Some thoughts on Ipswich game

[Bergen Blade]

We made some tactical tweaks for this one, even during the game. With the new players coming in, and us wondering how to fit them all in, this may show that Wilder will be considering making tweaks in the future as well.

As I saw it our starting formation was with Sharp the only out and out striker, call it 3-4-3 if you want:

Blackman
CCV Stearman Wright
Baldock - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lafferty
Basham - Carruthers

Lavery - - - - - - - Thomas
Sharp ​

The tweak involves having two attacking players backing up the lone central striker, rather than one no 10 (Duffy) behind two strikers. This could be one way of making it possible for Ryan Kent (if he signs) to make his way into the team regularly, for example with him and Duffy (or Brooks) backing up Clarke.

We finished the first half with our more traditional formation, Lavery partnering Sharp with Thomas behind them.

In the second half we put Slater on for Thomas. I don't know if there was anything in Thomas' performance Wilder wasn't happy with. I though he did quite well on the ball, looking eager to have a shot and used the ball reasonably. Maybe Wilder would have wanted him to do even more defensive work, there were occasions where he stayed higher than I'd wanted, especially in an away game with a weakened side.

Another reason for the change could have been to solidify us in midfield. Expecting Ipswich to come at us a bit, the workload on Basham (who we ideally would have rested) and Carruthers (who isn't great at covering ground) could have been huge. Slater gave us another body to press and chase, and this was probably a good idea.

This meant we returned to the pitch like this:

Blackman
CCV Stearman Wright
Baldock - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lafferty
Basham
--Slater - - Carruthers

Lavery Sharp ​

Again, this is a minor tweak, but it gives us three central midfielders. If we try that in a game and are successful, maybe Wilder will be open to keep it? A midfield three of:

Lundstram
Leonard - - - - - Fleck​

with Lee Evans pushing each of them, do look strong. If Wilder wants to include Duffy (or Brooks, or Kent) he will have to sacrifice a central striker, because by all accounts we are keeping the back three.



If the rumoured signings are confirmed I think Wilder will be telling them that there is a chance for each of them to win a place in the team - do well and help us win - and you'll keep the shirt.



A quick report:

Blackman 6,5 - Hardly had a save to make. Looked calm as usual. Kicking ok.

CCV 7 - One or two scares, but generally strong and in control.
Stearman 8 - Very solid. Looks like he is settling in, and although Wright may have been harshly dropped, Stearman may give us a lot of the same.
Wright 7,5 - Untroubled. Although he wasn't in his favoured central role he didn't look out of place. He didn't overlap like O'Connell though.

Baldock 7 - Didn't he need a rest? Did well up and down the right.
Lafferty 6 - OK. A bit rusty at times and not too involved going forward, but a steady, dependable replacement if Stevens is out.

Basham 8 - Did his usual stuff in midfield, winning a lot of balls, and let his partner do most of the playmaking. Was allowed to stay deeper second half. We will see less of him in midfield from now on though.
Carruthers 7 - Has had a nightmare start to the season and may be on his way. On occasions he wasted possession and found the ball boy, rather than a teammate, once or twice. Pressing and chasing aren't strengths of his, but with Basham and the defenders forming a brick wall behind him, it didn't really matter. And we did need one midfielder with composure and skill on the ball, and he gave us that. Shame for him that he didn't score in the second half with a good run off the ball. If managers were scouting him and feel they need a decent ball player they may have been impressed.

Lavery 6,5 - Worked very hard and was maybe unlucky to not score, but he doesn't look quite capable to become a first choice striker in this division.
Thomas 7 - See above. Fantastic goal and decent on the ball in general. Took a knock, but not sure if that's why he went off at half time.
Sharp 7 - Average first half, but improved in the second. Basham should have presented him with a sitter first half and if Carruthers had taken his chance he would have had an excellent assist with that through ball. Couldn't take the other chances he had. Hopefully he'll come back and play a part in the second half of the season, with better general play.

Slater 7 - He's a good footballer with a good touch and composure. On the small side, but worked hard and helped us keep Ipswich away from our goal. Some good contributions going forward as well.

