Coolblade
Member
- Joined
- May 11, 2015
- Messages
- 270
- Reaction score
- 1,960
A few observations from the stats:
The score says 3–1, the underlying xG battle was lost 1.63 to their 1.98, but the football we saw was a typical old school blades performance. Because while Ipswich had more possession, almost 58%, we had the moments. We took 15 shots to their 11, landed eight on target to their five, and found 18 touches in their box, enough to make Walton’s afternoon uncomfortable even before the goals arrived.
Team set‑up:
We had a variation on the kind of shape that made Wilder’s first spell work: compact without the ball, brave with it, and horrible to play against.
Out of possession, we dropped quickly into a tidy 4‑4‑2, O’Hare stepping up alongside Bamford, Seriki and Brooks flattening the wide line, and Peck and Davies shutting the inside channels. That structure forced Ipswich into the areas we wanted and then punished them there. The data shows exactly why that mattered, we won 24 aerial duels to their 14 and hacked away 23 clearances to their 17. Everything they tried to drop into the box, Mee or McGuinness win
With the ball, we almost morphed at times into a 2‑3‑5, full-backs high, wingers stretching, Hamer and O’Hare popping up in pockets. It wasn’t possession for possession’s sake, it was territory with threat, creating the runs, the openings, and ultimately the goals.
First half: Even before the opener, we had three shots on target to their one, better looks inside the box, and cleaner dribbles into dangerous zones. Although Cooper’s early saves were vital. O’Hare’s finish was calm, clinical, from a player who had already taken three shots, all on target, and was dictating the half between the lines.
And then we hit them again. Seriki’s relentless running supporting.the break Brooks arriving exactly where you want him to be and driving in the rebound. The numbers tell you why he looked unplayable: three shots, two dribbles, a key pass, 40 touches, and the highest rating on the pitch. The right side looking dangerous again.
At half‑time, although Ipswich had more passes and more possession, we had the better game-state: eight shots to their six, three on target to their one, and more presence where it counted.
Second half: Ipswich got their lifeline penalty and rattled the post soon after. But after it went 2–1, we out‑shot them seven to five, and hit the target more often, five times to their four.
And then Hamer again found the angle, threading another perfect ball through their defensive line, and Bamford timed the run when it mattered. His finish low, sharp, decisive, reflected the performance: three shots, two on target, roughly 0.67 xG, more than any player on the pitch. It was everything done well. The red card is annoying and frustrating, but the game was gone by then.
Defensive discipline:
Mee won six aerial duels, made five clearances, and didn’t concede a single foul. McGuinness matched the dominance with four clearances, three aerial wins, and an unbelievable 96.6% pass completion, rare for a centre-half in a Championship battle.
McCallum added the aggression down the left, 57 touches, three tackles, five aerial wins, while Seriki and Brooks kept forcing Ipswich backwards on the opposite flank.
Cooper behind them did exactly what was required: four saves, no fuss, no errors, just authority.
We’ve seen us fray under pressure this season but this time the block held.
Midfield mechanics:
Peck handled the press ok, completing 48 passes but at only 70% pass accuracy, whilst picking off three tackles and an interception, and linking transitions to the right side. Davies beside him kept it clean, 27 passes at 96% rarely flashy, but was functional.
Hamer was the conductor, finishing with two assists, three key passes, and a passing accuracy north of 73% (high for a player in that role). And O’Hare: three shots on target, two key passes, never still, always finding space that shouldn’t exist.
The right side: Brooks & Seriki, the biggest difference from Southampton and Charlton and the version of us that makes sense. Seriki was constant motion, engaging defenders, wriggling into half-spaces, supplying crosses and cutbacks, finishing with three key passes (joint most with Hamer), two dribbles, three tackles. Brooks fed off it and gave it back in kind, aggression, creativity, pressure, output. Together they stretched Ipswich into uncomfortable shapes all afternoon.
Final thoughts
A disciplined block without the ball, a confident structure with it, and real purpose in the final third. For once the numbers and the eyes said the same thing: we earned this.
This was BDTBL as it should be, loud, edgy, combative, and decisive in the big moments. It wasn’t perfect. We conceded too much xG, Bamford lost his head, and Ipswich had strong spells. But the performance was full of identity, full of our type of football. The fight was there, the shape was there, the goals were there. Perhaps most importantly the right players were on the pitch.
A real shame the recent selections and rash moments have cost us valuable points or the play offs could have been a real possibility. Are they still?
