Huddersfield Town’s unbeaten run came to an end against Preston North End yesterday. A couple of second half goals for Preston overturned Town’s lead and put them in charge of the game. After going behind, Town pushed for an equaliser that never came, a task made harder by Naby Sarr’s red card in the 78th minute.
It was a defeat that felt easier to take than most as Town played well at times and worked hard to try and get back into the game. Preston played well and probably deserved their victory on the balance of play. Here’s what I thought of each individual Town player yesterday:
Ben Hamer – 6 out of 10
He had a very good game on the whole and made some great saves in the second half to keep Town in the game. He will be disappointed with the second goal though, where a collision with Naby Sarr meant he fumbled the ball. So it’s hard to give him a good rating when he was involved in the mixup that ultimately cost us a point.
Pipa – 8 out of 10
Was a consistent attacking threat and made positive runs forward when he was on the ball. He’s a real threat when he cuts inside and gets going with his stepovers but when he gets an opportunity to shoot on his left from these situations he’s not doing enough to test the keeper. He hit the post in the closing stages but my ropey iFollow connection was egg timering so I didn’t get to see it.
Stearman – 5 out of 10
Did well to push forward at times and look for openings but left gaps in behind him for Preston to exploit. Made a few too many blunders with his passing too, one which required Hamer to fly out and snuff out a chance that could have led to a goal.
Schindler – 6 out of 10
Not the best performance from the German but I wouldn’t single him out as being among our worst players either. Struggled at times with the physical battles Preston present.
Sarr – 4 out of 10
Clumsy for the sending off incident. Whether it warranted a red or not is debatable but he could have dealt with the situation better and not given the referee the decision to make. Prior to that he had some good blocks and nice touches, though his passing wasn’t as accurate as it could be.
Toffolo – 7 out of 10
Put in some lovely crosses from the left and was unlucky that they didn’t lead to more goalscoring opportunities. Or maybe he should be aiming them better, I’m not sure. He played further forward with us having three central defenders but I think he’s more effective when he’s making runs from deep and his momentum takes him past defenders.
Hogg – 7 out of 10
Another player forced to play further forward due to having three at the back and showed a lot more ambition than usual with his passing. He doesn’t look quite as comfortable in this altered role but it’s nice to see him being more positive with his passing.
O’Brien – 6 out of 10
What a through ball for Campbell’s goal! The weight and angle on the ball put it on the plate for the striker to finish. Very similar to the one he played to Smith Rowe against West Brom for the goal that effectively kept us up. Other than that moment of magic he looked a bit rusty, with heavy touches letting him down and a couple of occasions where he got caught in possession.
Bacuna – 4 out of 10
After scoring a goal and playing more for the team on Tuesday night he reverted to his usual tricks yesterday. His passing was sloppy and his work rate when he lost the ball was casual. I think someone needs to have a word with him about his attitude and Carlos should give him some time on the sidelines. Currently he keeps getting picked even when he plays like this, which means he’s not likely to learn.
Isaac Mbenza – 6 out of 10
Had some nice touches, particularly early on but didn’t do it consistently enough to say it was a good performance. For such a quick player it can be frustrating to watch him not use his speed more often to get past players.
Frazier Campbell – 7 out of 10
He won’t be winning goal of the month for the scruffy finish that he guided under the keeper but he won’t care either. Had a few other opportunities to score and put in his usual shift putting pressure on the opposition defence. Impressive considering this was his second time playing 90 minutes this week.
Substitutes
Carel Eiting – 6 out of 10
Looked to get on the ball and tried to create opportunities for an equaliser but couldn’t conjure up the killer ball.
Adam Diakhaby – 6 out of 10
Came on when we were chasing the game, Preston were sitting deep and he didn’t have any space to run into, making it hard for him to make an impact.
Josh Koroma – 7 out of 10
Looked a threat when he came on and caused problems for Preston even if he couldn’t make the crucial contribution we needed.
Just a bad day at the office, from taking the lead Town should have gone on and won the game, one thing is absolutely clear, that is Bacuna is a luxury Town can’t afford, all the others busting a gut and he is having a stroll in the park, its obvious he doesn’t fit with Corberans style of play, its very high intensity and he just does not have it, lots of the time its not what he does but what he doesn’t do, but now its all about Wed. and Birmingham,
we need to get back to the coaches style of play and carry on in the high press mode. I have no doubt Town will win more than they lose. UTT
I think most fans would agree about Bacuna. He doesn’t produce enough moments of quality to justify the wasteful moments. He’s clearly full of potential but needs to apply himself.
I agree about keeping to Carlos’ style of play. Even when we don’t win it is still entertaining to watch.
Bacuna needs to be left out for a spell and maybe used as an impact sub as he was in the first part of last season , he has too much of a lax attitude for Corberans graft like style of play.
Fair point about him being better as an impact sub, he had his best games last season from the bench.
My thought’s entirely, bacuna needs a kick up the ####
Spot on Hirsty, Bacuna has always been better coming on as a sub.and agree a spell on the bench is due.
UTT.
Bacuna Bacuna
I’ve heard a rumour
You can play if you choose
But WHAT lights your fuse
My patience has worn thin
All I want is to win
So make up your mind
Before Carlos is inclined
To find a replacement
YOU ARE TOO COMPLACENT
Maybe time to ring your agent
I didn’t see the game so I’ll have to take your word for it that Diakhabe was a 50% better player than Bacuna on the day. My mind is boggling! Exactly how crap was Bacuna? Had he been on the pop?