Attracting pressure

[Rodley]

Good to see Bergen Blade recognise some better attacking patterns of play. We do need more progressive passing from the back, it’s easier away from home to bang it down the channels, but hopefully we continue to develop this system.

 

[Bergen Blade]

The problem I have with this tactic is that it relies on McGuiness passing the ball accurately.

Good stuff as usual.
Unfortunately bearing in mind our current standard of players, confidence levels and league position, to deliberately invite pressure would cause us even more problems. In your example the thought of McGuinness deliberately inviting the opposition on to him would terrify me.
The key to moving out of trouble is to become hard to beat and stop making silly mistakes and gifting goals.

There's obviously differences between players on how well they can do this and every player must avoid losing the ball. In any case, I think all players, including McGuinness, can make some improvement. Advance a bit, then pass. Bring the ball a bit wider to create a different angle, things like that.

Basham went from looking a very limited footballer in the third tier to being high up the charts for successful dribbles in the Premier League. Maguire suddenly started making mazy runs on the ball from centre half. McGuinness may claim he's top of the pass completion ratings for anyone who's played more than 500 minutes, and he's claimed to be confident on his ability on the ball before:

“I’m not a perfect player,” said the centre-back. “There are things I’ve to work on, certainly more things than distribution that I would like to work on.

“Distribution is something I do feel I’m good at in terms of variation of passes, long distance passes, short passes.

“But coming up through the Arsenal academy system, seeing top players and being involved with them, you can’t get away with not being tidy on the ball.”

But apart from that I really didn't want this to be a thread about McGuinness...

 

[Addison]

I think we've taken some steps in the right direction the last couple of matches. Bringing back Seriki was the right move, and pairing him with Brooks on the right will hopefully help us fix that side from now on. Tanganga back in the middle and McCallum deservingly keeping his place at left back. We'll have to see if there is further tweaks to make in midfield and up front, but for now I am reasonably happy with the way the team is taking shape.

Which means we can look at more minor details in our play. Today we had 20 shots, but why are so many blocked? Why don't we create more when we complete almost twice the amount of passes than the opposition? Why does Wilder go on about us getting into so many good positions, but not always having a lot of efforts on target?

One thing to look at is how we neglect the value of attracting pressure when we start building attacks. I'll save some time and quote an article:


I'll give one example of us not doing this, but there were loads more:

McGuinness has time on the ball and nobody presses him. Seriki is available, so he passes to him:

View attachment 225257

Although this is one successful pass and we move a little bit further forward, QPR easily move across and maintain 11 men behind the ball. Seriki is not moving forward and we still have to find ways to get past all their players and we have less space to do it. It is not impossible, but it's more difficult.

What we need to do more of, is for McGuinness to hold on to the ball or even advance with it, until someone (i.e. blue circle marked player)decides to close him down, and then pass it, hopefully forward and hopefully to a player moving forward. If this is done again and again, there's a bigger chance QPR will give up space and eventually this may be the difference between a shot blocked or hitting the net.

Hopefully something to work on at Shirecliffe the next couple of weeks.

The problem for me is we stick to a rigid formation and don't have midfield players that can drive at the opposition and go past players. Serikis run second half shows what can be done when you have pace and ability to go forward. Our midfield players need to commit the opposition by driving at them otherwise we never break the press Coutts and Fleck were very good at doing this. I'd like to see Soumare alongside Davies at least he has shown some ability in moving forward in possession of the ball.

Tanganga was known for running at the opposition and getting up the pitch quick when he was at the Wall similar to Basham. It seems to have been coached out of him therein lies the problem for me. We play too safe and too slow in our build up. Playing him out of position instead of CB hasn't helped.

 

[Pintor75]

Reidewald hasn't shown enough yet imo to warrant being selected over Davies and Soumare, if Wilder is using him to allow for Peck to go forwards it's hopeless as Peck hasn't the ability to dominate midfield or take it to the opposition, he's too slow on the ball it needs to be moved more quickly, Davies should start if fit with Soumare

 

[John Street West Terrace]

As much as Peck has done well as youngster coming into the starting line up over the last 12 months since Souza departed he is so ponderous & first thought is always the safe pass .. this is where Arblaster is the better player when fit .. Brooks contribution yesterday was also devoid of any inventiveness

 

[AndyWinks]

The Blades path to goal

View attachment 225272

Tom Davies

 

[KMC-1889]

Fantastic analysis as always mate.

