Terrier Spirit

Aug132018 by Terrier SpiritNo Comments

Five interesting stats from Huddersfield Town’s 3-0 defeat to Chelsea

Matches, Opinion

There are lies, damn lies and statistics, or at least that’s how the saying goes. Regardless, I’ve had a trawl through the stats from Town’s defeat to Chelsea to see if there’s anything interesting to take away from it. Here are the stats that stood out to me... Hazard had six successful dribbles in his brief cameo Hazard was only on the pitch for a 15 minute cameo appearance towards the end, but in that time he ran rings around a tired and demoralised Town defence. A successful dribble means he took on an opposition player with the ball and came away cleanly. His six dribbles were more than any other player on the pitch, even though he only popped on for the last few minutes (and he only returned for preseason training last week). In case you were curious, no Town player manage...

Aug122018 by Terrier Spirit2 Comments

6 thoughts about Town’s 3-0 defeat to Chelsea

Matches, Opinion

The dust has settled on Town’s opening day 3-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League and I feel better about it now I’ve had time to think on what happened. The result is a bit disappointing, the performance had good and bad points, but overall I think it wasn’t that bad a day. Here are a few of my thoughts about the game... The tactics weren't wrong but they could have been executed better Playing open and expansive football is likely to lead to a pummelling against the top teams. We experienced it last season against Tottenham, and were similarly exposed in the first half of the friendly against Lyon when we tried to press them high up the field. Lyon spurned their opportunities, but there must have been four occasions where they broke our press and their attackers flooded pas...

Aug112018 by Terrier Spirit1 Comment

Huddersfield Town 0-3 Chelsea: Player ratings

Matches

Huddersfield Town suffered their first defeat of the season, losing 3-0 at home to Chelsea. Town were somewhat unlucky to go in at half-time two goals down, but struggled to get into the game in the second half and didn’t do enough to deserve anything from the game. Despite the scoreline, it wasn’t that bad a performance. You could argue long into the night about the right tactical approach Town should take in these games, but I think we’re always likely to lose against top six teams, regardless of the system. Chelsea punished Town on the few occasions they opened us up, and we couldn’t finish our chances. It’s important not to draw too much into this result or performance. We’ll have better days than today this season, we just need to learn from the experience and move on. Here’s...

Aug112018 by Terrier Spirit2 Comments

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to face Chelsea

Matches, Opinion

The day we’ve all been waiting for is finally here! Town’s second Premier League campaign starts today at home to Chelsea. David Wagner has a host of new players to pick from alongside some old favourites. Here’s my guess at who he’ll pick to take on Chelsea. Formation: 3-5-2 I think we’ll see David Wagner use a 3-5-2 formation against Chelsea, allowing him to choose three central defenders. This is less adventurous than the typical 4-2-3-1 shape, but will make us harder to break down and clog up the middle of the pitch when we don’t have the ball. Goalkeeper: Jonas Lössl I’m not convinced I’m right about this prediction. Lössl only played two 45 minutes spells in preseason because of his extended post-World Cup break, and looked a bit shaky at times. Ben Hamer, who came in this sum...

Aug102018 by Terrier Spirit1 Comment

PL Predictions: Liverpool to win it; Town safe; Brighton, Southampton and Newcastle down

News, Opinion

Everyone else seems to be doing Premier League predictions, so with the new season just hours away, I thought I’d do mine. I’ve got absolutely no more insight into these things than the average fan, so don’t expect me to be even close to being accurate. In fact, you’re welcome to save this link and set a reminder on your phone to mock me for my stupidity in May next year. Here’s how I think the league is going to shape up. It’s a long image, and if you scroll past it my explanations for these predictions at the bottom. Where will Huddersfield Town finish in the Premier League? I’m thinking we can finish thirteenth this season. This would put us safely clear of the relegation scrap and proving we’re capable of staying in the Premier League for a little while longer. This may be a t...

