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Tag: tactics

Why do Huddersfield Town struggle against teams like Cardiff and how can they beat them?

Why do Huddersfield Town struggle against teams like Cardiff and how can they beat them?

Matches, Tactics
Huddersfield Town play Cardiff tomorrow night and will feel confident after beating the league leaders on Saturday and extending their unbeaten run to 15 games. However, Cardiff are in relatively decent form and are the exact type of team that Town have struggled against this season.  A physical challenge against an opponent that is happy to play long and sit deep is likely on the cards and Town don’t do particularly well in this kind of game. Or at least they haven’t until recently. This game could represent an opportunity to show how much Town have improved over the course of the season and it will be intriguing to see how the tactical side of the game plays out. Don’t expect an easy win for Town   It’s easy to look at the league table and think that Cardiff will...
Four things Huddersfield Town need to do between now and the end of the season

Four things Huddersfield Town need to do between now and the end of the season

Opinion
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 T...
What is Carlosball?

What is Carlosball?

Tactics
This quick answer is that Carlosball is the brand of football that Carlos Corberán is seeking to implement at Huddersfield Town. It's very similar to Bielsaball at Leeds but with a few embellishments to fit with Corberán's style. We're still in the very early stages of Carlos Corberán's Huddersfield Town reign but there are already clear signs of how he wants football to be played by his team. It’s possible that more will become clear about how he wants to play as we get further into the season, but here is what I’ve observed about the new approach from his first few games in charge. Man marking The concept of man marking isn't exactly new but the lengths this is taken to by this new-look Town is genuinely surprising. Players pop up all over the pitch to track their man, which looks wei...
What’s changed with Huddersfield Town’s tactics under Carlos Corberán?

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...
The problems Huddersfield Town are currently facing

The problems Huddersfield Town are currently facing

Opinion
Huddersfield Town have had a poor start to their 2018/19 season, with three defeats and one draw from their opening four games. Admittedly, two of those losses came against top-six opposition, but performances in those games was disappointing even when you account for the opposition. Losing is fine, but rolling over and letting them tickle your belly is less acceptable. In this article I’m going to try to pinpoint where the problems currently lie for Town and David Wagner. This isn’t an article that’s moaning about our current situation, rather I’m trying to find what the problems are and then it may be easier to see how we can turn this slump around. Lack of goals Obviously scoring goals is the principle problem facing any football team, but a lack of goals has been an issue for Town...
How Gareth Southgate’s 3-3-2-2 system could work at Huddersfield Town

How Gareth Southgate’s 3-3-2-2 system could work at Huddersfield Town

Tactics
The dust has settled on England’s unexpected World Cup run to the semi-finals and now we’re all looking ahead to the forthcoming season. One thought that has stuck with me since England’s exit from the tournament is how England’s tactical system might also work for David Wagner and Huddersfield Town. Here’s a look at how Town’s players could slot into the system that England used to good effect in the World Cup. WARNING: This might be a bit boring if you’re not into dissecting football tactics. Feel free to skip it, I won’t be offended! The formation England played the majority of the tournament in an unorthodox 3-3-2-2 shape, which was notably different from the systems most other countries played. The most common formations were something similar to Town’s regular 4-2-3-1 or the ...
3 formations Town could use for the Spurs game

3 formations Town could use for the Spurs game

Tactics
Huddersfield Town head to Wembley to face Spurs at the weekend following consecutive Premier League victories against Bournemouth and West Brom. It’s likely to be a tough afternoon for Town, and David Wagner will be scratching his head trying to think of ways to play against Spurs. Here are a few of the approaches we’ve seen so far this season when we’ve come up against the top teams in the Premier League. The standard 4-2-3-1 approach Town’s first game against a top six team came against Spurs last September and Wagner played the standard gegenpressing 4-2-3-1 system that he’s favoured during his time in Huddersfield. Arguably Town were on top for the first five minutes and the game was wide open. We crashed a shot against the crossbar when it was 0-0 and it could have been a ...