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

We made some tactical tweaks for this one, even during the game. With the new players coming in, and us wondering how to fit them all in, this may show that Wilder will be considering making tweaks in the future as well.

As I saw it our starting formation was with Sharp the only out and out striker, call it 3-4-3 if you want:

Blackman
CCV Stearman Wright
Baldock - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lafferty
Basham - Carruthers

Lavery - - - - - - - Thomas
Sharp ​

The tweak involves having two attacking players backing up the lone central striker, rather than one no 10 (Duffy) behind two strikers. This could be one way of making it possible for Ryan Kent (if he signs) to make his way into the team regularly, for example with him and Duffy (or Brooks) backing up Clarke.

We finished the first half with our more traditional formation, Lavery partnering Sharp with Thomas behind them.

In the second half we put Slater on for Thomas. I don't know if there was anything in Thomas' performance Wilder wasn't happy with. I though he did quite well on the ball, looking eager to have a shot and used the ball reasonably. Maybe Wilder would have wanted him to do even more defensive work, there were occasions where he stayed higher than I'd wanted, especially in an away game with a weakened side.

Another reason for the change could have been to solidify us in midfield. Expecting Ipswich to come at us a bit, the workload on Basham (who we ideally would have rested) and Carruthers (who isn't great at covering ground) could have been huge. Slater gave us another body to press and chase, and this was probably a good idea.

This meant we returned to the pitch like this:

Blackman
CCV Stearman Wright
Baldock - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lafferty
Basham
--Slater - - Carruthers

Lavery Sharp ​

Again, this is a minor tweak, but it gives us three central midfielders. If we try that in a game and are successful, maybe Wilder will be open to keep it? A midfield three of:

Lundstram
Leonard - - - - - Fleck​

with Lee Evans pushing each of them, do look strong. If Wilder wants to include Duffy (or Brooks, or Kent) he will have to sacrifice a central striker, because by all accounts we are keeping the back three.



If the rumoured signings are confirmed I think Wilder will be telling them that there is a chance for each of them to win a place in the team - do well and help us win - and you'll keep the shirt.



A quick report:

Blackman 6,5 - Hardly had a save to make. Looked calm as usual. Kicking ok.

CCV 7 - One or two scares, but generally strong and in control.
Stearman 8 - Very solid. Looks like he is settling in, and although Wright may have been harshly dropped, Stearman may give us a lot of the same.
Wright 7,5 - Untroubled. Although he wasn't in his favoured central role he didn't look out of place. He didn't overlap like O'Connell though.

Baldock 7 - Didn't he need a rest? Did well up and down the right.
Lafferty 6 - OK. A bit rusty at times and not too involved going forward, but a steady, dependable replacement if Stevens is out.

Basham 8 - Did his usual stuff in midfield, winning a lot of balls, and let his partner do most of the playmaking. Was allowed to stay deeper second half. We will see less of him in midfield from now on though.
Carruthers 7 - Has had a nightmare start to the season and may be on his way. On occasions he wasted possession and found the ball boy, rather than a teammate, once or twice. Pressing and chasing aren't strengths of his, but with Basham and the defenders forming a brick wall behind him, it didn't really matter. And we did need one midfielder with composure and skill on the ball, and he gave us that. Shame for him that he didn't score in the second half with a good run off the ball. If managers were scouting him and feel they need a decent ball player they may have been impressed.

Lavery 6,5 - Worked very hard and was maybe unlucky to not score, but he doesn't look quite capable to become a first choice striker in this division.
Thomas 7 - See above. Fantastic goal and decent on the ball in general. Took a knock, but not sure if that's why he went off at half time.
Sharp 7 - Average first half, but improved in the second. Basham should have presented him with a sitter first half and if Carruthers had taken his chance he would have had an excellent assist with that through ball. Couldn't take the other chances he had. Hopefully he'll come back and play a part in the second half of the season, with better general play.

