It struck me watching both yesterdays Premiership games what the game plan has to be whenever you play a team that has better players than you. You can’t let them settle on the ball and you must maintain a forward threat. Leeds did both for the whole game and Newcastle tried to do it but ran out of steam a little bit.
If you dont press the back 4 and the midfield the defenders start hitting decent passes and the midfield are able to find space. Against poorer teams and if you have a decent defence you might get away with it but not against a bit of quality.
As we demonstrated once again on Saturday we never do this. The back four steps back 10 yards and the midfield sit on their toes. Decent sides then use the freedom of the park to murder you as Solihull showed.
Nuttall had bullied their centre backs for an hour but then was knackered. He should have been replaced by Carver at that point to keep the pressure on their centre backs. At the very least Carver should have joined Nuttall to share the workload. Beeston stepped up to provide a threat to them and was promptly replaced while Butterfield and Feeney were no longer providing any threat. Was Beeston substituted because he was pushing forward?
I don’t know if we do this because Hill tells them to do it or we are just not fit enough or resilient enough to play on the front foot for 90 minutes.
My biggest problem with Cox was that he actually had the team starting games like this.
What we have seen of the National League so far suggests the biggest difference relative to Leagues 1&2 is a lower quality of defending. It does seem though virtually any team is capable of scoring a goal or two.
The way forward for me is to press teams for 90 minutes. Score a goal and repeat if you can until the final whistle goes.
This managing the game malarkey does not work in this league – certainly not with a defence like ours.
