For sure we don’t want to overreact, but equally all of us, including Jones, were disappointed by Saturday’s display. And one of the main reasons for that is that Cardiff played the same formation as us and gave us an object lesson in how to utilise it, forcing us to change our shape. They took more risks than us, with a greater focus on attack and covering defensive vulnerabilities by playing the game in our half, had a player in Moylan who orchestrated the game in the centre of a three behind a bullying centre-forward, and caused the sort of havoc through passing and movement in the final third that we hoped to see from us this season.
Stoke might have been down to an exceptional combination of circumstances, but we have now conceded seven in our last two away games, even though our goalkeeper has been excellent, and kept clean sheets but failed to score in our last two home games, albeit with poor key refereeing decisions going against us. would hope to see from us. Ship goals and lose away and can’t score at home is not exactly a happy combination – but equally we shouldn’t overlook the opening three games, when we came from behind to beat Derby at The Valley, pulled off an outstanding win at West Ham with a mix of dogged defence and goals, then found a way to beat a stubborn Preston.
The three weeks off gives the opportunity to get more of the injured – Mannion, Ramsay, Koumetio, Chalobah and Godden - back into shape, that list having already been shortened with the return of Kelman and Edwards. It gives Jones and his team the time – which has been in very short supply of late – to work on the training ground. And it gives those of us removed from the action, with no idea how things are working behind the scenes, to throw in their sixpennethworth on what might be done to be in the best situation once the games come thick and fast again.
Defensively, having Ramsay back will be a big bonus, but the two we have really missed have been Koumetio and Chalobah. Bindon has been thrown in at the deep end and has had to play a lot of football in a short space of time. But the fact is that he and Jones together has looked far less comfortable as Jones and Koumetio – and the game is about partnerships in key area. Just why Bindon and not Jones was having to deal with Cardiff’s physical centre-forward I don’t know. Perhaps the feeling was that Jones would be better placed going for the loose balls, against a lone forward but others getting forward quickly around our box, but that didn’t work. Pointing any blame at Bindon is neither fair nor useful, he and Jones had no time to work on building an understanding.
Similarly Skipp came in right at the end of the transfer window and was quickly thrown in as Chalobah picked up an injury, which we know is going to happen given his track record. Irrespective of Skipp’s abilities we have missed Chalobah’s ability to sense danger to the defence and act to head it off. He has a calming, reassuring effect on those around him. In terms of the defensive midfield pairing, Coventry and Chalobah looks very good, but Coventry and either Skipp, Ouma (who looks raw, does good things but has an unsettling effect as he appears prone to a mistake) or Mwamba, who has not featured of late, even Rankin-Costello, is less obvious.
The positives have been Okonkwu, McNamara and Mesik, plus incomers Koumetio and Chalobah before they got injured. McNamara is another who has had to play a lot, but aside from his tendency to get on the wrong side of referees has been very good. Equally Mesik has been required to play in a number of positions across the back line and hasn’t let anyone down.
The obvious answer to outright defensive problems is getting Ramsay, Koumetio and Chalobah back available. With them, and despite losing Sichenje, we are well covered and capable of switching to a back five as and when: McNamara/Ramsay, Jones and Koumetio/Bindon/Bell/Mesik, plus Mesik/Bell/Edwards. With Coventry and Chalobah, with Skipp, Ouma and Mwamba available, we should be covered there – and there’s no point thinking now that Docherty or Coady would provide better defensive cover.
Before turning to the forward players, there has to be criticism of our playing of the ball around the back. It is laboured and lacks conviction. The back line seem as if they are supposed to try to knock it around, but passes are too slow, too safe (so too often by the time the ball reaches another he is being closed down), and almost inevitably end with a lofted ball forward for Leaburn to battle for. Surely we ought to be able to play through the lines better than we are currently doing. And after aimless passes and the ball knocked long, the opposition is set and waiting. Everyone has to work harder to move the ball better out of defence – or if we are going to end up lofting it forward it is better done sooner than later and the three behind Leaburn more alert to second balls.
Added to that, we are too happy to be defensive, getting everyone behind the ball when out of possession. Of course players have a job to do and need to cover, it’s rather that having moved into a defensive shape we appear too happy to stay in one. Nobody getting close enough quickly enough to Leaburn. We have to stretch the opposition more than that.
I was mystified by changes made and not made on Saturday. If Jones didn’t make the call, somebody on the pitch in the first half needed to tell someone else to just stay tight to Moylan, he was causing us way too much damage. Somebody to say 'OK, you're Rodney Marsh, I'm Peter Reeves'. The change to a back 3/5 at the break was a reasonable response. What didn’t make sense (to me) was that we moved Grant alongside Leaburn and asked Campbell to go back to playing wing-back. I thought we’d moved on from that. Mesik and McNamara as wing-backs, put Campbell alongside Leaburn (in any event TC would do his main work down the left flank), and get Carey on – because we had abandoned the midfield 2 and 3 and he’s the best player we have at supporting the front two in that formation, as we saw last season. Instead we had a midfield of Coventry, Ouma and Skipp, which helped shore things up at the back but gave us no forward impetus. Carey did get on the pitch, as did Kelman, but then in a kind of 4-4-2.
And as for being overly defensive, we seemed to have given up on the game with plenty of time left. Yes, we were 3-1 down and didn’t want to concede a fourth. But we were up against a team which had not won all season. I don’t care how dominant they had been, Moylan had been shifted out wide and then withdrawn with perhaps 10 minutes still left. If we had got one back to 3-2 surely their nerves would have been jangling and who knows? Instead we had all 11 back for their corners. Surely it was worth trying something in that final period, to make them worry about us. Leave Campbell and Kelman on the half-way line. They would have to cover them. It’s called taking the initiative.
As for the personnel, the switch of Grant to the middle of the forward-looking three was worth a try but hasn’t paid off. For that position it seems we have Grant, Carey, Knibbs and Rankin-Costello. I don’t know how Knibbs is doing in training, but if he’s ready give him the job, with a view to bringing Carey on for him on the hour, to take better advantage of tiring opponents. If Knibbs is still out in the cold (and if he is why pick him as a sub?), the best option for me could well be Rankin-Costello. That central guy has to knit the three together, it requires speed of thought and the ability to pick the right pass.
Finally, the fact that Leaburn has yet to score is irrelevant. He has been instrumental in goals and hasn’t missed much that’s come his way. Playing all game trying to fend off centre-backs and do something with the ball is a task he is carrying out well, but it is a very tough ask when you are the only outlet for a lofted ball – and it’s too predictable. Leaburn is perfectly capable of running into channels for balls to his feet, but that requires the ball being brought out of defence and into midfield. At some point Kelman and/or Godden are going to be required to plough the lone furrow and there will be even less point in lofted balls forward. We need (IMO) to aim higher and to be braver on the ball. I thought at the start of the season we had that in mind, but it has slipped away over the past four games.
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