However, I am pretty sure that they didn't press McGuinness for a reason....he is a dreadful footballer.

That’s definitely part of it, they know by staying compact and deep neither of our centre backs have the ability to pick a pass through it.

Wilder’s answer is to move the ball sideways and look for a gap as players shuffle across with the ball, the problems with this are

1. Championship players are better athletes now, especially compared to us. They’ll do 20 yard shuttle runs sideways all day.

2. We don’t have the quality of players to pick a pass that can break through the lines of a compact team

3. When our best players that can pick passes are on the pitch (Hamer, O’Hare & Arblaster) there is zero movement in front of them. All our forwards go and stand in their pre-ordained positions and wait for the ball. No overlaps, no underlaps, no swapping positions, no dragging players out of position. Nothing.

It makes us incredibly easy to defend against, just pack your own half and wait for us to fuck it up. If you’ve got a couple of quick players, or some big units upfront to put muscle us you’ll have loads of chances.

Don’t get me started on set pieces. It’s beyond annoying our old set piece coach is doing so well at Brentford.

 

[BiggerBladeThanThou]

I think we've taken some steps in the right direction the last couple of matches. Bringing back Seriki was the right move, and pairing him with Brooks on the right will hopefully help us fix that side from now on. Tanganga back in the middle and McCallum deservingly keeping his place at left back. We'll have to see if there is further tweaks to make in midfield and up front, but for now I am reasonably happy with the way the team is taking shape.

Which means we can look at more minor details in our play. Today we had 20 shots, but why are so many blocked? Why don't we create more when we complete almost twice the amount of passes than the opposition? Why does Wilder go on about us getting into so many good positions, but not always having a lot of efforts on target?

One thing to look at is how we neglect the value of attracting pressure when we start building attacks. I'll save some time and quote an article:


I'll give one example of us not doing this, but there were loads more:

McGuinness has time on the ball and nobody presses him. Seriki is available, so he passes to him:

View attachment 225257

Although this is one successful pass and we move a little bit further forward, QPR easily move across and maintain 11 men behind the ball. Seriki is not moving forward and we still have to find ways to get past all their players and we have less space to do it. It is not impossible, but it's more difficult.

What we need to do more of, is for McGuinness to hold on to the ball or even advance with it, until someone (i.e. blue circle marked player)decides to close him down, and then pass it, hopefully forward and hopefully to a player moving forward. If this is done again and again, there's a bigger chance QPR will give up space and eventually this may be the difference between a shot blocked or hitting the net.

Hopefully something to work on at Shirecliffe the next couple of weeks.

I agree, attracting pressure from a club like QPR who purposefully sit back and don’t high press is a good way to draw them out creating holes in behind.

However, have you heard Bramall Lane when pass it about the back? The frustration and impatience creeps in and players knock it forward because of it!!

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

Best example was when tom Davies turned his man and the entire pitch just opened up in front of him and QPR were wide open and panicking

First thought for me was why did that look so alien to how we play that a players first thought being slightly risky averse and positive just looked completely against everything else we've seen all season

Confidence is a factor but even last season when we were winning games I was continually annoyed at our players first thought to be a safe sideways or backwards pass and it has to stop

Davies is a real difference maker in that regard. He looks real quality when he's fit.

 

[Balham]

Wilder's view on this can be summed up by the fact that he's dropped Soumaré, who can progress the ball, for Riedewald, who has much greater positional discipline. If we're going to have a run with two attacking fullbacks in Seriki and McCallum/Burrows then there's an argument that our midfield could be a compact diamond: Riedewald at the base, Peck and Soumaré either side and O'Hare the most advanced. Arblaster returning somewhere near his pre-injury form would be a huge bonus too as he's capable of creating space with a clever bit of movement too.

If I'm being really greedy I'd love to see Arblaster, Soumaré and Davies as a three as they're all progressive, intelligent midfielders. Fitness and discipline will be an issue with that though.

 

[bladesince64]

That midfield 3 of Davies, Arblaster and Soumare would be a good shout.

Plenty of quality, skill and athleticism there.

 

[ancientblade]

for me if davies is fit its him soumare and riedwald in front of peck hes obviously wilders favourite but logically he should have been benched weeks ago hes our weak link in midfield doesnt score doesnt create and doesnt stop goals sounds harsh because hes a promising young footballer its down to wilder this one