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Dean Smith


Demitri_C

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Could have gone 1-0 up a couple of times and its a different game. Defensively for two of them goals were shocking.

Their full backs just full send it when the wingers get it or when they have an overflow on the flanks, we were out numbers too often out wide and they played through the CM easily. 

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It really was such a unique game. At the risk of blowing smoke up their arse, there isn't many managers in world football who will analyse and exploit your weakness to the extent Bielsa will.

They were excellent and if they had more individual quality could have been 2 up or so before we even realised we were in a game. We came back into it quite well but the collapse once they scored was alarming and Smith seeming quite content just to watch it unfold.

But maybe a reality check isn't a bad thing, still work to do.

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2 minutes ago, AndyM3000 said:

Their full backs just full send it when the wingers get it or when they have an overflow on the flanks, we were out numbered too often out wide 

This was happening all through the first half but it got worse if anything in the second half. I'd love to know what tactical changes were done at half time because they certainly didn't work. 

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4 minutes ago, danceoftheshamen said:

I thought Dean & the coaching staff were poor tonight.  Did absolutely nothing to address the Leeds overload on the wings whatsoever which is quite bizarre and the reason Leeds won easily as has been correctly spotted by the commentators. Awful.

You could see from the off we were not at it tonight, sloppy, constantly giving the ball away needlessly, slow & laborious all over the pitch. I'm surprised Subs didn't come on sooner to shake it up a bit.

That's it for me. Just didn't seem to even try and change it.

One the one hand we were unlucky to not nick a goal when they cleared off the line, but they were comfortably the better side in the first half. We had a decent spell in the second but then the same resumed, and I'm just dismayed they didn't try to change it beyond Smith's trademark like-for-like swap circa 70 minutes. Just not good enough tonight. 

The start to the season has been phenomenal, but tonight, we looked back to the bad old days of "give it to Jack" as our only gameplan.

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10 minutes ago, danceoftheshamen said:

I thought Dean & the coaching staff were poor tonight.  Did absolutely nothing to address the Leeds overload on the wings whatsoever which is quite bizarre and the reason Leeds won easily as has been correctly spotted by the commentators. Awful.

You could see from the off we were not at it tonight, sloppy, constantly giving the ball away needlessly, slow & laborious all over the pitch. I'm surprised Subs didn't come on sooner to shake it up a bit.

Well put. You could see we were in trouble after 15 minutes but nothing was changed.

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We should have gone to 3 at the back at HT with Engels on for Trez and I would have also gone Traore for Barkley who said he has been carrying a knee niggle, with Grealish roaming behind. Poor I’m game tactics today sadly, but as I said in the match thread, it was alway gunna happen. Gutting as it is, it was against Leeds, the important thing now is the reaction in the next game. 

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2 minutes ago, DCJonah said:

2nd in the league on equal games with nearly all teams. Its been a tremendous start regardless of tonight. 

I hope we don't let it effect us. We won't come up against teams who perform like that every week.

Now it’s about how we respond and how Dean facilitates that. That was the first time we’ve been behind this season. Up to the goal it was even but they were ruthless with so much energy, made us look lethargic after 1-0. Disappointing. Doesn’t help me personally too as I put so much emotional stock in that game and it was humbling. 

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9 minutes ago, penguin said:

It really was such a unique game. At the risk of blowing smoke up their arse, there isn't many managers in world football who will analyse and exploit your weakness to the extent Bielsa will

That was exactly what wolves did to us last year, almost carbon copy

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He got outsmarted today. Bielsa found out where we were weak and found a way to hurt us. 

Dean not only didn't pick out a weakness, but failed to counter Bielsa's tactics which would have eventually punished us. 

We were dire up front, our biggest chances came through a mistake they made and a set piece. 

When we were 3-0 we were still hoofing it up. If hoofing it up is the plan then you might consider bringing Davis on. 

Which leads me to the lack of subs and the lack of imagination in changing shape when things aren't working.

It might have been worth a try to bring Davis on, go 2 yo front and remove one of Barkley and Mcginn, both of whom were ineffective. It also would've been a statement of intent for the players on the pitch, as they completely lost the intensity after going down. We gave up as soon as we conceded. 

 

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9 minutes ago, Villaphan04 said:

the one question that keeps coming back to me is why do we have our full backs shift inside so much? not sure the reasoning behind it

Ive said this before...theres tucking in...and there's how we tuck in....too.much space allowing wingers to run

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13 minutes ago, danceoftheshamen said:

I thought Dean & the coaching staff were poor tonight.  Did absolutely nothing to address the Leeds overload on the wings whatsoever which is quite bizarre and the reason Leeds won easily as has been correctly spotted by the commentators. Awful.

You could see from the off we were not at it tonight, sloppy, constantly giving the ball away needlessly, slow & laborious all over the pitch. I'm surprised Subs didn't come on sooner to shake it up a bit.

Maybe could have nullified with a deep block and line. Sub Barkley for Davis, move Jack in the middle and Watkins left. Then had Trez and Watkins deeper. There wingers were so high and wide, Harrison had an especially good game. But then you can understand Smith having faith in his team and system to be able to impose themselves on Leeds, we had just won 4 on the bounce. The Grealish break and the Konsa chance from corner was just prior to 1st goal. Yet after 1-0 it was Villa capitulation and Leeds confidence.

The team is still learning too, for instance tough game for Cash as he was exposed, but also made so great blocks and tackles. 

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I think tonight reaffirms my view that winning 4 games on the trot just means we are a quarter of the way to safety, the sooner we get there the better.  There will be games like this, teams will have studied us and find ways to counteract our play.  Leeds did a job on us, it hurts even more because it was that prick Bamford.  Dean definitely needed to make subs even if it was just to show that the way we capitulated wasn't  good enough.

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