Tactics Under Maresca

[The Year Of The Fox]

Let’s be honest, it’s so very very boring 

[Lambert09]

4 hours ago, moore_94 said:

Disappointing to see a few speaking so certain about Enzo and that he will never change etc.

 

He hasn’t even managed 50 senior games in his career yet, of course he is going to be making some mistakes, it absolutely does not mean that it is it for him and he will forever continue to make those mistakes

 

Going to be very interesting if/when we go up and if we go into a sticky patch - stick with him through it or rip everything up and have to start again completely (I already know there are people who will call for his head very quickly anyway unfortunately)

Personally, I think last night was enzo attempting to change. 

 

Against coventry, he made negative changes too soon and they ultimately ended up costing us.  Yesterday I think he was reluctant to change because he felt our best team was on the pitch. I think he could have made the changes sooner but then if we’d conceded we might not have had the right players to go at them again. I do think given how tired players were it needed the switch, but I can see what he was thinking. 

 

Arguably though, we might have seen the game out if he hadn’t made a single change. It’s hard to know 

Edited 23 January by Lambert09

[LVFox]

3 minutes ago, The Year Of The Fox said:

Let’s be honest, it’s so very very boring 

Your opinion....personally, I've never been more interested and intrigued by how we play

[The Year Of The Fox]

31 minutes ago, LVFox said:

Your opinion....personally, I've never been more interested and intrigued by how we play

Fair play to you. It’s not my idea of football and never will be. It’s more like watching a life size chess match 

Edited 23 January by The Year Of The Fox

[Matt]

44 minutes ago, The Year Of The Fox said:

Let’s be honest, it’s so very very boring 

I wouldn't call it outright boring, however i'm comparing to the previous 7 years of Puel and Rodgers, nothing can be as boring as that and I think if you're being honest you'd agree with that statement.

 

At times, mainly earlier in the season, i've found Maresca's football quite exciting and entertaining, but bearing in mind things are supposed to get better, the team should learn more about the managers way's and how he wants them set up and play, I was buoyed.

 

However as the season has gone on, I am finding we seem to have more emphasis on 'control' (Despite feeling less in control of matches than we did earlier in the season), feeling like the handbrake is being applied, stubbornness and downright stupidity seeing games out - play the percentages!

 

That said, I still wouldn't say it's anywhere near as boring as the previous years of dour, negative football, that could well probably be masked because our wins and how the season has been successful (So far...)

 

We play like we do in this league because we're a top team and generally we have to, teams sit behind the ball, we have to break them down. I get it.

 

Will there be any need to play this way if we get promoted, will it be a success playing this way if we go up? Highly unlikely.

We wouldn't be a top team, teams will not be coming up against scared and won't be sitting behind the ball.

 

If we continue to play in the same way should we be promoted will it be as boring, draining, frustrating, pointless and unsuccessful as what we've seen before? Highly likely.

 

Of course, we need to get there first and then it remains to be seen either way. Whilst we all obviously want us to win the league ensuing promotion and the PL is 'the place to be' unfortunately the nature of the PL is boring in itself, mainly because most teams play in the same inane way.

[lee7]

37 minutes ago, The Year Of The Fox said:

Fair play to you. It’s not my idea of football and never will be. It’s more like watching a life size chess match 

It is like watching chess and i'm fairly sure Maresca has openly said that's how he thinks of football.

He wants his sides to be patient and to pass the ball around to move the opposition out of their shape then move forward when the gaps appear. 

[VG Fox]

1 hour ago, The Year Of The Fox said:

Let’s be honest, it’s so very very boring 

Afraid I agree, no doubt will get panned for saying so......passing backwards so much and knocking it around our own box doesn't help stadium atmosphere.  It's just dull. I know it's all about finding space and getting around the press, but I'd like to see us be able to adapt and play more than one way if we have to. 

