Huddersfield Town lost to Leicester at the weekend but despite not picking up any points, it was a decent performance from the Terriers and most fans came away happy (some are never happy!). The slight concern is that we had a few chances that we failed to take and the goal we conceded was slightly soft, as it’s one Nicholls probably shouldn’t have let through his legs. But after being written off before the game, Town got up in Leicester’s face and didn’t allow them to settle.
Here are my thoughts on the game…
A good defeat?
How good can a defeat really be? Neil Warnock said after the game that any fans that weren’t happy after that game needed their heads checking. I can see his point too. It was a really entertaining match, with lots of action at both ends of the pitch and two teams properly trying to win the game.
I just think there are some fans that can’t cope with defeat in any form and there were some people that I saw on social media (one that has a relatively high profile job in TV) that had a strop because we didn’t win despite the fact we played well against a team full of players that could hold their own in the Premier League. In fact, quite a lot of the Leicester squad are the same players that won the FA Cup for them not so long ago. And if Nicholls had shut his legs a bit quicker we’d have most likely taken a point off them.
I think a loss can be a good thing, particularly at this stage of the season when the league table and points on the board aren’t currently the most important thing in the world. Obviously we can’t just throw matches away but there were signs in this game that we’re capable of matching high-quality teams and we’ve got something about us. I might be wrong, but my feeling is that we’ll be fine this season if we play like this every week, as the other teams in the division have nowhere near the quality of Leicester.
Diarra influence grows
One thing I’ve noticed in the first three games in this season has been how important Brahima Diarra is becoming to the team. He was absolutely essential to Town’s high pressing style of football in this game and won a lot of balls back for Town in Leicester’s half and helped us to play on the front foot.
He’s also one of our most creative players too. With him often being the player we look to when we advance the ball up the pitch and look to drive forwards because he can beat a man and get out of tight spaces with the ball. He still often tries to beat too many men when he’s dribbling and his crossing is often poor but I think he’s improving in both of these areas.
There were a couple of areas where he was unlucky in this game. Firstly there was a dubious offside call, where the ball ran into Wardy, who wasn’t offside anyway, when Diarra was running through on goal and the linesman flagged – which would have had him one-on-one with the keeper. Then another good chance saw him toe poke the ball wide of the post. Add those to the shot he blasted against the post to set up Helik’s goal in the Plymouth game and it feels like he’s getting closer to scoring. After saying it so much about Rudoni last season, I’m reluctant to say it again, but once Diarra gets one he could start scoring heavily.
Oh, and because I’m talking up Diarra, I feel like it’s also obligatory to also say that the club absolutely should move heaven and Earth to get him to sign a new deal. He’s now in the final year of his deal and if he runs it down we’ll be left with a paltry sum determined by a tribunal next summer and we’ll lose one of our top talents. He’s showing he’s capable of playing at Championship level now, so deserve a contract that reflects that.
Front foot terriers
In my predicted lineup article, I forecast that Town’s approach to the game would be attritional, letting Leicester have the ball and hanging on for dear life. In fairness, it worked pretty well for Town last season under Warnock. But this game was completely different. We engaged them much higher up the pitch and rather than invite them on to us, we looked to take the ball off them as soon as they got it.
This more aggressive approach was riskier, because there are more holes for the opposition to find at the back if we miss tackles and we’re naturally positioning ourselves further up the pitch, but it also has a higher chance of paying off rewards too. While we didn’t get our rewards of an goals in this game, it was possible to see how it could have paid off with all the chances we created and the problems we caused Leicester despite the obviou disparity in quality between the two squads.
I like this front foot approach, and I hope that we keep playing like this over the course of the season. It might not yield as many points as digging in and defending deep for 90 minutes, but it’s more fun to watch and I think I’d rather be entertained than accumulate maximum points. Though, playing well and winning at the same time would be the ideal, I suppose.
It was a good time to play Leicester
I think we were lucky to catch Leicester in the second game of the new season, as they are still finding their best team and settling in to life in the Championship. They obviously have a bit of quality and their new coach has some good ideas but it’s not all quite gelling for them at the moment. I think this game was close because they’re not at their best yet. While we still lost this game, we could easily have taken something from the game but only because they’re still finding their feet.
The reverse fixture is on New Years’ Day and my prediction is that we’ll have a completely different challenge to face in that game. Looking at the players they have and the depth of their squad, they could be one of the best Championship teams there’s ever been. They should be really, if they keep this squad together past the transfer deadline.
It’s possible that losing only 1-0 to Leicester, in retrospect, might look like an even better result if they go on to start winning games by huge scores and looking like a dominant force in this league. A bit like our opening day defeat to Plymouth doesn’t seem quite so bad when you see they got a decent point against Watford last weekend.
Begging for signings – stuck on repeat
I’m not sure I can be bothered to repeat the same old story but this game, once again, highlighted the need for us to buy some new players. Striker and a midfielder please. Two of eacher ideally.
The good news is that it sounds like we’re going to get our wish and see some transfer activity this week. There are strong rumblings that we’re signing a Dutch winger from Mainz on loan for the season and flimsier rumours about a Jamaican player arriving. After months of the rumour mill having nothing to grind, it’s a relief to at least have something to talk about, even if they don’t come off.
I thought we play really well and were worth a point. I am quit optimistic for the season. The danger is that if we don’t get anything from Middlesbrough, Norwich and West Brom it could dent our confidence and we are playing catch-up.
I thought Warnock played a master stroke, Koroma man marking Periera when we were out of possession.
As much as I like Diarra, there is a massive downside to playing a still developing player. lacking that final ball does have it’s consequences for a front foot Town. How many times has giving the ball away in that front attacking area, lead to a ball over the top, down the flanks, into the box and a goal !
TS I agree with everything you say TS particularly about the positive outlook and enjoyment of the game. First and foremost it was an entertaining game to watch and not one Town player comes in for undue criticism. It was a pleasant change to enjoy the quality of football rather than hoping the points accrue, as was the case last season, although this sad condition may recur
My incessant gripe on the quality of passing remains, but this time it relates mainly to progressive, creative passes which were frequently wayward and invariably presented the opposition with an attacking opportunity, carrying the ball forcefully forward in midfield is commendable and exciting to watch but a similar outcome applies.
If we continue to play in this way then surely 0 points will become a distant memory.
I said I wouldn’t criticise, but I doubt that Helik and Nicholls slept well on Saturday night.
As a footnote I noticed the following article: https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/weekly-wages-huddersfield-towns-top-10-highest-earners-ranked.
I don’t know how true it is but that has Ward, Hogg and Mahoney are each earning approaching £1000000 annually – outrageous.
I note that HTAFC Statto has ridiculed these figures.
We have too many players who used to be but are not now or who are not yet up to Championship level. I would list the following: Turton, Ruffels, Hogg, Diarra, Rudoni, Thomas, Ward, Rhodes, Jones, Jackson, Harrop. This list is not exhaustive. Each of these players contribute in patches but none consistently. There isn’t anyone in the squad who you can rely on to score. There isn’t one player who can hold and distribute the ball constructively. The team collectively cannot pass to a colleague more than a couple of times. The squad has reduced in quality for the last few years. Any good players have been sold or their loans are up. We now have ended up with a League 1 squad and a club who can’t afford to buy good players or pay competitive wages. I am really sorry to paint such a bleak picture and maybe Warnock can squeeze out some results but as it stands, it’s looking like a rerun of last season – but worse!