THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT.

We are all great armchair coaches, having played FM/CM/FIFA etc., but isn't that what being an ardent football fan is all about, dreaming of how we could solve tactical problems? The difference is that computer software can only use so many algorithms, and only so many factored in scenarios. In real life football, there is human error, mood, the opposition, the support of the crowd, confidence etc., and when you factor all of these many complexities into the equation, even the best planned tactics, can go wrong. These days there are people, at professional clubs, who spend their time assessing potential unforeseen circumstances, and every player will train at certain times to be prepared for these. We have all heard that teams practice for when they are down to ten men, or when they are playing against ten men. Not, personally, having 24/7/365 access to Motspur Park, we can only guess as to how many different scenarios Slavisa and his coaching staff prepare for. And we can only guess as to how much time is spent on this. Or do modern day teams focus too much on the incalculable, possible events of a match? In my opinion, you can have too many statistics and formulae, and sometimes it is just better to have faith in your tactical system, and trust in the players ability to make minor adjustments as difficulties appear. To partly quote Lineker "football is a simple game", and in many respects that is true. If the players are good enough, play to the best of their ability, in the correct positions and adhere to practiced tactics, then we as fans should expect nothing more than that. The transfer window is closed, and we FFC fans have to accept that the current squad is as good as it gets for the time being. 
Slavisa likes a 4-2-3-1 formation and it is probably the most used formation in modern day football. But, it is also a very difficult formation to implement and requires a lot of time spent on the training ground to implement it effectively on match day. As frustrating as it is, I, for one, will give the team, and Slavisa, time for the fruits of these labours to come to fruition. The whites don't have the highest possession rating in the league for nothing, it is just the end product that is missing. 4-2-3-1 works well if we can press high up the pitch and force the opposition into defending deep, although this makes the opposition box congested. This is where a team needs a good "box striker", who is mobile, crafty and pacy. That is the one area where FFC lack at the moment as neither Smith or Martin offer that option. To overcome this, the midfielders need to push forward as supplementary strikers, but only Aluko, Ayite or Kebano offer that. Cairney is not a false 9, and probably is not a natural 10, although under the present system, he is more suited as a central midfielder rather than the wide right role he is played in at the moment. 
Having watched every home game so far, I believe the main problem lies in midfield, too much possession without getting anywhere fast, although in some games it has looked like with a few more "huffs and puffs" we would blow teams away. From my, humble, viewpoint, we have looked so much more effective when McDonald plays. The simple reason- he is the only player who naturally looks for a long diagonal or telling through pass. 

Without McDonald

With McDonald

Without McDonald the ball is too often played short and side ways, allowing the opposition to get their shape with men behind the ball. The other problem with this, is that players are more likely to play a bad pass and overdo things which means, as we have pushed forward, we are vulnerable to a quick counterattack.  The McDonald option, means that as we push forward into their half, a diagonal out wide can catch the opposition out before they can regain their formation. It will also mean that their fullbacks are pulled out wide leaving more space in the middle. Or, if the opposition get wise to this, McDonald, then has the option of a longer through ball down the middle. The basic idea is that we are giving teams more to think about, whereas our short passing game without a McDonald-ish player, makes us too predictable. Parker, for all his work and excellent touch does not naturally play many long passes. The same can be said of Tunnicliffe and Johansen, although the latter has yet to show us what he can do. I am not the president of the McDonald fan club, but the options and variations he offers make us much more effective in possession. Jozabed is not the answer either as defensively he looks too weak to play part of the DM pair. The only other midfielder with the passing range of McDonald is Cairney, but playing wide on the right he can't do it effectively enough.  Maybe, the answer is that Cairney plays central and drops a little deeper, effectively meaning we play 4-2-1-2-1, but that would mean fewer options up front. Whatever the answer is, our short passing game is much too predictable and we need at least 2 McDonald-ish players in the centre of midfeield.

But, what do I know, as I am only an armchair manager.

© Nic Smith

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