Right.
Brace yourself, I have a lot to unload (ooerrr)
There is a bigger problem in play here, than just today. Today is just a carbon copy of so many of our games over the last year. We started brightly, created a bit, without actually creating much of value, ridiculously shot ourselves in the foot, then huffed and puffed a bit more, without really achieving much. I have watched us do this three times this week, one draw, one flukey win on penalties, then today. In reality I have been watching almost exactly the same game for about a year now.
I'm going to trace the origins of this right back to Emi Buendia. We formulated a style of play, with him, and we have been desperately trying to recreate it, without him, ever since. Emi was perhaps the best player I have ever seen for us, he made things tick, he created, he got the best out of average players around him like Cantwell and Pukki (more on this later) and he defined our style of play. What has become apparent, ridiculously so, over recent times is that we are tragically predictable.
Today I watched the ball played to Aarons, who brought it upfield, then checked, then passed inside to a midfielder, who passed to another midfielder (in the meantime the entire opposition has moved into defensive positions) we have then fannied around outside the box, passing it about, desperately looking for Pukki, who did fuck all with it. Rinse and repeat. And I really don't know what, or why they are doing what they are doing. If Max gets to the byline and cuts back, what makes chances is players bursting, centrally, into the box - not happening. If a central midfielder is driving into the box, and looking for Pukki, theres a chance - not happening. If Pukki receives the ball centrally, shields it and brings a midfield runner into play, things happen - not happening.
We are just dicking about, desperately hoping Pukki creates some magic (more on that later) and that is just not happening.
We are basically still trying to play the same way we did when Emi was feeding Pukki balls, without him still being there. And for the life of me I can't work out why!!
On paper we actually have a decent squad, and before this season I, like most folk, saw that we needed fresh faces in midfield, which we have done, and I have high hopes for them working out. But I am gonna just come out and say it, we need to get shot of Pukki. I genuinely think his style of play is holding us back, or perhaps the system he is employed in is holding us back as a team. Lets face facts, he has been average his entire career, and it was Emi that brought out the best in him, and as well as he did last season, in the Prem, in a poor team (to some respects that league suits his game better, playing on the shoulder of defenders, mainly because of how teams set up against us, Prem they laugh at us and are happy to defend deep, Championship they see us as a much bigger threat and know they have to mark him out of the game). I'm suddenly very worried who is going to score our goals. Idah seems injury prone, Hugill is a poundshop Holt, and doesn't suit our style either. I do wonder if the injury to Sorenson today could push us towards a 3-5-2 with maybe Sargent up front with Pukki? But for the love of God, please do something different, it must be so easy for opposition teams to work us out.
Is Dean Smith the man? Not sure? Should we sack him, as Twitter seems to be baying for? Don't be daft.
Big week coming up. 6 points could make a massive difference to everybody.
