Players and manager are both to blame for the abysmal lack of goals.
We have missed lots of good chances throughout the season. The players haven't been anywhere near good enough, and they need to take responsibility to go and put the ball in the net. I don't see enough midfielders or wide players making the run into the 6 yard area, and I see too many players looking at others to go and take responsibility. Players should be desperate to go and get a goal, surely that's why you play football.
But equally we haven't recently created enough high quality chances. We're having lots and lots of what I would see as half chances, and unfortunately average players don't score these very often (you would still hope for better though). We are crossing the ball from very deep and it's very old fashioned or even agricultural to be honest. We need to see our wingers and even full backs get close to the byline, and we need to see the midfield and wide players run beyond the striker to stretch the pitch. When we get the ball on transition, the length of time it takes us to move the ball up the pitch completely negates any chance we have of launching an effective counter attack. That all comes back to coaching and creating systems and ways of playing. I don't see any of that right now, just aimless hoofing and speculative long balls.
I haven't seen any evidence over 14 months that Dyche has improved any attacking players. I haven't seen any identifiable patterns of play implemented for when we are in possession. I haven't seen us press effectively for weeks. And I haven't seen him show any flexibility either with the way he sets the team up or in how he manages the game during the 90. It's extremely limited in terms of what you would expect at this level, and I don't think there is a team with a more limited approach in possession, not even any of the two teams cut adrift at the bottom.
Ultimately the manager has to take responsibility for the lack of goals. It's now the second week of March so the luck argument or talking up stats like XG isn't acceptable at this point. If we were going to revert to what the stats suggest, then it would have hapenned months ago. The players do not look like they go on to the pitch believing they will score goals. That is entirely the manager's remit to fill the team with confidence and it's not going to improve with him publcily criticising them. A good manager takes responsibility for a huge failing like a lack of goals, and certainly doesn't talk about XG. It's become boring and slightly embarassing at this stage.
We have 3 weeks to try and find solutions. A good manager would come back refreshed with something new, but I'll be pleasantly surprised if we see anything remotely different from the manager.
We have missed lots of good chances throughout the season. The players haven't been anywhere near good enough, and they need to take responsibility to go and put the ball in the net. I don't see enough midfielders or wide players making the run into the 6 yard area, and I see too many players looking at others to go and take responsibility. Players should be desperate to go and get a goal, surely that's why you play football.
But equally we haven't recently created enough high quality chances. We're having lots and lots of what I would see as half chances, and unfortunately average players don't score these very often (you would still hope for better though). We are crossing the ball from very deep and it's very old fashioned or even agricultural to be honest. We need to see our wingers and even full backs get close to the byline, and we need to see the midfield and wide players run beyond the striker to stretch the pitch. When we get the ball on transition, the length of time it takes us to move the ball up the pitch completely negates any chance we have of launching an effective counter attack. That all comes back to coaching and creating systems and ways of playing. I don't see any of that right now, just aimless hoofing and speculative long balls.
I haven't seen any evidence over 14 months that Dyche has improved any attacking players. I haven't seen any identifiable patterns of play implemented for when we are in possession. I haven't seen us press effectively for weeks. And I haven't seen him show any flexibility either with the way he sets the team up or in how he manages the game during the 90. It's extremely limited in terms of what you would expect at this level, and I don't think there is a team with a more limited approach in possession, not even any of the two teams cut adrift at the bottom.
Ultimately the manager has to take responsibility for the lack of goals. It's now the second week of March so the luck argument or talking up stats like XG isn't acceptable at this point. If we were going to revert to what the stats suggest, then it would have hapenned months ago. The players do not look like they go on to the pitch believing they will score goals. That is entirely the manager's remit to fill the team with confidence and it's not going to improve with him publcily criticising them. A good manager takes responsibility for a huge failing like a lack of goals, and certainly doesn't talk about XG. It's become boring and slightly embarassing at this stage.
We have 3 weeks to try and find solutions. A good manager would come back refreshed with something new, but I'll be pleasantly surprised if we see anything remotely different from the manager.