[MGLCFC]

I do find the style of play has an impact on stadium atmosphere as there isn't that many exciting sustained periods of play. What does concern me a little is that there has been continual talk about when we get out of 2nd gear we'll be formidable. I've almost come to accept that this is as good as it will get this season performance wise, because to get up to 3rd and 4th gear a better quality of personnel is required.

[Bazly]

18 minutes ago, VG Fox said:

passing backwards so much and knocking it around our own box doesn't help stadium atmosphere.  It's just dull.

Far from dull, I find it is nerve wracking. Gives me stomach ache. 

[Bazly]

In terms of bore fest football you only have to look back into the archives. 

 

Two years ago there were 15 games that Match Rated higher than 7.0 and went GREEN. We did well that year. 

Last year we were abject shit and only managed 4 GREEN matches all season.

 

This year, so far we are top of the league and have amassed 2 GREEN matches so far.

That tells you all you need to know, its been especially poor entertainment. 

[cropstonfox]

Results outweigh boringness.

If we lose or draw its boring without

any good reason.

If we are gathering points it's boring but acceptable.

 

Yes it is totally boring but bearable whilst we top the league.

[Chelmofox]

7 minutes ago, Bazly said:

In terms of bore fest football you only have to look back into the archives. 

 

Two years ago there were 15 games that Match Rated higher than 7.0 and went GREEN. We did well that year. 

Last year we were abject shit and only managed 4 GREEN matches all season.

 

This year, so far we are top of the league and have amassed 2 GREEN matches so far.

That tells you all you need to know, its been especially poor entertainment. 

Pardon my ignorance, who gets to decide what a GREEN is. 

[Bazly]

Just now, Chelmofox said:

Pardon my ignorance, who gets to decide what a GREEN is. 

I assume its the site owner who determines the colours and those who rate the players after each match determine the mean player and team scores.

[GerryK]

I, like many others, are fed up with the back and sideways passing. And even more fed up with the obsession of playing out from the goalkeeper, even with 3 or 4 opponents hunting on the edge of the penalty area. 

Even more fed up when we get a free kick way in the opponents half and the ball goes back to our goalkeeper! WHY?

I could go on, but I'm fed up.

I wish the team well, they are well capable of winning every game but I'm bored, not a lot of excitement,  maybe I'm old fashioned...........thank God I can remember more exciting times

 

Gerry Knight

[coolhandfox]

Only Reading in their record break season have taken more points then us at this stage since 04/05.

 

They had 69 points from 28 games in 05/06.

 

Whilst not always box office, Enzo football has been pretty effective.

[An Away Move]

3 hours ago, The Year Of The Fox said:

Let’s be honest, it’s so very very boring 

You need to learn a new way of seeing. Moving the ball around to move the opposition out of place is fascinating to me, bit like Maresca I love Chess. 
The get it forwards brigade are perhaps a bit like those who know what they like and want to stick to it. They like ‘Blue Nun’ and they can’t appreciate the complexity of a good vintage.  

[An Away Move]

1 minute ago, coolhandfox said:

Only Reading in their record break season have taken more points then us at this stage since 04/05.

 

They had 69 points from 28 games in 05/06.

 

Whilst not always box office, Enzo football has been pretty effective.

So just why are so many here unhappy? You have to conclude it’s (a) a level of stupidity (b) an outrageous amount of spoilt entitlement (c) unable to adapt to a new style that is evidently very successful. 
 

Re: (c). Enzo did ask for patience when he came in. He’s delivering. A vocal minority of our fanbase are not keeping up their side of the bargain. 

[coolhandfox]

Just now, An Away Move said:

So just why are so many here unhappy? You have to conclude it’s (a) a level of stupidity (b) an outrageous amount of spoilt entitlement (c) unable to adapt to a new style that is evidently very successful. 
 

Re: (c). Enzo did ask for patience when he came in. He’s delivering. A vocal minority of our fanbase are not keeping up their side of the bargain. 

