Oh dear. How did we lose this one eh?
It’s easy to get upset and point the finger, but we were the better of the two teams and for one costly error, should have taken all three points from this game or at the very least, one.
We weren’t fantastic by any stretch of the imagination, but it was decent enough and we’re just lacking a little bit of creative magic in the final third… someone with the confidence and ability to bully players and take the game by the scruff of the neck.
In this game, when we needed that little bit of extra quality, it wasn’t there. It didn’t happen all the time, but the likes of Heidar Helguson and Matthew Connolly were often prone to taking really heavy first touches just when a bit of care was needed to keep a move going or allow one to develop properly.
I thought Damien Delaney did an okay job on the left in what was a 4-3-1-2 formation. He got forward well enough and did what was asked of him by putting the ball in the box. Sadly he should have just let the ball roll out for our throw, which he didn’t and that led to Norwich getting an unlikely goal. Damion Stewart and Kaspars Gorkss both should have dealt with it, but that’s what we got punished for. Individual errors. A heavy price to pay.
Jordi Lopez looked decent. I liked the way he came to get the ball and wasn’t scared to take it from the goalkeeper or defenders. That’s just what we need. Someone demanding the ball and making things tick. I was really pleased with some of his passing and he definitely played in a very Spanish way which might be what Paolo Sousa is looking for. At other times though, we’ve got to ask ourselves what we’re doing with some of the passes we try, particularly ones aimed at Wayne Routledge’s head? He’s two foot tall! Stop doing it!
For whatever reason it’s just not happening for us at the moment. We can’t keep the ball out and we’re not putting the ball in enough at the other end either. We created chances though, so that’s a plus point but I’m starting to get concerned about the amount of chopping and changing going on, both in systems and personnel.
Not only are we changing this on a game-by-game basis, we are changing it often within matches too, to try and win them and I think there needs to be a bit of a stability period where we say “you are the best eight or nine players, this is the system” and give them a jolly good run.
I’d like to see a traditional 4-4-2 at the moment, with simple enough instructions to the likes of Lee Cook and Wayne Routledge. Get them wide, get chalk on their boots and get them the ball to their feet so they can use their ability to beat their men and get the ball in the box. Sometimes you don’t need to be too fancy or over elaborate, because certain players at this level have the skills no matter what to cause problems and we may as well try and make use of them properly.
I must also finish by congratulating the match officials. The referee took a lot of stick for giving a penalty to Norwich and then reversing his decision after consulting his assistant, but he should be applauded for using his common sense to consult the asisstant and then heed his advice. Well done.
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