Andersen and Morris

Same here. Given Andersen and Morris would be in the first team starting XI for just about all of us, it makes sense that they should improve our team having them back.

Morris hasn't played in months, and throwing in him at the deep end was a very bad call by Laumann. Desperate really, and needless.

I've only seen the goals back, but Andersen didn't seem to be particularly at fault for any of them. Helik however seems to have had another shocker. Of everyone, his stock has probably fallen the furthest. Slow, cumbersome, poor decision making, unorganised, unaware. He's an absolute shadow of the player from last season, and we can all only speculate why that may be.

 

My speculation would be a lack of leadership at the back. Sol didn't always play, but he was always around and when he didn't play we had pace to Helik's right in Sibbick to cover the ball down the channels/over the top. Both have been removed.

Plus the fact that the tactics last year were all about averting danger, ensuring the opposition had no time on the ball to play an accurate pass.

This year we appear to invite danger, giving the opposition all the time in the world to play the right pass and all the space to play it in to.

I've seen some poor Barnsley teams in my life but never before seen us set up so badly with so little comprehension from the coaching staff of just how poor the tactics and formation are.

I'm not surprised if Helik feels overwhelmed. We invite pressure and ensure we're at least two men short to deal with it. It's genuinely nuts.

 

Agree with a lot of that. Helik had a very good season, and was dangerous at the other end while minimising risk of attack. Maybe there were a few telltales last season but results papered over any slight cracks. We conceded few clear cut chances, but when we did concede a chance, it was generally a very good chance with high chance of scoring.

This season without any pressure on the ball and without any concerted press, the defence playing a high line is completely hung out to dry. That being said, I don't think an international defender should be looking as poor as he is. The formation, the fitness, the tactics, the effort, the confidence are all at poor levels. It's little wonder we're struggling so much.

 

I look a tit all the time.

 

Helik has been a massive disappointment this season. His form has almost the same trajectory as our points per game ratio over the season. Ok to begin with then fell off a cliff.

I was disappointed to see Solbauer go, but could understand it, especially if he was one of the higher earners and not getting in the team. Could've expected the 26 year old international defender to step up. But it's sadly not happened.

The tactics we use have not helped, as @Jay points out. Moving from a high press to a so called 'low block' with barely any experience in the midfield was just asking for trouble. And the less said about how we've setup positionally, the better. Ismael kept things simple in terms of what people did on the ball, but off it, the level of organisation behind it was remarkable in how we had players covering for each other. That is why we didn't concede many chances.

Yet when you read criticisms of defenders on here, most of it is reserved for Moon, while Jordan Williams seems to cop a fair amount of flak. Moon is shunted around from left centre back to right centre back then into midfield, while I'm not sure Helik has had to move positions once, while his performances get progressively worse. Yet people want him to be captain!

Similarly, Williams has been playing on the left, while Brittain was playing awfully under Schopp. Thought he was going to finally get a chance at right wing back, but for some reason, when we finally name an 11 that you can easily place into a 3-4-3, that's the time we switch to a back 4, with a right back on the left and a centre back on the right. With no wingers in front of them. Against a team that scores goals like there's no tomorrow. What could possibly have gone wrong?