Ange Postecoglou

Yeah i’ve always thought the logic of not changing was pretty naive, you have to adapt to what players you have available

 

It’s not just adapting to who you have available it is the fact that it shouldn’t come as a surprise that their squad assembled for an absolute fortune is far better player for player than ours. So what can you do without changing the principles of your approach to make it more difficult for them and give us the best chance.

I don’t think it’s very clever coming out after a game and saying I could see it coming because we kept going back to the keeper. If that’s what you seen get a message on to stop doing that.

A few things are starting to worry me about the current team. The first is their fitness levels now Leipzig are a super fit team and I don’t expect us to be at that level yet but even in domestic games we look burst after 55-70 minutes a lot of the time. I also don’t think it has massively progressed. Rotation is obviously part of that picture but I don’t know if it’s something we need to look at further.

Another example is Abildgaard, he has been here for over a month now and you could see when he came on he was nowhere near ready to play. He should have been able to do a preseasons worth of work by now and started to integrate into the team. He’s going to have to now as that doesn’t look good for McGregor.

The second point is the failure to learn from European experiences to date, that game last night had all the same traits as both Leverkusen games last year, the Betis away game and the Bodo/Glimt home tie. Our teams decision making in a pressure situation, probably Kyogo aside was terrible. They showed a real lack of ability to think clearly in key moments and make the right decision. The first two goals and Hatate panicking instead of taking a touch when their keeper fluffed his lines.

Individual errors have plagued us for the last number of seasons in Europe that can’t be on Ange but we need to look at the psychological factors and help the players be at their optimum for those situations.

The really worrying thing is the biggest mistakes came from our most experienced players, McGregor and Hart.

In the next two games I would generally be happy if we could get through them without selling a cheap goal or two from school boy level stuff as we are probably going back to Lazio away for the last time we played a decent team in Europe and didn’t sell a cheap goal to them.

 

I just can't see Ange rethinking and jigging up the system like we're discussing.

Just listen to his interview post-match. It is his summation that we needed to be more Angeball. To be fair to him I can see where he's coming from. In all our games in this CL campaign we had enough clearcut chances to have taken 9 points. It's just that belief/composure in the final third that's missing. He will address that before he looks at anything else

 

I'm all for attacking football, but I'm also up for progressing in tournaments.

We didn't deserve much last night, but a Point was genuinely achievable - we just had to tighten things up for the last 25 mins. It was the sensible thing to do in a group where 2nd place qualification is as tight as this. It was never going to happen though.

Ange has to understand that the club isn't HIS - it's OURS. Last night was NO fun at all. For the love of *, please loosen-up on the attacking vanity project and start MANAGING games!

 

Even the great man himself adapted the team's playing style when he set up the team to play more defensively away against Dukla Prague on our way to winning the European Cup. Yes, it's great when everything snaps into place and that we never stop however, we aren't clicking at the moment and good teams will always catch us on the counter. We are also not fit enough to do it for 90 mins and we are still lacking from a physical presence - especially in Europe

 

If that is the case and I can see an argument for that as well but we should have then looked to bring in players capable of playing that way. I am not talking about in terms of quality because we likely can’t afford it but in terms of profile.

If we want to play expansive attacking football, with a lot of transitions you need a super fit team and players with great athletic capability.

A few roles in particular stand out and the first is in midfield. If our midfield are going to have to cover so much ground in a game then we needed to sign guys with really good stamina and who are competent on the ball to compliment the attacking talent.

Now our midfield 3 we have are all good players and it’s too early to judge Abildgaard but in the summer most people would have said we needed another box to box high energy midfielder, we then sign Mooy? Someone who is tidy on the ball but with no legs. We already have McCarthy who doesn’t have the legs for it.

Leipzig had two guys in Kampl and Schalager in there to be the engine of their team and cover the ground that allowed their front 4 to go and play. They then had Werner and Szoboszlai essentially do a lot of running to stretch the game and pull players out of position, Silva as a focal point who could rotate and this allowed their main man Nkunku to have a free role. The full backs provided width.

We don’t seem to think like that at all we want all our players to be attacking outlets and at this level that doesn’t work it just ends up in a chaotic mess.

