See I didn't think we grew into the game, they scored and stood off us and allowed us to pass it out around the back and between Grav & Mac but the moment we tried to progress they were on us immediately.

They out ran & out fought us that first half.

We didn't have a shot on target for 60mins and then we upped the tempo as they were tiring.

If the tactics away from home is too feel out the opposition first, then you still need focus & effort in your positioning and pressing. The team still lacks that in the first half imo...not to say we're absolutely terrible but it's definitely a cause for concern and our next step to improving as a team

comment by Terminator1 (U1863)
posted 5 minutes ago
comment by Michael Edwards FC 2.0 loading…{Proud owner of the 5 000 000th comment} (U2720)
posted 4 minutes ago
Starting slow for me is just a lack of focus and effort
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Wasn’t it you that said it was intentional to a degree by Slot, but we haven’t got the balance right yet? I tend to agree with that.
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Nah not me...my view is no manager goes into a game willing wanting the opposition to get the upper hand. I still stand by that

comment by Terminator1 (U1863)
posted 10 minutes ago
And how bad were Spurs last night? Arsenal weren’t much better but Spurs made it so easy for them.

Will be pretty devastating if we don’t win the league from here.
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We need that game in hand to come around. Everything was looking rosy after we beat City, and in the six weeks since then we have widened the gap on them and only dropped two points more than Arsenal. The game in hand is slightly skewing how things look. Badly need to win that when it comes round.

Look Arsenal clawing back a couple of points and Liverpool maybe not playing at the level they had been makes the title race less clear than it had appeared to be but anyone thinking ALL teams dont have up and down periods during a season is kidding themselves on

Both teams will lose/draw games between now and the end but I'd wager any team would be happy to swap positions with you atm, I think you play Arsenal 3rd last game of the season but imo by then it will be sorted anyway, to be fair for a neutral I'd like to see that being a decider but dont think it will

comment by Michael Edwards FC 2.0 loading…{Proud owner of the 5 000 000th comment} (U2720)
posted 33 minutes ago
comment by Terminator1 (U1863)
posted 5 minutes ago
comment by Michael Edwards FC 2.0 loading…{Proud owner of the 5 000 000th comment} (U2720)
posted 4 minutes ago
Starting slow for me is just a lack of focus and effort
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wasn’t it you that said it was intentional to a degree by Slot, but we haven’t got the balance right yet? I tend to agree with that.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nah not me...my view is no manager goes into a game willing wanting the opposition to get the upper hand. I still stand by that
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That’s not what I mean. I think he wants the team to be the fittest side in the second half, and that’s pretty much how it’s been. You have more chance of winning a game if you’re in the ascendancy in the second half rather than the first. I’m pretty sure he’s not intending the team to be starting as slowly as they have in a lot of games, which is why I said the balance isn’t right.

It takes a lot of time for a new manager to get his team playing exactly how he wants them to, and I think they’ve done exceptionally well to manage as much as they have so quickly.

Best way to have ascendancy is to take leads and control the game with our better players.

Yeah Term, your explanation gives of the impression that we're chasing games in the second half. You don't want that.

Nobody's lambasting the team for the position they're in...just saying it's pretty clear where we need to improve and this is without dipping into the transfer market.

We concede the first goal far too much, and everyone knows thats the most important goal in football.

Thats about it really, and the fact we’re conceding too much atm anyway.

I think the midfield is becoming an issue. It’s pretty easy to get through at the minute and tye chances were giving up, are good ones.

We lack a bit of pace, a bit of strength in the air and some good old fashioned legs. Anyone feel we’re out running and out working teams? I don’t.

If only some people had seen this coming.

comment by Michael Edwards FC 2.0 loading…{Proud owner of the 5 000 000th comment} (U2720)
posted 9 minutes ago
Yeah Term, your explanation gives of the impression that we're chasing games in the second half. You don't want that.

Nobody's lambasting the team for the position they're in...just saying it's pretty clear where we need to improve and this is without dipping into the transfer market.
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Again, I’m saying that isn’t the intention. It’s a work in progress.

It was me that said it. But what I meant was that Slot wants to control the game, the possession and not take too many risks, move the opposition around, tire them out. However we don't have the balance quite right recently and lose the ball in dangerous positions for a quick turnover and counter. Against Forest was a perfect example, players moving up the pitch taking a risk that Salah was going to play the pass, he got dispossessed and the midfield were completely out of their structure, Gravenberch tried to cut out the pass and suddenly they had a player free receiving the pass behind the midfield and a player peeling off the centre into the box for an easy pass. Was a good move from Forest and a good finish from an angle but we made it easy for them.

They then after the suckerpunch play the way they should do but it's more difficult as the opposition are leading and not taking many risks themselves, meaning space in the attacking areas is limited and centre backs become the playmakers as they're the only players free. Finally the opposition tire and they're able to player faster than them, get to balls quicker, find more space, which is the whole idea but too late as they're behind.

So yeah I don't think we have the balance quite right, especially against teams who sit in and counter.

comment by Terminator1 (U1863)
posted 10 minutes ago
comment by Michael Edwards FC 2.0 loading…{Proud owner of the 5 000 000th comment} (U2720)
posted 9 minutes ago
Yeah Term, your explanation gives of the impression that we're chasing games in the second half. You don't want that.

Nobody's lambasting the team for the position they're in...just saying it's pretty clear where we need to improve and this is without dipping into the transfer market.
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Again, I’m saying that isn’t the intention. It’s a work in progress.
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You see the thing is where you see 'progress', some people are seeing a trend to exactly the same thing that happened last season.

comment by Michael Edwards FC 2.0 loading…{Proud owner of the 5 000 000th comment} (U2720)
posted 10 minutes ago
comment by Terminator1 (U1863)
posted 10 minutes ago
comment by Michael Edwards FC 2.0 loading…{Proud owner of the 5 000 000th comment} (U2720)
posted 9 minutes ago
Yeah Term, your explanation gives of the impression that we're chasing games in the second half. You don't want that.

Nobody's lambasting the team for the position they're in...just saying it's pretty clear where we need to improve and this is without dipping into the transfer market.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Again, I’m saying that isn’t the intention. It’s a work in progress.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You see the thing is where you see 'progress', some people are seeing a trend to exactly the same thing that happened last season.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Difference for me is last season was a manager who had run out of ideas, this season is one with new ones. Which will take time, you can’t just click your fingers and expect all the ‘bad’ ways to disappear overnight.

You’d expect the same mistakes to not be made two seasons in a row

Is 8-months overnight? Dunno, but regardless it’s certainly something we can improve upon.

Been looking up a few stats about the first half of games (not validated btw).

We've conceded 9 goals in the first half of games = 45% of goals conceded. But of those 9 goals, 8 of them have been the first goal of the game.

We've scored 20 in the first half = 42% of goals scored.

On that basis, I'd suggest that it's not the defence that starts slowly - they concede less than in the second half of games. It's our attack taking time to click, which means that when we do concede it's usually the opening goal.

For a comparison, Arsenal conceded first in 7 of their games. They've played one more than us but it's not a dramatic difference.

Just from the eye test though, we look much more energised in attack as the game goes on. Difficult to understand why that would be. It's incredibly hard to believe the manager asks the players to play conservatively, but it's equally difficult to believe our players have such a collective shift in performance either side of half time. Bit of a mystery imo.

One thing that is clear though, we need a win. Need it badly imo.