Huddersfield Town had another emphatic friendly win on Saturday, brushing aside Guiseley 7-0 in their second warm up game of the preseason after beating Emley 5-0 last weeekend. Obviously the result was secondary but the game provided a reasonable workout for the Terriers and a step up in exertion, as the first teamers played a full half of football each, having only played for 30 minutes a piece last weekend.
There were some signs of Michael Duff’s tactical work starting to bed in with the team too and the positions and attacking shapes seemed to be following a particular plan which I suspect we’ll see a lot more of in the season to come.
In this article I’ll wring whatever talking points I can from a game where we battered a team that are several steps below us in the football league. It sounds like there wasn’t much to learn from this sort of exercise but it was actually quite interesting to see how Town are changing under their new head coach.
The 1st half team
Town’s first half team had to overcome some pretty rough treatment from Guiseley, who’s approaching to pressing the opposition would meet some Police officers’ threashold for common assault. However, Joe Moss, son of Jon Moss, saw very little wrong with Huddersfield Town’s players being treated like MMA practice mannekins whenever Guiseley’s players could get close enough to kick them. I hope this is the last time any of the Moss family officiate a Huddersfield Town game, as treating us poorly seems to be in their blood. (I’m exaggerating a bit here for comedic effect but Guiseley were not particularly friendly to our players with their tackling and physical play.)
Lasse Sorrensen was probably the most unfortunate, in terms of getting booted up in the air, but that’s because he was also one of our most effective and busy attacking outlets. He’s like a greyhound, sprinting back and forth up and down his wing whenver there’s a possibility. I like the look of this guy and can see why he’s suited to the wingback role since moving to that position from central midfield a couple of season ago, as boundless energy is needed to cover a whole flank on your own and this seems to be right in his wheelhouse.
Another standout performer for Town in this firsrt half was Tom Iorpenda. He scored the first goal with a very cool finish. Some sloppy passing by Guisely was pounced upon by Town’s press and Iorpenda showed that he is smart as well as technically gifted, as he went for a stroked pass in to the bottom corner with his shot rather than trying the more spectacular option that was available. Iorpenda’s all-round play was impressive too, with him dominating the midfield, taking up good positions to get on the ball then moving it forward quickly when he had the chance. While it’s common for players at his stage of development to go out on loan to get experience, I think he may be able to skip that step and do a job for us in the first team straight away based on what he’s showing at the moment.
If the main job of this game was to fit the players in their most natural positions, it would have been better to have played a 5-2-3 system, with Sorba Thomas and Josh Koroma playing as wingers with Danny Ward the central striker. But the priority for this game was obviously to implement Duff’s preferred 5-3-2 system and the players had to fit into that system as best they could. So Koroma played up top alongside Danny Ward and Sorba Thomas was played as an attacking midfield, despite rarely playing there before.
While we’re talking about Sorba Thomas, I got the feeling that this was the performance of a player being very careful not to pick up any injuries or do too much because they aren’t likely to be around much longer. This feeling isn’t based on a great deal of physical evidence but my feeling is that he’s expecting a move soon. If that’s the case, I’m not sure I can blame him for not going full throttle in a game where the opposition seemed to be making a game out of getting their studs onto as many Town players as they could.
I liked watching Brodie Spencer playing as the right-sided central defender in this system. While it was admittedly against weak opposition, he had licence to step out of defence and bolster the midfield numbers or to underlap the wingback with little runs when we attacked. He did misplace a few passes, which I’m happy to put down to rustiness but otherwise he looks at home in this system. Ruffels wasn’t quite as gung ho on the other side but the idea was there for at least one of the three central defenders to ghost forward when the opportunity is there.
I thought Matty Pearson did OK in this game but I worry how much responsibility he had to carry the ball forward out of defence or launch it long. He looked comfortable enough in this game but knowing his skillset, I fear he might struggle in this new system against a more fearsome opponent because he’s a bit of a meat and potatoes defender so isn’t likely to turn into Franz Beckenbeur overnight just because we’ve changed the system.
Josh Koroma had a good afternoon in front of goal. His first being a tighter-angle variation on his trademark, right-footed curler into the top corner from the left side. It’s easy to be critical of a player for being a one trick pony but if your single trick is as good as Koroma’s often is then he’s not doing too bad. His second goal was apparently a tap-in but I couldn’t’ tell you much about that because the stream went down for the last ten minutes of the first half. I’m not going to get too grumpy about the technical gremlins though, as it’s good that cheapskates like me get to watch the game for free and I should have attended in person if I wanted to be sure of catching every second. I’m hoping to get to the Harrogate game next weekend, so will be able to tell you more about what the players look like in the flesh – I could have worded that sentence to make it sound less creepy but I’m leaving it like that.
