What can we do to improve?

[Mokes]

The biggest problem we have at the moment is what Joka is doing to the defence. I don't believe all the players became this bad overnight. He might have to go, sadly.  Khan has done and invested too much to see all his efforts come to nothing.

Joka loves his flowing football and when we get it right we all love watching it, but the problem is, if the opposing team is aware of it, it's he easiest game type to play against. Press hard against the players give them no room and feed off mistakes. Mawson, Chambers and Ream are not as bad players as they look at the moment, but they're not creative midfielders who are wizards with the ball at their feet and are being found out in this league. McDonald either.

We have players like Zambo, Seri, Sess, Cairney, Shurrle and Ayite who are all capable of playing Jokas brand and playing it Well.

We fall apart when betts rolls it out to a fullback and the defence end up making 5or 6 passes before it gets to the half way line, the defenders are being hurried on the ball and are forced to make pressured back passes to a keeper who has one of the worst kicking games in the league and ends up miss kicking it to an opposing player, if not the linesman. We just end up shooting ourselves in the foot.

I feel like if we limit the Tiki Taka stuff to the oppositions half, and let the Backline concentrate solely on clearing their lines with the DMs only responsibility going forward being winning the second ball and getting it to the creators, then we have the squad to can achieve a mid table finish.

The way it is no one can play their best game, I'm sure on the training field they look spectacular passing in triangles between cones, but when the opposition are actual humans who are well organised top class professionals it's not quite as easy.

It works for Barcelona who have a team made up of the best players in the world and play in a league where you get space and time on the ball. But for a first year premier league team with very few players with any experience in the league, it's never going to work..


I don't think it's over for us just yet, but If Joka doesn't change his philosophy, or receive a P45 then I can't see us turning it around..

[Statto]

I feel like if we limit the Tiki Taka stuff to the oppositions half, and let the Backline concentrate solely on clearing their lines with the DMs only responsibility going forward being winning the second ball and getting it to the creators, then we have the squad to can achieve a mid table finish.

But If the defenders just clear their lines by playing long balls then we will lose possession and won't have the option of playing the tola-Taka stuff in the opposition's half. The midfield and Mitro will win some long balls but not many.

If you want to play passing/possession based football it has to start from the back. Unless you have a wormhole in your 6 yard box, surely you can't just shortcut to the half-way line. That's why the teams that play that way (which includes teams in the PL, not only La Liga) have GKs and defenders that are comfortable in possession and can pass accurately.

However I agree with you that Bettinelli doesn't fit that mould. Even in the Burnley game when he came back into the team, there were moments when he shanked balls out for a throw in so shockingly that the crowd was just stunned into an awkward silence, but it got forgotten because we won that game.

[DevonFFC]

We played this style of football last season, we made mistakes last season, different being the quality of the opponents we are making the mistakes infront off.
1 mistake and you get punished, unfortunately we are making plenty, coupled with the fact we don't produce enough goal scoring chances and I said it in the transfer window, Mitro great buy but only having one striker - suicide

[Facts Not Fiction]

If we're not playing possession football, then there is no point in having Jokanovic as manager.

[jeremyfulham]

Would specialist goalkeeper and defensive coach fix it ?

[toshes mate]

Coaching methods cannot deal with players losing composure, concentration and confidence in a match day scenario.  The leadership to change the attitude of players has to happen on the pitch with every player determined to impress all present to witness it.  There are just too many players hiding behind the fact that at the moment someone else on the pitch will commit a bigger and more costly howler than they just did.   The players must own up to their own inadequacies and not blame anybody else.  McDonald has started the ball rolling.  Let us see where it goes. 

[Wingnut]

Would specialist goalkeeper and defensive coach fix it ?

I'd like to have a proper look at our goalkeepers first. Rico and Fabri haven't had a chance to impress yet. They need a run of games to do that. We need a defensive coach, without a shadow of a doubt. All four goals yesterday came from silly mistakes that a good coaching will resolve. Our defenders are much better than that.

[RaySmith]

Presumably these experienced pro players must know what they're doing wrong, and be eager  to improve on their performances.

But at the moment confidence seems low, there's no settled team due to injuries, and the manager not knowing his best team with so many new players. We actually made a quite a good start to the season performance wise, if not results wise, but we  results didn't go our way, and confidence and team cohesion has declined.

We need to break the downward spiral, and I don't think this is due with skills' coaching, but more to do with Slavisa's finding a settled defence, his tactical and his man management qualities.

[..FOF..]

I got burned badly in this forum for suggesting this last season.

Sports psychologist.

[filham]

It was noticeable that for the first goal yesterday we left oceans of free open  space down our right flank. We must ensure our defence is drilled to close up the wide spaces.

[SuffolkWhite]

We are playing to much of a high line and teams can run through us and pass the ball in to the corners behind our right and left backs! I think it is a tactical issue and not the players fault all the time, Joka needs to suss this out.