preseason – Page 3 – Terrier Spirit – Huddersfield Town FC blog

Aug312020 by Terrier Spirit6 Comments

The player I think Carlos Corberán will transform this season at Huddersfield Town

Juninho Bacuna. I could be wrong but I think this could be the breakthrough season for the young man with the ever-changing hair colour. Bacuna arrived in the summer in the middle of Town's two seasons in the Premier League. He's definitely not one of the signings you would point to as bad business (he's one of the few decent signings from that period) but I still don't think we've seen the best of him. Here's why I think he's due to have a big season for Town if he makes a few adjustments to his game. Bacuna's strengths It's not hard to think of Bacuna's strengths, he's got skill on the ball that looks natural and effortless but is usually the result of hard work and practise. With the ball at his feet he's capable of dazzling opponents and pulling off...

Aug282020 by Terrier Spirit4 Comments

What’s changed with Huddersfield Town’s tactics under Carlos Corberán?

Matches, Tactics

Huddersfield Town have only played one friendly under their new manager, Carlos Corberán, so it's a bit early to draw too many conclusions about the tactics he's going to use. Having said that, Leigh Bromby has made it clear that we're moving towards a new "identity" built around a 433 shape which will be attack-minded and involve high tempo pressing. There were signs in the Bradford friendly that things have changed with the way Town were setting up and players were being asked to do things differently. Here's a look at each area of the pitch and how the positions have changed under Carlos' new system. Goalkeeper - playing out from the back The big difference with the goalkeeper position on Wednesday was how much we played the ball out from the back. Whenever the keeper had the ball h...

Aug272020 by Terrier Spirit9 Comments

5 thoughts about Huddersfield Town’s 2-1 victory over Bradford

Matches, Opinion

Finally, some football to talk about! Huddersfield Town ran out 2-1 winners in an enjoyable to watch friendly. The first half was a mixed bag, with defensive frailties and attacking intent on display from Town. The second half was the most entertaining, when Town's academy players showed why they are so highly thought of by the club's hierarchy. While it's important to not get too carried away by a preseason game against League Two opposition, there were some very encouraging signs in this game. Here are a few of my thoughts. First half - adapting to a new style of play There was an awkwardness to Town's play in the first half against Bradford as players adjusted to the new way they are expected to play under Carlos Corberán. The highlight was the sheer numbers of bodies we committed fo...

Aug132020 by Terrier SpiritNo Comments

Who was missing from Huddersfield Town’s first day of training video?

Matches, Opinion

An annual ritual for Huddersfield Town is to put out a video of the first day of preseason training. They aren't the most interesting things to watch but given the complete lack of Town related news lately, I watched it anyway. I know it’s a bit sad to then check off which players were and weren’t training but I did it, so here we are. Criticise me all you like but I did it find interesting seeing which players weren’t in the video. Quite a few of the first team squad didn't feature. This may be for innocuous reasons but you look at the list it seems to correlate with players that could be leaving Town this transfer window. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2RyDAp9kkc Which players didn't feature in the video? Here's a list of the players I couldn't see: Elphick - No huge surprise that...

Aug62020 by Terrier Spirit16 Comments

5 questions Huddersfield Town fans want answering as soon as possible

Matches

The ongoing pandemic has made football weird. The shortened preseason starts for Huddersfield Town on Monday next week but there are still a lot of unknowns ahead of the league starting up on 12th September. With only a short amount of time to go until everything kicks off again there are still lots of details we don't know. Here are a few things that we need to find out as soon as possible: When will the fixtures be released? I don't think there has been any official announcement about the date fixtures will be released. Now the playoffs have concluded and Wigan's legal challenge settled, we know who will be competing with Town in the Championship so there is nothing to stop the fixture compilers getting on with their job. I would expect that the fixtures will be announced within the ...

Jul282019 by Terrier Spirit1 Comment

6 things we’ve learned about Huddersfield Town this preseason

Opinion, Transfers

Town completed their preseason friendlies with a 1-1 draw with Montpellier FSV in a game that wasn’t all that exciting but contained some interesting moments. Clear cut chances were in short supply, but Grant made the most of the single opportunity he was given but Diakhaby and Hadergjonaj both spurned Town’s two best other chances. It’s important not to draw too much from preseason friendlies, but here are a few things I’ve picked up from the things I’ve seen so far... Lewis O’Brien is ready for the first team After a season on loan at Bradford City, the Town youngster has returned looking like a seasoned pro and has turned in some eye-catching performances this preseason. He has mostly played as one of the two more advanced midfielders but could be equally effective in the deeper, J...

Jul172019 by Terrier SpiritNo Comments

Squad report – Do Huddersfield Town have two players for every position?

Matches

In the Q&A with new Chairman, Phil Hodgkinson, it was made clear that Town now have a full squad and will only bring new players in as a result of other players leaving. He also said that our star players would only leave if we received “very big bids”, so it’s possible that the core of the current squad will be in tact when the transfer window closes in a few weeks time. So here’s a look at the squad as it stands, looking specifically at whether we have two players for every position in Siewert’s preferred 4-3-3 system. Goalkeepers - Grabara, Schofield and Coleman It’s widely reported that the big Premier League teams only loan their youth players out with assurances that they will play a decent percentage of games, so it’s very likely Grabara will be our first choice keeper. I k...

Jul142019 by Terrier SpiritNo Comments

4 standout performances in the Town v Hamburger SV friendly

Matches

I don’t particularly like friendlies, but I still found myself tuning in to watch Town play Hamberger SV on the club’s official live stream. Town ran out 1-0 winners in a solid but unexciting performance against a decent second-tier German team. Here are a few of the players that caught my eye during the game. It’s worth remembering that preseason doesn’t count for a great deal, but until the season starts it’s all we have to go off. Lewis O’Brien I was very impressed by O’Brien’s work rate and composure in his first-half performance (the entire XI was switched at half-time). He aggressively pressed the opposition, made some smart tackles and looked comfortable in possession. The year on loan at Bradford must have done him a lot of good, as he looks like a professional footballer o...

Jul122019 by Terrier SpiritNo Comments

5 reasons for Town fans to be optimistic

Opinion

Huddersfield Town will return to the Championship in a few weeks time, following their relegation from the Premier League. The 2018/19 season was a dismal one for Town fans, with just three victories to celebrate all season and some embarrassing low points along the way. While some fans may see relegation to the Championship as a terrible thing, I’m feeling positive about the forthcoming campaign. Here’s a list of reasons why I think we’re going to have a good season. More games where we’ve got a good chance of winning While it was nice to have a couple of years in the top-flight of English football, the last season was awful to watch for the majority of the time. While it would be daft to think Town are going to be competing at the top end of the Championship, it’s almost certain we’...

Aug102018 by Terrier SpiritNo Comments

Who’s going to score the goals for Huddersfield Town this season?

Opinion, Player profiles

This is the final part of a series of articles looking at Town’s squad ahead of the Premier League season opener against Chelsea tomorrow. I’ve already gone through the goalkeepers, defenders, central midfielders, and wingers. This article looks at the strikers and number tens within the squad... Numer tens Alex Pritchard Town looked an awful lot better when Pritchard arrived in January. Kasey Palmer and Tom Ince had played in the number ten role in the first half of the season, but neither was able to do the job properly. Pritchard's quality on the ball, ability to pick a pass, and energy make him perfect for the role. Pritchard has now had time to adjust to David Wagner’s system, and has a full preseason under his belt, so he could be even better this season. Town’s new wingers ...