The 2nd half team
I thought the first half eleven might have been Michael Duff’s early selection of his best starting lineup but then when this team list came out it became obvious that he’s just jumbling them up to find two viable teams of players where it’s mostly round pegs in round holes. With perhaps the exception of Chapman and Austerfield, the rest of this team looks more than capable of starting league games, as did all the members of the previous eleven.
It seems only right to make Pat Jones the first player I talk about from the second half, as he imposed himself on the game within seconds of the restart with his speedy run down the flank catching everyone unawares apart from Healey who was on hand to turn the low ball into the net from close range. Jones pace and dribbling ability are excellent and in this game he showed that he could be considered as a wingback in games where we want a very attack minded option on that side. He didn’t have a lot of defending to do, so I can’t comment on that side of his game but it’s exciting to watch him going forward. He doesn’t always get it right but he has that sit-up-and-look quality when he’s running at defenders which makes football fun to watch.
Healey converted his chance well for the goal at the very start of the half and was a constant buzzing presence all the way through the half. He seemed to be dropping off quite a lot and coming into midfield to collect the ball or pull a defender out to allow a midfielder to make a run. Cut and paste the usual friendly caveats here but Healey looks sharp and frisky at this stage, so I’m very hopeful about what he’s going to bring to us on the pitch this season (assuming we keep hold of him).
Healey’s strike partner, Radulovic made less of an impact on the game but did, at least, make an impact on the scoresheet when he was the first to Headley’s ball into the box thanks to some smart movement. He should have had at least one more too, when he went one-on-one with the keeper but the keeper did well and Radders failed to get his shot far enough away from the onrushing goalie. I don’t think it’s as simple as Healey is busy and Radulovic is lazy though. My impression is that this 3-5-2 system doesn’t have two identical strikers, one leads the line and is instructed to stay up top and force back the defenders while the other is a secondary striker who operates in the pocket between midfield and defence. So Radulovic not seeing the ball too much may just be a function of this system rather than anything he’s doing wrong. We’ll see over the rest of preseason.
Like last week, Balker was guilty of some rusty looking passes, where he gifted possession straight to Guiseley in dangerous areas. These errors are part and parcel (or “part and partial” if you’re Darren Moore) of preseason, so I hope he’s getting them all out of his system now. We certainly saw that Balker can pass a ball at other times, as he played a few beautiful passes, including a raking diagnal pass to the opposite wing that put Pat Jones in possession in a dangerou position. If we keep hold of him, it’s possible that he may look a little bit out of place in League One, given his obvious talent with the ball at his feet. But then again, the rusty moments show that he’s not perfect.
Ben Wiles looks like he’s been on the protein powder over the summer. He looks slimmer around the waist and broader around his shoulders. What happened to players getting smashed every night and eating nothing but kebabs in post season? The game’s gone. It wasn’t just Wiles phsyical appearance that looked improved either, his performance seemed a lot better too. He suited the attacking midfield role he was played in and got forward well and was part of a lot of neat triangle passing to advance the ball up the field. He also scored a lovely goal too, showing calm when he received the ball and taking a defender out of the picture first rather than snatching at the shot, which gave him a far easier finish in the end.
It feels a bit like I’m gushing to be showering praise on so many players, but Headley was another player that looked good again. As a left wingback he stuck to the touchline, drove forward and linked well with midfield. I suppose he was barely even a wingback and more of a winger that didn’t have a fullback behind him, he was playing so far forward. But he put in some decent balls into the box and gave us good width down that flank. The way he moves on the pitch reminds me of the Tomy Super Cup Football game I played as a child, where the players can move freely vertically up and down the pitch but can’t move to the left or right. I think the instruction to hug the touchline must be part of the new tactical system but it worked, as he gave Guiseley plenty of problems.
David Kasumu was playing a slightly different role to the one we’re used to seeing him in. He was a proper defensive midfielder in this system, so didn’t push too far forward to join the press and instead screened the defence and had to play a more restrained game. This is obviously more Jonathan Hogg’s role but I think with our recent arrivals in the attacking midfield department Kasumu is going to have to learn this more protective-screen type of position. He’s got plenty of experience as a defensive midfielder but usually one that roams about more but in this game it seems like he was making a deliberate effort to stay in the right position to anchor the rest of the team. I think he can do it but he’ll just need to make sure he reads the game well and doesn’t expose the back line by getting out of position or commiting to tackles where he doesn’t need to.
