defensive midfielder at centre back while we have a centre back sitting on the bench. Oh, and our most creative player on the bench against a team who have conceded 32 goals already this season.
I can understand players having a preferred foot but to get to this level of football and not be able to kick with their non-preferred is disgraceful.
Agreed, matthews is a liability at left back.
How has he been a liability?
Because going forward when he gets the ball he always comes inside which invariably is a sideways or backwards pass. Means we have very little to offer moving forward on that side of the pitch.
Just not true he's played numerous passes into the strikers' feet. Got forward and put in a decent cross with his left, one with his right which wasn't so good. Maybe it's not been the best choice to move Maatsen from left back but Matthews hasn't been a liability.
Middle of the back four is all over the place, sticking their hands up for offside because they cant defend properly. Bowyer needs four players if the centre backs don't return soon, Charlton have been the better side but look like they could concede every time Plymouth attack.
Draw this, win our game in hand and we'll be looking good, even before players return and we sign some new faces. Maybe Bow is doing this to increase Thomas transfer fund next month. Cunning. Or maybe not.
It’s going to be tough to do much business with the salary cap.
Everytime our strikers get the ball they are playing back to goal. Whenever Plymouth get the ball they are playing facing our goal. Makes a huge difference
That's because Plymouth put pressure on the ball in midfield and we don't.
When I saw the starting XI I knew we weren’t going to play well. Bowyer has lost the plot at the moment. A right back at left back so he can put a left back in midfield? And a centre back left in the bench in preference to playing a midfielder in defence? Doesn’t know his best team and in reaching to try and find it he has lost sight of basics like picking players in their natural positions.
Steve Brown spot on in his analysis so far. We look okay(ish) in the final third but on the turnover it’s so easy for Plymouth to get straight onto our back four and Pratley looks very uncomfortable. No idea why Deji is still on the bench. I’m not his biggest fan but he’s a natural centre back and will surely cope better than Pratley has done.
Maddison and Smyth need to be on at halftime and Williams needs to stay on. Need 15 minutes of our four best forwards on together before he has to take Williams and Aneke off. Deji on at the back too. Put Maatsen back to left back. Toss up if you keep Watson or Pratley on in midfield. Watson has a shocking opening 15 minutes but been a bit better since, still too many sideways and backwards passes though, we need his set a much higher and more positive tempo.
JFC the only one who has really tried to take charge of the game for us, imo.
I’ve criticised Bowyer as much as anybody and the team selection was a bit odd. But you can’t blame him for some absolutely terrible defending. We’re very slow at the back mind so you have to wonder why Deji is on the bench.
Might as well just go all out attacking. We will concede more goals with this makeshift defence that Bowyer loves playing. Getting the hump with him now seriously poor tactics game after game.
Everytime our strikers get the ball they are playing back to goal. Whenever Plymouth get the ball they are playing facing our goal. Makes a huge difference
We are going all out attacking, they're picking us off on the counter attack - Its for that reason that their strikers are picking the ball up facing the goal
At the moment it has to be Oshilaja for Watson or Pratley
Playing attacking football with Aribo, Grant, Bielik, Cullen, Taylor and Williams wasn’t too hard.
We go up, there’s no pressure or expectation. He’s allowed to play negatively because who can really blame him?
This season we’re looked very uninspired up top. Once again, I know he’s short player wise with Doughty and the defence out, but we do look a bit all over the place.
January could be key for him. Both transfer wise and results wise.
Maybe I'm imagining things but that was a lot of dropped heads going down the tunnel when the half time whistle blew, don't see how getting Oshilaja into CB can make things worse at the back
Very poor yet again; square pegs in round holes - Matthews/Maatsen/Pratley. Get Matthews or Gunter off and play four defenders, with more balance in midfield. he may have hit the bar but Maatsen is not a midfielder! Maddison for Williams after an hour, and Morgan for JFC then too. Washington coasting this game sadly. Not much else on the bench up front... We might scrape a draw if we are lucky...
Yet again I don’t understand Bowyer’s thinking - why play Matthews at left back when we have a left back playing in midfield? Defensively I think we’ve been very poor. And unlike the Wimbledon game I can’t see potentially Smyth & Bogle having the same impact that Chucks & Jonny did against Dons.
Playing a team that leaks goals only we can leave our most creative attacking player on the bench. Ffs get Maddison on at half time !!! Although we are more likely to bring another defender on. I think LB needs some time off to clear his head
Attacking = Disagree... We could easily have three or four goals already; Maatsen (twice) and Washington should be on the scoresheet Defence = ABSOLUTELY... It should be 4-4 already, its alright asking where the goals are coming from but the defence makes it so difficult
Could easily be 3 up but we aren't and our final ball has been pretty poor and we look like conceding more and it's only Plymouth FFS
I’ve criticised Bowyer as much as anybody and the team selection was a bit odd. But you can’t blame him for some absolutely terrible defending. We’re very slow at the back mind so you have to wonder why Deji is on the bench.
You can exactly blame him - he choose to have the defence set up that way which was clearly a calamity waiting to happen.
Attacking = Disagree... We could easily have three or four goals already; Maatsen (twice) and Washington should be on the scoresheet Defence = ABSOLUTELY... It should be 4-4 already, its alright asking where the goals are coming from but the defence makes it so difficult
Could easily be 3 up but we aren't and our final ball has been pretty poor and we look like conceding more and it's only Plymouth FFS
Why's that? - I never understand that line of the argument?
Comments
We've scored once, Washington and Maatsen (not the crossbar one either) have both forced saves from their Goalkeeper
We decide to play our left back in the midfield, which results in a right back (who can’t use his left foot) to start at left back.
On top of this we have a defensive midfielder at centre back while we have a centre back sitting on the bench.
Oh, and our most creative player on the bench against a team who have conceded 32 goals already this season.
No different to the Sunderland player at Wembley
We've still got Bogle and gilbey to come on and change the game.
At the moment it has to be Oshilaja for Watson or Pratley
Playing attacking football with Aribo, Grant, Bielik, Cullen, Taylor and Williams wasn’t too hard.
We go up, there’s no pressure or expectation. He’s allowed to play negatively because who can really blame him?
This season we’re looked very uninspired up top. Once again, I know he’s short player wise with Doughty and the defence out, but we do look a bit all over the place.
January could be key for him. Both transfer wise and results wise.
Wasn't even funny typing that tbh, probably happen now.
Balls.
Is your phone ringing??????
Lee Bowyer has an A -Z on tactics.