Huddersfield Town’s season will be defined by the collective outcome of their next nine games. If we go on another winless run like the one we had after Christmas then relegation beckons. But if our form is more like it was in the build up to Christmas then a respectable midtable finish is possible even if it wouldn’t fully paper over the cracks that were exposed during that bad run in the early part of the new year.
I’ve quite enjoyed not thinking about Town for this last couple of weeks during the international break but now things are gearing back up for another intensive period of games I thought I’d look at what these nine matches could potentially mean for Huddersfield Town and what they need to do between now and the end of the season.
Achieve safety as soon as possible
The absolute priority for Huddersfield Town is to finish the unwelcome but vital task of getting out of the relegation scrap. A lot of the hard work has already been done but while the current points tally is tantalisingly close to being enough we mostly likely need a few more points to feel secure. Eight more points would give us the 50 point total that is generally regarded as enough to survive in the majority of seasons. In reality it may only take four or five more points to get to safety as the teams below us have potential to blow up during the run in.
Many Town fans are no longer energised by the idea of a relegation battle and the thought of going down to the wire again and hoping to once more pull a result out of the bag when we most need it is more exhausting than exhilarating. Last season’s win against West Brom and the draw against Chelsea were unquestionably great moments when Town produced the required result to beat the drop but I really can’t be bothered with all of that again. I’d be far happier to see us pick up a couple of wins over the next four games and quietly float above the scrap at the bottom and enjoy seeing out the season with a few dead rubber games where we can blood a few more youngsters.
Work out our identity
While it wasn’t always effective, there was a clear style to our play up until Christmas. Even during the poor patch that followed we tried to stick to Carlos’ intentions to play out from the back and dominate possession but errors and a lack of cutting edge meant we were very easy to beat during that spell. The more recent switch to a pragmatic style has cut out the errors (mostly) but leaves questions about where we go from here.
If safety can be achieved quickly it would allow time to experiment with the style of play a bit more. Sanogo gives us the option of playing with a target man but can he still be effective if we go back to playing with a more patient build up?
Carlos’ remit when he arrived was to develop a clear style of play, which he established surprisingly quickly in the early days. But he has now rolled back on it, succumbing to pressure to get results and abandoning some of the central ideas of how he wants to play.
It may be that we’re just seeing Corberán evolving as a manager. To begin with he was more or less a Bielsa clone but he’s now showing more tactical flexibility than his old boss at Leeds. Whether this is a good thing or not remains unclear but I’m certain that Bielsa wouldn’t entertain playing longball football regardless of how bad results were, he’d be more likely to walk away or be sacked than compromise.
The best outcome for me would be that Town roll back on the pragmatism a bit once we’re safe but keep it as an option up our sleeve as a Plan B. Where we’re outclassed by a quality opponent or can’t break down a determined defence we can switch to going direct and have another way of winning games.
Resolve the contract situation for those with deals running out
It feels like every transfer window of the last few years has been billed as “the biggest transfer window of our recent history” but the upcoming one genuinely is an opportunity to overhaul the squad. There are as many players running out of contract as are likely to stay which means there are some tricky decisions coming up.
It seems likely that Schindler isn’t going to get a new deal with recent rumours linking him with a return to Germany. Other high earners like Pritchard and Elphick must surely be heading out of the door too. Players like Bacuna and Mbenza are harder to judge as they’re both first-team regulars and are young enough to sell for fees in the future if we put them on longer deals but are still likely to be among the top paid players in the squad.
This current squad has collectively failed to live up to expectations in recent years, so it’s hard to be too sentimental about any of them (beyond playoff heroes, Schindler and Hogg). Such a lot of our wage bill is currently tied up in flops and crocks so getting rid of a few of them should hopefully mean better quality equivalents can be brought in.
Win back the hearts of fan
I’ve found football to be a vital source of novelty and interest during the pandemic even if having to watch streams hasn’t been the same as actually being in the grounds. Other fans have found the opposite and their interest has dwindled as they’ve realised the football is a lot less appealing when not enjoyed alongside a day out with friends or family. These people that have fallen out of love need to be won back.
As much as enticing offers and communication strategies help, results on the pitch are what stir fans’ passion and pull them back in. At the start of our promotion season I bought a season card mostly to reserve my seat and intended to make it to at most half the games due to other commitments. But the Wagner Revolution was such an enthralling spectacle and the teams was so likeable that I made it to almost every home game (I was at a wedding for the Brighton home game so watched it on TV in the hotel bar).
Carlos isn’t the same kind of magnetic personality as David Wagner but the style of football he wants to play, in its purest form, is more bold and exciting to watch than Wagner ever was. If he can remove the shackles a bit in our final few games then it might set pulses racing enough to have wavering fans looking to renew their season tickets out of curiosity. Grinding our results by spending most games booting it up to the big man up front won’t achieve this though, so I’m hoping entertainment comes back on the agenda once we’re safe.
Expecting nothing from the next two games, so anything will be a bonus. Then seven games to net eight points has to be doable, especially against the teams around us. If we can’t do that then it’s a poor show.
100% agree with your point on the ‘identity’ – love that we have a Plan B now, but that (when we have our strongest 11) we can play the beautiful game and score 23-pass goals.
Gutted about Schindler, but have to accept it’s going to happen…
This is our biggest window. Seemingly, we already have our targets. Let’s hope we’re in the Championship and CC’s plan can come together. UTT
As you say the season’s end could be business as usual or a relaxed view with eyes pointing downwards and enjoying others misery.
As far as future playing personal is concerned the interesting recentish development of Town acquiring two “centre forwards” seemingly on short term deals until the end of the season and then goodbye…..or is it? This seems like a significant change of tack or philosophy but most probably pragmatism, recognising where a major contribution to our woes lay. Campbell has performed admirably say many, but has he? The goal tally is meagre, he falls over far too frequently, gives away too many unnecessary fouls and how many assists has he contributed? Most pundits recognition of his biggest asset to the team being the energetic pressing, is not the foremost attribute required of our most advanced player.
I have suspicion we’re going to sneak a point at least from our first two fixtures – this would be good news!