Here are a few of my thoughts about the Birmingham game, not in any order and a bit too late to be relevant. I’ve written it now though, so I thought I might as well put it out there.
Birmingham were awful to watch but did their job effectively
Birmingham were incredibly negative in their approach on Wednesday night and it was dire to watch. Once they scored they rarely even bothered trying to break against us and instead just sat back and kept things tight at the back. Playing this way will most likely be enough to keep them up this season but you have to wonder if it’s worth it. Is surviving enough to justify playing dreadful football all the time?
Birmingham had a better team than us on paper, so it’s a bit depressing for their fans that they set up like we were Liverpool or Man City and piled everyone behind the ball. Hardly the beautiful game.
After being beaten it sounds like sour grapes but Birmingham ruined the game as a spectacle. While I like seeing Town doing well, I primarily watch them to be entertained and Birmingham’s tactics made this game very hard to enjoy.
Of course, I’m a complete hypocrite for holding this opionion because I celebrated the Cowley brothers grinding out results at the end of last season in order to keep us up. In my defence, Town were hovering perilously close to the relegation zone at the time and needed to drag themselves over the line.
Diakhaby’s critics
I’ve read plenty of criticism of Diakhaby for his part in this game but also a few comments defending him, or at least calling for people to hold back from giving him so much stick.
I’m quite conflicted because it’s true that football fans are generally too quick to find a scapegoat but, equally, Diakhaby stank against Birmingham. So it’s hard to avoid being critical without sounding like a complete fantasist.
I was harsh on Diakhaby in my player ratings article but I was only describing what I saw. In the Norwich game, where Diakhaby played a surprisingly disciplined and effective defensive role, I was generous in my praise. It would be very hard to write about football if you were only ever full of praise and I think it’s reasonable to point out when a player has struggled.
Footballers make their living in the public eye and their work is visible for all to see. Pair that with the lavish amounts of money heaped on footballers and it opens them up to criticism when things don’t go to plan. But they’re also young men with feelings and it’s becoming clearer now that many struggle with mental health issues. So there has to be a balance.
I don’t have a neat conclusion for finding the balance between fair critique and being nasty because it’s something I often struggle with. I try to make criticisms about the specific performance rather than making sweeping judgments (“he played badly” instead of “he’s a bad player”) but it wouldn’t be hard to look back and find examples of things I’ve written that I’m probably not proud of in retrospect.
I genuinely hope that Diakhaby turns a corner and proves his critics, including me, wrong and becomes a valuable member of the squad. Mostly because Koroma and Mbenza are the only other wingers we have at the moment.
Pipa as a right winger?
I’m not the first person to say that Town’s best wingers this season are actually their full backs. I think Toffolo plays better when starting from a deeper position where he can build up a head of steam and is harder to track. Pipa, however, plays just like a typical tricky winger and looks to have an eye for a shot too (though is yet to open his account despite coming close on multiple occasions).
I’d like to see Pipa moved up the field and played as an out-and-out winger to allow for more rotation of Koroma and Mbenza. Duhaney could then cover the fullback role and the two could even switch roles during games to create confusion for the opposition.
Bielsa at Leeds is famous for expecting his players to be versatile in the positions they play and Corberán has made similar noises too. As we look so short of attacking options I think it is worth experimenting with Pipa in a more advanced role.
Difference between Rotherham and Birmingham game
I don’t think there was a great deal of difference between how Birmingham set up to play us and the Rotherham game where we scored a last minute equaliser courtesy of an own goal. However, Town’s performances in these two games were quite different.
The Rotherham game was far from perfect in terms of how Town played but in the second half there was energy and creativity in the way we played and we managed to find space on the wings to then cut the ball into the box. Against Birmingham we looked weary and out of ideas in the final third which led to the ball getting stuck in defence.
We lacked cutting edge in both of these games but we created much more against Rotherham and wore them down. Birmingham seemed happy to sit back and soak up pressure without looking threatened.
It’s not time to start panicking
It’s easy to be positive when Town are winning or even when we’re losing but playing well. It gets harder when things are going against us and all the issues that can be papered over by victory start to come out again.
I think Town have picked up a great Head Coach in Corberán, who can get us playing similar football to how Leeds play under Bielsa. That will stand us in good stead this season but he’s not a miracle worker and hasn’t got the raw materials to work with to mount a promotion push. As good as Bielsa has been for Leeds he’s also been backed in the transfer market and provided with players that suit his system.