Slater 7 - He's a good footballer with a good touch and composure. On the small side, but worked hard and helped us keep Ipswich away from our goal. Some good contributions going forward as well.

Cheers. Always find your analyses interesting.

 

[bromtom]

Thomas got winded in the first half and was nearly substituted at the time, assuming he was in discomfort still, it could be why he went off.

 

[Pinchy]

Thomas got winded in the first half and was nearly substituted at the time, assuming he was in discomfort still, it could be why he went off.

According to RS, he was taken off owing to injury.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

We made some tactical tweaks for this one, even during the game. With the new players coming in, and us wondering how to fit them all in, this may show that Wilder will be considering making tweaks in the future as well.

As I saw it our starting formation was with Sharp the only out and out striker, call it 3-4-3 if you want:

Blackman
CCV Stearman Wright
Baldock - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lafferty
Basham - Carruthers

Lavery - - - - - - - Thomas
Sharp ​

The tweak involves having two attacking players backing up the lone central striker, rather than one no 10 (Duffy) behind two strikers. This could be one way of making it possible for Ryan Kent (if he signs) to make his way into the team regularly, for example with him and Duffy (or Brooks) backing up Clarke.

We finished the first half with our more traditional formation, Lavery partnering Sharp with Thomas behind them.

In the second half we put Slater on for Thomas. I don't know if there was anything in Thomas' performance Wilder wasn't happy with. I though he did quite well on the ball, looking eager to have a shot and used the ball reasonably. Maybe Wilder would have wanted him to do even more defensive work, there were occasions where he stayed higher than I'd wanted, especially in an away game with a weakened side.

Another reason for the change could have been to solidify us in midfield. Expecting Ipswich to come at us a bit, the workload on Basham (who we ideally would have rested) and Carruthers (who isn't great at covering ground) could have been huge. Slater gave us another body to press and chase, and this was probably a good idea.

This meant we returned to the pitch like this:

Blackman
CCV Stearman Wright
Baldock - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lafferty
Basham
--Slater - - Carruthers

Lavery Sharp ​

Again, this is a minor tweak, but it gives us three central midfielders. If we try that in a game and are successful, maybe Wilder will be open to keep it? A midfield three of:

Lundstram
Leonard - - - - - Fleck​

with Lee Evans pushing each of them, do look strong. If Wilder wants to include Duffy (or Brooks, or Kent) he will have to sacrifice a central striker, because by all accounts we are keeping the back three.



If the rumoured signings are confirmed I think Wilder will be telling them that there is a chance for each of them to win a place in the team - do well and help us win - and you'll keep the shirt.



A quick report:

Blackman 6,5 - Hardly had a save to make. Looked calm as usual. Kicking ok.

CCV 7 - One or two scares, but generally strong and in control.
Stearman 8 - Very solid. Looks like he is settling in, and although Wright may have been harshly dropped, Stearman may give us a lot of the same.
Wright 7,5 - Untroubled. Although he wasn't in his favoured central role he didn't look out of place. He didn't overlap like O'Connell though.

Baldock 7 - Didn't he need a rest? Did well up and down the right.
Lafferty 6 - OK. A bit rusty at times and not too involved going forward, but a steady, dependable replacement if Stevens is out.

Basham 8 - Did his usual stuff in midfield, winning a lot of balls, and let his partner do most of the playmaking. Was allowed to stay deeper second half. We will see less of him in midfield from now on though.
Carruthers 7 - Has had a nightmare start to the season and may be on his way. On occasions he wasted possession and found the ball boy, rather than a teammate, once or twice. Pressing and chasing aren't strengths of his, but with Basham and the defenders forming a brick wall behind him, it didn't really matter. And we did need one midfielder with composure and skill on the ball, and he gave us that. Shame for him that he didn't score in the second half with a good run off the ball. If managers were scouting him and feel they need a decent ball player they may have been impressed.