It was nice to see Turton continue his return from his long-term absence from football. While he did play a part at the end of last season, I think that was more out of necessity so getting a full preseason to reach proper fitness should really benefit him. He played as a right-sided of central defender, just like Brodie Spencer did in the first half, and had the same tendency to make the odd forray forward to join in the attack. This worked to spectacular effect when he stroked a lovely shot into the bottom corner late on.
Who was missing?
With two teams of eleven playing in this game, there were several players missing from this game. Most notably were three of Town’s four summer signings.
Here’s a full list of the first team players that didn’t feature:
- Mickel Miller
- Herbie Kane
- Antony Evans
- Tom Lees
- Kian Harratt
- Scott High
- Kyle Hudlin
- Tyreece Simpson
The commentary team said something about Duff wanting to spend more time with the new signings before putting them into games or something. This seemed a bit odd for a friendly but there’s still plenty of preseason left for them to get in the team.
Lees is most likely still recovering from the ligament damage that he picked up at the end of last season (the recovery time estimate back then was that he should be ready for the new season but these things can change).
The three Hs of High, Hudlin and Harratt are all unknown but are most likely just not currently in the plans for next season. They could be injured but my suspicion is that we’ll not see much of any of these players in the season to come and they’re most likely be loaned out if we can find clubs that will take them.
Tyreece Simpson played and scored last week but was in with the B Teamers, so is clearly just so far down the pecking order that he’s subterranean.
Why didn’t Lee Nicholls play?
The game’s only Huddersfield Town substitute was Lee Nicholls, so he travelled with the team and could have stepped in if either Maxwell or Chapman picked up a knock. The fact he was benched suggests that a firm bid may be on the table for him or at least significant interest that would mean we don’t want an injury to risk scuppering a deal and need to use these friendlies to take a look at the other keepers.
Nicholls leaving would hardly be a huge shock as he’s been a top level Championship keeper for a few seasons now. Last season might not have been his best for Town but he’s still probably quite an attractive option for a number of Championship clubs. He’s still contracted to Town though, so we’ll have a price in mind that other clubs will have to pay before he can leave.
I’ve no idea what the asking price for Nicholls will be. At 31 he’s fairly old but keepers can play on for longer than outfield players. Would a million pounds be about right? Given Alfie May went to Birmingham for less it may we have to settle for under that but then again, how much is a top keeper worth to us this season? Strikers and keepers are the positions that can earn and cost you points most directly, so letting Nicholls go too cheaply would feel like a mistake.
Is the squad too big?
Given we fielded two whole teams of players and had three new signings and a handful of other players not involved, it feels like we may be a bit bloated at the moment.
My suspicion is that Rudoni’s exit for a handsome transfer fee meant we could make our own moves in the market without relying on getting rid of other players first. However, it feels like we may be overstocked in some areas of the pitch and those players that are fourth or fifth choices may need to be moved on.
We’re only allowed a squad of 22 players, not including goalies and players that were under 21 at the start of this calendar year. So there are probably a few on the fringes that need moving on.
At the other end of the quality spectrum, our best players are no doubt hoping their agents can magic them up a move to a team in a higher league with a fatter salary. But these deals will only be done on our terms, so we’ll have to see. I’d hope that the better players such as Helik or Nicholls are replaced with transfers in rather than backfilled from the existing squad.
Do Town need more challenging games to get them ready?
I think we’ve reached the limit in terms of the value we can get from playing non-league teams. The only significant defensive test in these games is whether the players can keep focussed enough not to make a daft mistake (a test a few failed). I think this game and Emley last week were good for fitness and scoring a handful of goals helps morale but I’m pleased Harrogate next week represents a step up in quality and we’ll be playing a decent League Two team.
The preseason schedule currently looks a bit thin, with Aris Limassol, giants of the Cypriot league, the only remaining friendly after Harrogate. The club’s match agent is apparently on with arranging at least one more game for while they are out in Austria. Though the club are already past their self-imposed deadline for announcing this fixture and are no doubt causing annoyance to Town fans who plan to travel to Austria.
If all else fails, Town have a big enough squad to play a match against themselves. How to divide the squad would present an interesting question. Maybe England Vs Rest of the World, Young Vs Old or tall Vs short. I expect it won’t come to that and they’ll find someone to play against but I’d tune in to a match where our tallest XI played the shortest XI.