And another Sheffield double!
UTB!
The score says 3–1, the underlying xG battle was lost 1.63 to their 1.98, but the football we saw was a typical old school blades performance. Because while Ipswich had more possession, almost 58%, we had the moments. We took 15 shots to their 11, landed eight on target to their five, and found 18 touches in their box, enough to make Walton’s afternoon uncomfortable even before the goals arrived.
Team set‑up:
We had a variation on the kind of shape that made Wilder’s first spell work: compact without the ball, brave with it, and horrible to play against.
Out of possession, we dropped quickly into a tidy 4‑4‑2, O’Hare stepping up alongside Bamford, Seriki and Brooks flattening the wide line, and Peck and Davies shutting the inside channels. That structure forced Ipswich into the areas we wanted and then punished them there. The data shows exactly why that mattered, we won 24 aerial duels to their 14 and hacked away 23 clearances to their 17. Everything they tried to drop into the box, Mee or McGuinness win
With the ball, we almost morphed at times into a 2‑3‑5, full-backs high, wingers stretching, Hamer and O’Hare popping up in pockets. It wasn’t possession for possession’s sake, it was territory with threat, creating the runs, the openings, and ultimately the goals.
First half: Even before the opener, we had three shots on target to their one, better looks inside the box, and cleaner dribbles into dangerous zones. Although Cooper’s early saves were vital. O’Hare’s finish was calm, clinical, from a player who had already taken three shots, all on target, and was dictating the half between the lines.
And then we hit them again. Seriki’s relentless running supporting.the break Brooks arriving exactly where you want him to be and driving in the rebound. The numbers tell you why he looked unplayable: three shots, two dribbles, a key pass, 40 touches, and the highest rating on the pitch. The right side looking dangerous again.
At half‑time, although Ipswich had more passes and more possession, we had the better game-state: eight shots to their six, three on target to their one, and more presence where it counted.
Second half: Ipswich got their lifeline penalty and rattled the post soon after. But after it went 2–1, we out‑shot them seven to five, and hit the target more often, five times to their four.
And then Hamer again found the angle, threading another perfect ball through their defensive line, and Bamford timed the run when it mattered. His finish low, sharp, decisive, reflected the performance: three shots, two on target, roughly 0.67 xG, more than any player on the pitch. It was everything done well. The red card is annoying and frustrating, but the game was gone by then.
Defensive discipline:
Mee won six aerial duels, made five clearances, and didn’t concede a single foul. McGuinness matched the dominance with four clearances, three aerial wins, and an unbelievable 96.6% pass completion, rare for a centre-half in a Championship battle.
McCallum added the aggression down the left, 57 touches, three tackles, five aerial wins, while Seriki and Brooks kept forcing Ipswich backwards on the opposite flank.
Cooper behind them did exactly what was required: four saves, no fuss, no errors, just authority.
We’ve seen us fray under pressure this season but this time the block held.
Midfield mechanics:
Peck handled the press ok, completing 48 passes but at only 70% pass accuracy, whilst picking off three tackles and an interception, and linking transitions to the right side. Davies beside him kept it clean, 27 passes at 96% rarely flashy, but was functional.
Hamer was the conductor, finishing with two assists, three key passes, and a passing accuracy north of 73% (high for a player in that role). And O’Hare: three shots on target, two key passes, never still, always finding space that shouldn’t exist.
The right side: Brooks & Seriki, the biggest difference from Southampton and Charlton and the version of us that makes sense. Seriki was constant motion, engaging defenders, wriggling into half-spaces, supplying crosses and cutbacks, finishing with three key passes (joint most with Hamer), two dribbles, three tackles. Brooks fed off it and gave it back in kind, aggression, creativity, pressure, output. Together they stretched Ipswich into uncomfortable shapes all afternoon.
Final thoughts
A disciplined block without the ball, a confident structure with it, and real purpose in the final third. For once the numbers and the eyes said the same thing: we earned this.
This was BDTBL as it should be, loud, edgy, combative, and decisive in the big moments. It wasn’t perfect. We conceded too much xG, Bamford lost his head, and Ipswich had strong spells. But the performance was full of identity, full of our type of football. The fight was there, the shape was there, the goals were there. Perhaps most importantly the right players were on the pitch.
A real shame the recent selections and rash moments have cost us valuable points or the play offs could have been a real possibility. Are they still?
And another Sheffield double!
UTB!