Aug102018 by Terrier SpiritNo Comments

Who’s going to score the goals for Huddersfield Town this season?

Opinion, Player profiles

This is the final part of a series of articles looking at Town’s squad ahead of the Premier League season opener against Chelsea tomorrow. I’ve already gone through the goalkeepers, defenders, central midfielders, and wingers. This article looks at the strikers and number tens within the squad... Numer tens Alex Pritchard Town looked an awful lot better when Pritchard arrived in January. Kasey Palmer and Tom Ince had played in the number ten role in the first half of the season, but neither was able to do the job properly. Pritchard's quality on the ball, ability to pick a pass, and energy make him perfect for the role. Pritchard has now had time to adjust to David Wagner’s system, and has a full preseason under his belt, so he could be even better this season. Town’s new wingers ...

Aug102018 by Terrier Spirit1 Comment

Have David Wagner’s signings solved Town’s biggest problem?

Matches

Huddersfield Town have invested heavily in three new wingers this close season. This has been a wise move from David Wagner, as our lack of goals last season seemed to stem from a lack of creativity in the final third, rather than a lack of goal-scoring talent. The hope is that these new boys (and VLP) are able cause problems to opposition defences in a way we didn’t often manage last season. While there was no lack of effort from our wingers in our first year in the Premier League, they didn’t contribute enough in terms of goals or assists, so it’s understandable that we’ll be seeing three new faces in this area. This article will look at whether Town's wingers will be able to add some creativity and attacking dynamism to the final third... Adama Diakhaby I’m very excited about th...

Aug72018 by Terrier SpiritNo Comments

Widespread reports that Huddersfield Town are on the verge of signing Mbenza

Transfers

I don't like to report about speculation, as it can often just be rubbish, but several sources are reporting that Town have submitted a €15m offer to Montpellier for Isaac Mbenza, a 22-year-old winger. French paper, L'Équipe, broke the story late on Monday night and several other websites and Twitter users have reported the same story. I've never heard of him before this rumour emerged, but having watched the highlights clip of his goals on YouTube, I now feel convinced he's the answer to all our problems! Who is Issac Mbenza? He's a right-footed young winger that has scored 11 goals in 54 appearances in Ligue 1 for Montpellier. As well as playing regularly in the French top flight, he's had a handful of under-21 caps for Belgium. Like many of Town's signings, he's still young, so pro...

Aug62018 by Terrier Spirit4 Comments

Who’s going to get a chance in Huddersfield Town’s midfield this season?

Opinion, Player profiles

This is the third in a series of articles that takes a look at Town’s squad ahead of their Premier League season opener against Chelsea on Saturday. This one will focus on the midfield, follow the links to see the ones about our goalkeepers and defenders. Aaron Mooy I’ve said in the article about our defenders that Christopher Schindler was our best player last season, but Aaron Mooy has been the most influential player for Town over the last two years and has been a huge part of the success story we’ve experienced in getting into, and then staying in the Premier League. I find Aaron Mooy an absolute joy to watch, and when he plays well it elevates the whole team and tends to lead to good results. His passing is superb, his movement off the ball is also great, and over the past two ye...

Aug52018 by Terrier Spirit1 Comment

SQUAD REPORT 18/19: Defence – Can Wagner keep everyone happy?

Matches

Following Friday’s squad report about our goalkeeping talent, here’s a summary of how Town’s defence is looking ahead of the upcoming Premier League season. Terence Kongolo and Erik Durm are notable additions to a back line that was already pretty decent. Here’s the case for the defence… Right back - Flo set to keep Tommy Smith out of the starting XI Florent Hadergjonaj I’ve been really impressed with the 23-year-old Swiss right back since his arrival at Town last season. He had to be patient while he waited for his chance in the team, but when he’s been called upon he’s always done a good job. Flo’s most obvious asset is his speed, as he can motor up and down the touchline all game. This means he’s able to take up good positions and support attacks but will still bust a gut to get back ...