Lavery 6,5 - Worked very hard and was maybe unlucky to not score, but he doesn't look quite capable to become a first choice striker in this division.
Thomas 7 - See above. Fantastic goal and decent on the ball in general. Took a knock, but not sure if that's why he went off at half time.
Sharp 7 - Average first half, but improved in the second. Basham should have presented him with a sitter first half and if Carruthers had taken his chance he would have had an excellent assist with that through ball. Couldn't take the other chances he had. Hopefully he'll come back and play a part in the second half of the season, with better general play.

Slater 7 - He's a good footballer with a good touch and composure. On the small side, but worked hard and helped us keep Ipswich away from our goal. Some good contributions going forward as well.

Great point about the formation changes – I don’t think I appreciated the mid-first half shift at the time but this does make sense on reflection. Sharp isn’t well suited to the up top by himself role as we started with, but Clarke should be. For the team as it was we looked a bit more balanced 2nd half and were able to control possession a bit more. I’ve no idea if the overlapping centre-back role was ditched for this formation or if they were meant to be more cautious by design. We already know CCV does it less eagerly than Basham – Wright didn’t venture forward at all, perhaps because he hasn’t got the engine to sprint back if the opposition breaks. As such we were more reliant on runners from midfield to get in behind (as happened with the through ball to Carruthers from Sharp) than overloading the wings with centre-back support.

 

[nopigfansintown]

I see the starting formation at Ipswich becoming more prominent, certainly from the start of next season, and particularly away from home.The midfielders we are being linked with are more defensively minded, and the attacking players more suited to a counter attacking system.These players are also less defensively minded than those that currently feature (Brooks being the exception). Press teams high at home, and counter attack away.Both are footballing styles, rather than a direct style.We have very intelligent people running our club, and this is the next stage in our development.

 

[diplomat]

I just love the fact we have a manager that can subtlety tweak our formation rather than doggedly stick to a 4-4-2, for example, and we have a set of players that all seem to know their job and we always look threatening. I only saw the brief highlights but we were unfortunate not to have bagged another.

 

[SwissBlade]

Cheers Bergen Blade really good analysis, Wilder now has a lot of options on how to use his midfield and it is great to see the flexibility that we now have. The good thing with Fleck, Coutts, Lundstram and Leonard (from what i understand about him) is that all of them can play the Defensive midfield role and also play slightly more advanced. Which if Duffy is tiring and we want to shore things up, we have excellent options.

I can only assume that on Friday we'll start with Fleck, Lundstram and Duffy, but with Leonard on the bench (and presumably with fitness levels not quite matching our own), he can come in later on to shore up the midfield

In terms of the future, Slater is seemingly doing himself no harm in his cameos and it looks like he can also fit into the deeper midfield 2/3, I'd expect him to get out on loan either this window or at the start of next season

 

[Bergen Blade]

Cheers Bergen Blade really good analysis, Wilder now has a lot of options on how to use his midfield and it is great to see the flexibility that we now have. The good thing with Fleck, Coutts, Lundstram and Leonard (from what i understand about him) is that all of them can play the Defensive midfield role and also play slightly more advanced. Which if Duffy is tiring and we want to shore things up, we have excellent options.

I can only assume that on Friday we'll start with Fleck, Lundstram and Duffy, but with Leonard on the bench (and presumably with fitness levels not quite matching our own), he can come in later on to shore up the midfield

In terms of the future, Slater is seemingly doing himself no harm in his cameos and it looks like he can also fit into the deeper midfield 2/3, I'd expect him to get out on loan either this window or at the start of next season

Yes, at the end of games some opposition teams are going to make us defend more and Wilder hasn't had a midfield sub with great defensive attributes to help us cope. Basham has been used in such a role, but it is now time to let him settle in his best position. This season Lafferty has come on to add fresh legs in midfield, and in others Lundstram and Carruthers have come on, although chasing and pressing isn't what they do best. Leonard and Evans should make us stronger and better equipped to handle such scenarios.

 

[Darlington82]

Good write up. Thomas injured but like him and can see him doing a job off the bench for us. Slater, liked him and you could tell how much it meant to play for the blades at the end, but been so small you have to be so very very good, think a lone spell would be good and hopefully he can make it as anyone who can run with the ball is a joy to me.