1st October 2002: I'm not going
to blame the ref this time, Wallwork was stupid. He showed his inexperience
as a defender and, personally, I don't think he looks comfortable
in that position.
Albion did not deserve anything against Blackburn. Rovers are a quality
side, Tugay was awesome and once Cole and Yorke were on the field,
it always looked dodgy. I thought we'd got away with it until the
penalty, but it was not to be.
In my humble opinion, there are three things that need to be addressed.
Firstly, individual errors - they will always be costly at this level.
Don't try to take on world class players in your own half and keep
the concentration level at 100% for the full 90 plus minutes.
Secondly, possession - it's the name of the game at this level. Keep
the ball, pass it around, probe for openings. Albion are giving the
ball away far too much. Playing with tempo is all very well and is
essential at time, but ball retention is far more important at this
level because when you lose it, it takes a long time to get it back.
Finally, width - with three in midfield, you can't supply the width
in those positions. The wing backs need to get forward as they did
last year. Balis was our most potent attacking option last year and,
not surprisingly, Premiership managers have done their homework and
they've all found a way to stop him playing. You simply mark him because
he cannot take players on - the one-two's haven't been coming off
because Balis seems reluctant to make the runs. Clement is starting
to re-gain some confidence in this area although he needs to know
when not to do it (eg. against Gerrard in your own half).
This game may be a blessing in disuise in that this is the first defeat
that wasn't "gallantly losing against a top six side". Rovers look
like a top ten side so it's better to lose to them rather than Blues
or Man City. The next two home games are vital and after St. James's
Park, we've got time to get everyone fit and the tactics sorted to
take on Blues and win. |
