Match Day Thread Brentford v Norwich City Tues 27th Oct ko 19.45

Not if you think of the game management element of Plan A. Here's DF after the game: "I don't believe in coincidences. Our late goals come from good fitness, also our game, the way we exhaust our opponents..............." We've seen a shift to 3--5--2 in plenty of matches previous to this, e.g. with Lewis at LCB, usually when we are chasing the game. In that context, with the opposition tiring and less able to mount attacks themselves, it makes perfect sense to shift the offensive/defensive balance with an extra attacker, plus fresh midfield legs. So not "Plan B" at all, just one of the end game options available within Plan A.

 

I won't pretend I disagree, because I definitely think Pukki is struggling at the moment.

But I think it's worth saying that he has a goal every 320 minutes or so (i.e. 1 per 3.5 matches). Last season he had a goal every 270 minutes (i.e. 1 per 3). Yes, you factor in that this takes into account a very barren early 2020, but he is still not far off.

Admittedly, in our Championship winning season, he was around a goal every 1.5 matches. But that means he is "only" two goals behind right now (OK half as good). Small margins though, because he's had the chances. So the problem with his mojo is his deadly finishing, not any of the rest of his game IMO.

 

The planning before the game was based on a certain team and system and a late injury leaves no time to change everything. It follows that DF had no alternative other than replace like for like. It boils down to personal opinion as to who plays well and who plays badly and, for what it matters, I thought that Sorenson adapted quite well. I think that Pukki is going through a lack of confidence phase leading to him being less decisive than he was. To be fair his effort levels have not dropped and all he needs is a couple of goals to sort it out. The only worry is that his career seems to be defined by one season wonders. The bigger worry to me is Aarons. He does not seem to be at the form he showed last year and, to me, he was not as good last year as he was the season before. On a general point I think most people would accept our start to the season is better than most people feared but despite this I still detect negativity towards DF. Years ago in the days when I stood on the open terrace at the River End we had a player called Jimmy Blair who, not to put too fine a point on it, was useless. The crowd were on his back nonstop. In one game, however, he beat three players on the edge of the area and smashed the ball into the far corner of the net. Whilst most of us cheered and laughed in astonishment one chap unleashed a torrent of abuse at him along the lines that he should have passed to someone better placed and no amount of discussion could make him see that he was being ridiculous. In his eyes Jimmy could not do any right and I fear that one or two on here are getting in that mindset over DF.

 

As -- also from the "old guard" -- are Todd, Emi and Max. Reversing the question: Who isn't struggling? Krul? Rupp? Despite which we are 5th in the table (though this could be 8th by 10pm this evening). We have some way to go yet before we have a side that's "settled" and playing at their best.

 

I can see why someone could look at the results and performances and think "we're lucky to be scraping these results, things only need to get a little worse and results will dry up", but equally, and I'd say the stats this season seem to back it up, "things only need to improve a little and we'll thrash someone".

I guess in attacking areas, it's a real shame none of the new signings have been able to come in and make themselves undroppable. 5 of our 6 mids/forwards have been here since Jan 2018.

 

Fair dos - I hadn't appreciated the circumstances.

 

I can see your argument, Robbie, but in this case Sørensen didn't just move over into a 3 like Lewis, he moved over to the right side of a 3 so the left footed Gibson was playing to his natural strengths and Sørensen had the support of Aarons while McLean, who had come on as sub could provide a degree of protection on the left when needed. Whether a Plan B or not, it was a clever tactical change.

 

I agree with that and had Teemu not slipped when taking that penalty, he would probably have 3 goals in 8 games. I'm not particularly concerned because I think that when others around him improve his scoring will also improve.

 

I don’t think Max is struggling, particularly. Is that something you’ve thought? I’m also seeing Buendia as getting back to his best actually - slide rule pass for Pukki’s goal and he’s our main creativity outlet. His set piece delivery was excellent against Brentford but for some reason our CBs could not head the ball.

And Todd always had good days and completely anonymous days, didn’t he?

Krul’s had a couple of moments, but agree he’s our most solid performer.

 

With Sorensen replacing Quintilla just before the start, surely this counted as a substitution as the team sheet had been handed in. Yet we were still able/allowed to make 3 .subs during the game

 

It looks like it didn’t count as a substitution but it did reduce our bench to six for the match.

 

For me Max has been one of our most consistent players , unlucky not to have scored a few goals too.

Pukki was on such an incredible run for club and Country that he was bound to hit a dry spell.
His confidence must have taken a hit during our dreadful run and with Drmic as his cover meant Farke played him nearly every game.
Hopefully Hugill starts scoring and takes the pressure off him for a while.

The goal last Saturday was exceptional with Buendia slide rule passing him in like we saw so many times, he's probably our best player.

 

It was indeed a well-thought-out re-arrangement of the resources (players) he had available. What is more pertinent to whether or not it deserved to be called a change of plan is the timing. Suppose this had happened at half-time and the team re-emerged from the break with Sørensen at RCB etc., there would be a strong case for calling it a switch to Plan B. But at 70 minutes, tho' earlier than DF usually makes this sort of move, the case is less compelling and in this case there is a better explanation, i.e. that a familiar type of change that would very likely have been made at around 80 mins had we still been 1 goal down, was brought forward. Here is the xG Timeline for the game from Experimental 3-6-1:

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You can see that Brentford suddenly had us under severe pressure from min 63 to when DF made his move, the effect of the change being to put them under more pressure and force them onto the back foot. This is exactly what he does around 80 mins when we are chasing a draw or looking to convert a draw into a win. So, as I said before, I see it as the usual end-game brought forward 10 mins in response to Brentford threatening to put the game out of our reach.

 

Sounds like angels dancing on a pinhead to me...

 

Maybe "struggling" was the wrong word. Substitute "degrees below their best". The reason in each case being that, to use an F1 analogy, the engine of which they are part is still out of tune. I have my own opinion as to what is lacking, i.e. (to pursue the engine tuning analogy), the tweak to the timing that Stiepermann uniquely provides. I'm hoping Marco is brought back in now and given a proper run of games.

PS I swear I hadn't seen Martin Penney's "running on three cylinders" when I wrote this!

 

I challenge you to ask DF whether he thinks we are better off this season for having a Plan B.

Actually I agree with you, though referencing that infamous (though at the time pertinent) medieval philosophical debate rather hides the substantial point, which is that much forum discussion is conducted in cliched, vague and pseudo-explanatory terms. If we can all agree to stop talking (and thinking) in terms of Plans A and B, that would a be a small step in the right direction.

 

Yes, I can see that, but the timing might have also been to do with bringing on McLean so that we had a left sided midfielder to help cover. Halftime might have been too early for that. I'm not particularly concerned about whether it constitutes a plan B.