MATCHWATCH : Preston North End (h)

[Pepe the Horseman]

Expecting something like this:

Rafael

Yiadom
Holmes
Morrison
Moore
Bristow

Laurent
Rino
Swift

Puscas
Joao

Would love joao and puscas up top but don't see it happening.

You're in for a treat.

[NathStPaul]

Preston are there for the taking, its the sort of game we have to win. That said, Preston will be thinking the same about us.

Lose today and the unrest only grows.

[Jagermesiter1871]

Expecting something like this:

Rafael

Yiadom
Holmes
Morrison
Moore
Bristow

Laurent
Rino
Swift

Puscas
Joao

Would love joao and puscas up top but don't see it happening.

You're in for a treat.

Watch us score

[Snowflake Royal]

Expecting something like this:

Rafael

Yiadom
Holmes
Morrison
Moore
Bristow

Laurent
Rino
Swift

Puscas
Joao

Would love joao and puscas up top but don't see it happening.

Same. Although love might be a bit strong

[Hound]

Think Ejaria should come back in. Bristow doesn’t look ready yet

[Mid Sussex Royal]

yep thats just your reading of it. Brentford played passing football last year, as did Norwich.

tbh, you ask 92 football managers in the league and 90% of them would prob say they play possession football. The others are managed by Colin, McCarthy and that chap at WBA. its a meaningless comment on its own really

Paunovic didn’t say he was going to play passing football, he said possession football. There’s a difference, however subtle.

Agree. Possession football tend to prioritise retaining possession above all, on the basis that sooner or later you'll create an opening. But that frequently leads to slow probing football with lots of backwards and sideways passing and allows the opposition to get organised and set up, so actually creates limited opportunities. And often results in risks taken in your defensive rather than attacking third.

Passing football can be that too. Or it can be incisive up tempo moving the ball through the thirds and catching the opposition half set or out of position.

Find possession football dull in the extreme. And we very rarely, if at all, succeed at it.

Sides that keep the ball generally (not always) get more points than those don't....check the league tables

[tmesis]

Paunovic didn’t say he was going to play passing football, he said possession football. There’s a difference, however subtle.

Agree. Possession football tend to prioritise retaining possession above all, on the basis that sooner or later you'll create an opening. But that frequently leads to slow probing football with lots of backwards and sideways passing and allows the opposition to get organised and set up, so actually creates limited opportunities. And often results in risks taken in your defensive rather than attacking third.

Passing football can be that too. Or it can be incisive up tempo moving the ball through the thirds and catching the opposition half set or out of position.

Find possession football dull in the extreme. And we very rarely, if at all, succeed at it.

Sides that keep the ball generally (not always) get more points than those don't....check the league tables

Yes, but that's a bit like saying teams should take potshots at goal, because teams that have the most shots tend to be higher up the table.
You need to ask how much of that possession rate (or any stat) is because of tactics, and how much of it is just a product of being a better team? A good team will tend to have more of the ball.

Being able to keep the ball is a good thing. It limits the opportunities for the other team in general, and if you are good at it, it probably reduces counter-attacking chances for the other team as well. IF you aren't good at it though, and are just knocking across the back four repeatedly, going nowhere, it's not really much of a help.

Like with any tactical plan, you have to be reasonably good at it for it to work.

[Royal_jimmy]

Call me negative but I'd take a scrappy 0-0 from this

[fartdad]

Cmon urrrrzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

We are going up !!!

[Snowflake Royal]

Agree. Possession football tend to prioritise retaining possession above all, on the basis that sooner or later you'll create an opening. But that frequently leads to slow probing football with lots of backwards and sideways passing and allows the opposition to get organised and set up, so actually creates limited opportunities. And often results in risks taken in your defensive rather than attacking third.

Passing football can be that too. Or it can be incisive up tempo moving the ball through the thirds and catching the opposition half set or out of position.

Find possession football dull in the extreme. And we very rarely, if at all, succeed at it.

Sides that keep the ball generally (not always) get more points than those don't....check the league tables

Yes, but that's a bit like saying teams should take potshots at goal, because teams that have the most shots tend to be higher up the table.
You need to ask how much of that possession rate (or any stat) is because of tactics, and how much of it is just a product of being a better team? A good team will tend to have more of the ball.

Being able to keep the ball is a good thing. It limits the opportunities for the other team in general, and if you are good at it, it probably reduces counter-attacking chances for the other team as well. IF you aren't good at it though, and are just knocking across the back four repeatedly, going nowhere, it's not really much of a help.

Like with any tactical plan, you have to be reasonably good at it for it to work.

Well exactly. This appears to be a problem with modern football. Analyse some partial obscure data, see a great team playing a certain way and put all the emphasis on that.

The difference is the good teams use those tactics for the purpose of creating and scoring opportunities, and limiting the opposition's. The bad teams just apply the tactics for the sake of the tactics. See Stam, possession for the sake of possession, assuming that if you have the ball long enough a chance will come without trying to create one. Not possession to drive the creation of a chance. We've seen it here time and time again.

You create chances by pulling the opposition out of position. You do that through turn overs in dangerous areas, change of tempo, fast breaks, moving the ball swiftly from one part of the pitch to another, well timed runs and passes, drawing the opposition out to create space through them or in behind, etc etc. You don't do it just because you have retained possession of the ball or because you have made a lot of passes. You don't do it by slow, pedestrian football. Just like you don't do it by just loads of hopeful punts forward.

[Royal_jimmy]

Our team looks exciting.. still no Ejaria

[Snowflake Royal]

Same XI as Stoke.
New guy makes the bench.

[morganb]

Anyone seen Kingsley today?

[Jinx]

Sky had our team listed as "same as for the Swansea game". Thank God that;s not true!

[Snowflake Royal]

Rino looks bright.

Wanna get the ball down. Spending a lot of time in the air.

[Snowflake Royal]

How did that not go in. Swift air kicks, then Bristow blocked on the line.

Maybe slight deflection foxing Swift.

[John Madejski's Wallet]

How did that not go in. Swift air kicks, then Bristow blocked on the line.

Maybe slight deflection foxing Swift.

Poor shot really

Under no pressure (apart from being a fresh'un)

[Royal_jimmy]

Just as I expected. Lots of energy but no cutting edge

[Snowflake Royal]

How did that not go in. Swift air kicks, then Bristow blocked on the line.

Maybe slight deflection foxing Swift.

Poor shot really

Under no pressure (apart from being a fresh'un)

Should score, but good contact and bodies in the way. He's a full back by trade too. Don't score often.

[NathStPaul]

AZEEZ!!!!! Delighted for him.