Blog – Page 62 – Terrier Spirit – Huddersfield Town FC blog

Aug202018 by Terrier SpiritNo Comments

What went wrong for Hudersfield Town in their 6-1 drubbing to Man City?

Matches, Opinion

Huddersfield Town fell to their heaviest defeat in their (admittedly short) Premier League history to a sensational Manchester City team. It was a game where little went right for Town, and Manchester City took full advantage of our defensive frailties. Here’s a quick look at some of the reasons this was a bad day at the office for Town... The opposition It’s easy to look at start blaming Town for this result, but it’s important to acknowledge that we were up against an excellent team. Manchester City were by far the best team in last season’s Premier League. Not only that, they’re being frequently compared to the all-time best Premier League teams (and plenty before the Premier League started too). There was an abundance of talent on the pitch for Manchester City yesterday, and wh...

Aug182018 by Terrier SpiritNo Comments

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to face Man City

Matches

Huddersfield Town face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon. David Wagner has some tricky problems to resolve when he picks his team to take on Pep Guardiola’s men. How will he deal with replacing Zanka, following his training ground injury this week? Will Hogg be able to shake off a hip problem? Should he stick to a similarly negative gameplan to the one that led to a 3-0 defeat last weekend? Here’s my attempt to answer those questions… Tactics: Town to stick with 3-5-2 Town looked good in the first half against Chelsea last week when they played a three-man central defence. They allowed Chelsea possession in non-threatening areas but pressed hard when the ball game near Ben Hamer’s goal. I expect we'll try the same plan again, and hope for better luck in the key...

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...