- Jan 23, 2011
- 4,749
- 14,475
Ugly Beautiful
I just do not get what the pundits and to be honest, many of us in here, were expecting. This was so predictable. We are an elite team, even some of the good teams (ManU) are pragmatic against us, the Pullis's, Dyche's and Hodgson's are pragmatic against everyone, let alone us. This is what Palace needed to do, it was the right thing for them to do, and in Zaha they have the ideal player to make it effective and dangerous. Hodgson has spent 40 years honing this game plan. I expected this game to be exactly what it was. Attritional with risk of sting in the arse.
Team selection was pretty much what I'd expect given the circumstances. I have a huge issue with playing a player like Sissoko in that CM/8 role because he gives us so little, his technique is not comfortable on the ball under pressure, he's clumsy with and without the ball, he does nothing incisively or cleverly, and in game where there is no central space he can't even charge. Maybe in the dying embers when Palace had to attack, we could have taken off Kane or Son and pushed Sissoko forward to trundle at them on the counter, but for 80 minutes he was just making up numbers, doing nothing out of the ordinary that any very average player couldn't do. I'd rather have seen Onomah or even KWP or Trippier in his position, at least they have the technique and some vision.
The pundits kept talking about "increasing the tempo" but it's just idiotic and completely lacking in understanding of how the game was tactically set up. We actually played the game pretty well tactically first half, continually got the FB's in good positions and with a better delivery and decisions from players like Aurier, Rose and Son, we could have created more and better chances. If we get impatient and just pump the ball forward aimlessly or try to force things, this is exactly what they want, you get careless, and play into their hands, they pick you off and break on you, isolating the likes of Zaha against CB's, get set pieces etc. And this is exactly what happened, and why their chances, break chances, will always look more dangerous. In exactly the same way we looked more dangerous against Liverpool, Dortmund and RM. First half, Winks and Eriksen (in his deeper remit) and the CB's were zipping the ball about nicely, pulling the game from side to side, getting the FB's isolated or in space and nearly creating a Son?kane clean through, and they weren't getting much of a sniff either.
I was more disappointed with the second half. Winks going off didn't help, Dembele is never going to be an improvement in terms of seeing and moving the ball quickly, so what we had was a slowing down of supply, desperation setting in, stupid chances being taken which didn't really produce more quality, but did produce much more counter threat from them.
But all that said, we deserve credit today. Football sometimes requires patience. If RM had shown it they might not have got their pants pulled down by us. There's beauty in the kind of ugly win we got today. Don't let the mug pundits MOTM award fool anyone. They had a plan, it's a much easier plan to execute than ours, the fact that their plan ultimately failed and they failed to do to us, what we did to RM, is a testament to our quality, not theirs. Breaking down the bus park will always be one of football's toughest conundrums, it's why football is so interesting, an inferior team always has a tactical chance if they are well drilled. If it works they deserve some credit, but if it doesn't, then they deserve what they get.
Individual
Gazzaniga - Hope we can keep him fit for next week. Great game. Two fine saves and good on crosses.
Aurier - I said this way before we signed him, but he's affectively Walker - two years younger and two years less of Poch's tuition. Physically great, great engine, intellectually a little challenged.
Sanchez - This kid has really started to grow on me this week. Dare I say shade's of King ? Pace, technique and good reading for his age. Superb again today. Joint MOTM
Dier - He's a CB, not a CM. Great game again today. Joint MOTM
Vertonghen - Smooth muthafucker. Joint MOTM
Rose - He got up and down well, and got into some great positions, but I was disappointed with his end product, and the one time Zaha ran at him he breezed past him way too easily.
Sissoko - OK, didn't shit the bed, but doesn't bring anything above the very very ordinary.
Winks - Really missed him second half. Was zipping the ball around well first half, which was exactly what was required.
Eriksen - Decent enough game from his slightly deeper remit, took up Winks' role second half pretty much. Played a couple of lovely through balls that were horrifically wasted.
Son - As ever, excelled with the sublime, bumbled away the simple.
Kane - Has had better games to be honest.
Really well articulated BC. Both your summary of the tactics and the players. It was so obvious before the game that we would be up against a bus parking team that would utilize Zaha and Andros on the break. On another day, they might have won or got a point if not for some great goalkeeping and some lack of composure.
We are not Man City Or Chelsea who seems to be able to often tear teams like this apart when playing them at home. That’s because they have usually three or four top notch attacking players that can make something from nothing and are excellent I’m tight spaces. We don’t have players like that. We have other strengths, that we have to play to in games like this. Admittedly, it would be easier if we had a Lamela out there, to help pick the lock. And maybe next summer, Poch will focus our transfer activity on such players.
I agree with what you say about Winks, we really did miss him. I’d like to eventually see a potential midfield three with him, Dembele and Wanyama.