We 100% would have lost that game last season. In fact we did - Birmingham turned up and stank the place out but poxed a winner due to us giving the ball away 20 yards from our own goal.
To be truthfully honest it was a rubbish game of football and we were poor. However, our workrate and organisation was still there which meant the opposition had to make a decision; play from the back and expose themselves to one of our strengths (ie pressing); or just lump it forward and play to our other (ie. big step centre halves that push very high up the pitch). Birmingham weren’t (and have very rarely been for many a year) good enough to beat us by playing good football so were always up against it. I’ve said before that we used to lose to the likes of Birmingham and Millwall because they used to dominate physically. They don’t any more and, in fact, our defensive pattern totally nullifies to them as we saw today. A great win it was but we all have to admit that the level of football was very poor and entertainment next to none. I’m loving the results but I really hope we adapt to a way we play slightly at some point to play more football, especially in the opposition half.
100% agreed. Since Chelsea and Brentford people have realised that you try and play out against us and you'll be swarmed to within an inch of your life. Their solution has universally been "go compact and go long and exploit the space behind the high line" - a good approach in theory - but in practice it hasn't worked for any of them. In turn that takes the positives of the press and means we have to meet to them in the trenches. Some clever bugger at the club has anticipated this and made sure we have the personnel to do both - so we'll meet you in the trenches, and we'll beat you at your plan B. That isn't being dragged to our level - you come and play us at "your game" and you'll see our level sunshine ... We're just beating you at your plan B.
Spot on analysis that. We can beat them now whatever plan the opposition has. Years of being beaten by physical and old manned by teams like Brum are over. Onwards and upwards you reds.
People criticised VI early doors for being a one-trick pony. "All he's got is 3-4-3, there's no Plan B". And yet during this run we've seen Plans A, B, C, D, E, F and G. All while playing in a 3-4-3 formation.