So losing games like the Birmingham game seems about right for where we are with our development right now. Teams that set up to frustrate us aren’t easy to break down but as Carlos gets across more of his ideas we should be able to open up teams like this and be a bit less open to counter attacks. That’s going to take time and we may have more games like the one against Birmingham in the future.
I don’t believe that Birmingham have a better team than us on paper. Football isn’t played on paper, but as far as we’re concerned, it might as well have been.
It’s hard to accurately calculate the value of a squad but the Transfermarkt website gives us a total value of £35m and Birmingham £38m. So by that metric they have a stronger squad than ours.
My point was that they shouldn’t be so negative against a team that’s not significantly better than them. I think that’s just Karanka’s style of playing. Very dull to watch.
Whilst watching the game. Birmingham just reminded me of how we played last season. They where horrible to watch and just killed the game. Fair enough.. It worked.. They won. However I still stand by I’d rather see my team have a good go and get beat than not have a go at all. Just so pleased to be excited about watching Town again.. UTT
I think the Cowleys tried to attack at least a bit in most games but there were a few games where we just shut up shop. Looking back I think they thought we weren’t good enough to play expansive football against the better sides which was a bit of a defeatist attitude.
I’m enjoying the football under Carlos so far and even if it doesn’t work its at least entertaining to see us having a go.
The test will come if we slip into the bottom three. There will be calls for us to play more conservatively if we’re on a losing run but I think Corberán will stick to this style no matter what.
I’ll be the first to hold my hands up if I’m wrong. I just can’t see us anywhere near that bottom 3 this Season. I’m quietly confident we can achieve midtable obscurity. That’s something Id be more than happy with after the last two years. This is a team which is clearly motivated and pulling in the right direction as a unit. We know better than most how powerful that can be. Obviously we need the run of the Green with injurys / suspensions plus some more options in the next window. UTT
I find it hard to know what to expect this season. I was very worried at the start. Then after those wins I started to wonder if we might be in for another special season. I’d be quite happy with a boring season in terms of where we finish and having a platform we can build on for next season.
dave
Trying to break down ten behind the ball is hard no space to platy between the lines and while we may of overplayed at times we did enough for me to earn a point.
On a different subject canalside I think some of te comments on other outlets have been awfull.what a ungratefull set of so called fans town have. The majority understand what a fine complex it has become the others just cannot see the overall view and are still crying over the fact they cannot go anymore. Its a training
ground not a social club
There will be plenty of other teams that set up to frustrate us this season, so we’re going to have to work out a plan to break down these teams.
I’m not too excited either way about Canalside. It’s nice if the players have a good environment to train in but I don’t see it as one of the most important factors in having a good team or attracting players. I bet most of the squad would change in a portakabin and train on Leeds Road playing fields for a few hundred more quid in a week.
I liked Canalside before games but it was a slightly odd setup with the public milling about alongside the players. Nice in a way but a bit of a throwback.
Couldn’t agree more with your comments, I think some fans think because we where sat at the big table for two seasons ( competing for 1).. That somehow means we should have the same facilities as a club which has been at the top table for decades. The club have been forward thinking and improved what we had ten fold. It’s a massive leap forward. Some people just can’t be positive. Better off ignored.. The silent majority know how far and where we have come from. Funny.. It would be different if it was there money being spent. UTT
Birmingham have got a striker with a scoring record. Not one I ever want to see again in a Town shirt I hasten to add. But when any team without a recognised striker can only expect to struggle.
I don’t blame Diakhabe for being our worst ever money signing. I blame whoever’s signed him in the first place and whoever has put Corboran in the position of having to pick him.
Campbell is doing a good job leading the line in my opinion but if he gets into double figures I’ll be impressed. We’re pretty much relying on the whole squad chipping in with goals, which might happen a bit but I’d feel more confident about our chances if we had someone that consistently gets into goalscoring positions.
I doubt we’ve seen the last of Diakhaby in a a Town shirt because we’ve so few other options. He’s going to need to improve drastically on his performance against Birmingham though.
A ‘striker ‘averaging less than 5 goals a season over 13 years is NOT my idea of a recognised striker. While he is ‘leading the line’ we aren’t scoring enough goals. But I agree we haven’t got anybody better. That’s really my point. We do have at least 25 people better than Diakhabe though. Somebody insists he plays. I just hope it’s not Corboran.
For me it’s chance creation that is the problem. No number 9 can do it on there own not even Harry Kane. We need more from the creative midfield positions.. The number 10, 8 and the two wingers.. Ward and Campbell may not be world beaters but they are good enough to get 20 between them at this level with the right service. Problem is for Danny now he needs to hit the ground running after this injury.