Just the nature of football fans in general.

[UniFox21]

Unsure how exactly we lined up yesterday, but in the first half especially, our pressing triggers were different to usual. Mavididi and Kasey led a lot of the press, before Cannon and KDH supported. Usually this is the other way round. 

 

JJ and Hamza seemed to rotate the inverted role, but both spent large amounts of time in the "pocket"  between LB/LM or RB/RM, almost baiting their keeper to go long at times. 

 

Tactically we almost wanted them to either go long down the wings, knowing we had the pace to out do them, or force them through the middle, with them lacking a few there. We seemed to make their build up from the fullbacks as difficult as possible, knowing how effective Leif Davis has been for them.

 

[LCFCJoe96]

Entirely possible that someone can appreciate that a style of football is very successful and still personally find that style incredibly boring to watch.

[An Away Move]

1 minute ago, LCFCJoe96 said:

Entirely possible that someone can appreciate that a style of football is very successful and still personally find that style incredibly boring to watch.

A percentage of our fans would turn their noses up if Pep were to come here. 
 

Is our fan base becoming a bit West Ham? Turning on the manager because he don’t play ‘the West Ham way’. Even they wouldn’t do that when having the 2nd best start in The Championship’s history. 

[An Away Move]

Just now, An Away Move said:

A percentage of our fans would turn their noses up if Pep were to come here. 
 

Is our fan base becoming a bit West Ham? Turning on the manager because he don’t play ‘the West Ham way’. Even they wouldn’t do that when having the 2nd best start in The Championship’s history. 

Also no one plays just ‘counter attack’ anymore like when we won the league. They beat teams dominate possession AND counter attack like we used to. 

[LCFCJoe96]

Just now, An Away Move said:

A percentage of our fans would turn their noses up if Pep were to come here. 
 

Is our fan base becoming a bit West Ham? Turning on the manager because he don’t play ‘the West Ham way’. Even they wouldn’t do that when having the 2nd best start in The Championship’s history. 

I think every club has that to an extent, our percentage might be bigger or more vocal than others granted, I don't pay enough attention to others to tell you.

 

And whilst we've had versions of possession based football for years at this point, this style such a big step that it's probably not a surprise that it's so divisive for some, regardless of how good a start it's been results wise.

[An Away Move]

1 minute ago, LCFCJoe96 said:

I think every club has that to an extent, our percentage might be bigger or more vocal than others granted, I don't pay enough attention to others to tell you.

 

And whilst we've had versions of possession based football for years at this point, this style such a big step that it's probably not a surprise that it's so divisive for some, regardless of how good a start it's been results wise.

I guess it’s about any process or change. The first step is rejection. Then acceptance. Getting onboard with the change often comes later.  

[Aleksz]

52 minutes ago, UniFox21 said:

Unsure how exactly we lined up yesterday, but in the first half especially, our pressing triggers were different to usual. Mavididi and Kasey led a lot of the press, before Cannon and KDH supported. Usually this is the other way round. 

 

JJ and Hamza seemed to rotate the inverted role, but both spent large amounts of time in the "pocket"  between LB/LM or RB/RM, almost baiting their keeper to go long at times. 

 

Tactically we almost wanted them to either go long down the wings, knowing we had the pace to out do them, or force them through the middle, with them lacking a few there. We seemed to make their build up from the fullbacks as difficult as possible, knowing how effective Leif Davis has been for them.

 

We obviously established that Ipswich effectively progress the ball centrally. The idea was to let the CB’s have the ball. Cannon and KDH blocked the pass into Travis and Luongo. Justin and Faes were man to man on Harness and Chaplin no matter how far they drifted. This left Kasey and Mavididi to press the keeper and defence when ready to.

 

This is what is annoying about fans losing patience and groaning to press - everyone has their own individual job and if one of them steps out and opens up a space you get played around.

 

Almost like they knew what they were doing.