Then moving to the next position of CB, we needed someone good on the ball to complement CCVs aggressive defending, we bought Jenz who try’s to do this but doesn’t look assured at all as soon as he is pressed. Also for a big guy he’s hopeless in the air.

All the teams we have played so far in CL have at least one press resistant CB, Madrid are a different level but Bodo/Glimt last year had 3 of their back four and their keeper who were comfortable on the ball. If we want to play out from the back we need players capable of doing it not just asking guys who aren’t to do it.

Lastly this is where I do agree with Ange our players need to be braver. Hart needlessly passed the ball away, he had no one baring down on him and had all the time he needed to pick a pass when he made that mistake, it is unforgivable doing what he done. Even from a physiological point of view they just had a goal disallowed, they are a team who have not hit form this year, doubts could have started to creep in, no forget that here’s the ball just score.

Other than Juranovic the other 3 were guilty of getting the ball and just giving it straight back to where it came too. Taylor inverted and got some good passes into him and he had time to turn beyond their first line of the press taking 4 players out but he just constantly first time gave it straight back creating a pressure situation and pressing chance for them instead of an attacking opportunity for us.

 

I think the jury is still out with regards to our summer transfer business. Yet to really see what Abildgard, Hacksaw and that new lb have to offer.

 

Bring back samaras to get us out the box..

 

Just like Deila and Rodgers found out, Ange is finding out what happens when desires clash with reality. We can imitate MC, Liverpool, etc. in Scotland, but not in Europe. Up to him to admit it to himself. If he cares about European results, then footballing principles have to buckle. If he wants to play attacking football no matter what and ask players to just give their best, then I suppose changes to tactics won't be made.

 

Adopting a more defensive system would get us nowhere.

Our players already can’t score the umpteen chances they get in this system, so what would further limiting chances get us?

Teams will always find a way through at this level. The issue is that our players aren’t good enough for this level - including the likes of Kyogo and Jota.

 

If we can't score from umpteen chances, might as well try to be more defensively solid, even if it reduces the number of chances. And perhaps, baiting teams to attack us would actually let us have more chances- from counterattacks. Even with McGregor on the pitch, we struggled to take hold of the game. Our best period came from one run of Maeda that created a chance for Kyogo, and it rattled RBL a wee bit.

Although, I'll say you might be right with your last point. RBL defenders generally knew how to reduce the danger of our best players, and almost always seemed to force us into subpar shooting positions.

 

Domestically it is pretty flawless when everyone is in good form, no one can handle it. In Europe though we haven’t had any luck with it.

Feels very like Lennons last season in Europe in the sense that I feel like we’ll concede under any attack. Scoring wasn’t an issue that season.

 

Klopp is stubborn with his tactics and paying the price this season. Even the best managers teams need at least a plan b.

But in Ange we trust, still think we are well ahead of where we should be considering its only been 15 months.

My biggest concern is not the tactics, its not taking chances.
Donetsk for example are rapid at it, got 4 chances against Leipzig took them all. Against us (We should have won that), then they scored with their 1st chance last night against Madrid. Games would be sooo different if we put them to bed early on, n we wouldn't be having these conversations about tactics.

 

I think that’s the way play in Europe, O’Riley’s further up the pitch and Hatate is further back with McGregor.

Problem was when Abilgaard came on, he was a further five yards back and our midfield became non existent.

 

You couldn't tell Stephen Kenny of the Republic this as well please...

 

Is it just me misremembering or were we actually not giving away a horrendous amount of chances against both Madrid and Shakhtar?

Madrid was obviously more chances than we would usually face but they’re also Real Madrid but I can mind 4 big chances, which they scored 3 of. Shakhtar scored pretty much the only chance they made.

 

Just checking you don’t have any up and coming games against Scotland first

 

I 100% agree. Ange seems intent on sticking with his tactics, but until we have players of an equal quality as some of europes stronger sides, or manage to build a reallt strong squad front to back, we will continue to see heavy defeats away from home.

Its almost a la Brendan Rodgers, as much as it pains me to say it.

Its no coincidence that Strachan managed to take us to the last 16 playing like he did.