The English Football Thread

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4 minutes ago, Laylabelle said:

Ohhhb leaves us 4 from 2nd..until tommrow no doubt when we go stupid

IF Villa beat us and Manure

then they are in 2nd (in terms of all teams at the 15 game mark), 1 point off Pool at their 15 game mark

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4 minutes ago, Jason said:

Spurs had only 1 shot in the second half.

It seems like Mourinho's football has become even worse/more boring than when he was with us?

their last shot on target was the goal

nothing after that (basically the whole game) lolol

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Arsenal fans in these stream chats are just the worst cunts on the planet

far worse (amazingly) than Manure and the dippers

they are racist, petty, vindictive, delusional in how much one game means

horrible human beings

[Laylabelle 9,341]

3 minutes ago, Vesper said:

IF Villa beat us and Manure

then they are in 2nd (in terms of all teams at the 15 game mark), 1 point off Pool at their 15 game mark

Pretty impressive from them really..they can beat Man U not us haha. And 2 games in hand to get played. Hope they don't do the mid season slide. Though dont think would slide down down down

[Jase 43,479]

Just now, Vesper said:

their last shot on target was the goal

nothing after that (basically the whole game) lolol

Saw that their last shot on target was in the 21st minute and their last shot was in the 59th. 

I mean that is fucked up football. Mourinho is really taking his park the bus approach to the extreme right now. 

[Laylabelle 9,341]

5 minutes ago, Vesper said:

their last shot on target was the goal

nothing after that (basically the whole game) lolol

Theyre as bad as us!! Yay lol. We just have our first shot near the end instead 

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3 minutes ago, Laylabelle said:

Theyre as bad as us!! Yay lol. We just have our first shot near the end instead 

a full strength Wolves (decimated by injuries atm) is a far better team atm than Arse

my fears of arse better players who had not been playing (for different reasons) came true

Mari, Smith-Rowe, Martinelli, Saka at his better position

just SHAMEFUL that their shit central/defensive MF of fucking dregs Xhaka and Elneny bullied us like bitches

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Mou live

http://hockeynews.site/events/2020/wolveotspur/

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10 minutes ago, Jason said:

Saw that their last shot on target was in the 21st minute and their last shot was in the 59th. 

I mean that is fucked up football. Mourinho is really taking his park the bus approach to the extreme right now. 

yes, they corrected it now

they said it was the goal (incorrectly)

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Mou seething

and going all bitter again, lol

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that draw is ALL on Mou

makes NO sense to park the bus for most of the game against a banged up opponent

4 key players missing

Willy Boly  
Jonny Otto
Leander Dendoncker 
Raúl Jiménez  

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8 hours ago, Fulham Broadway said:

Ginger Mourinho

All of which came to mind on reading an interview in The Athletic with Burnley assistant manager Ian Woan about his foreign trips with gaffer Sean Dyche. How impressed was Dyche when they visited the Parthenon in Athens? “We got up there and I’m thinking, ‘This is going to be amazing’,” said Woan. “Literally we were back in the minibus after five minutes.”

And the Grand Canyon? “We got to this incredible place. Sean looked over the rim for two minutes, and said, ‘Alright I’ve seen it, let’s go’. ‘I said to him, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me?’ He just looked at me and said, ‘I’ve seen it, what else have I got to see? I’m just looking at this big hole.’

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Tottenham fans can only stomach negativity if it brings wins – change is needed

https://theathletic.com/2286978/2020/12/28/tottenham-mourinho-negative/

Throughout the second half at Molineux on Sunday night, that famous bit of Barry Davies commentary kept playing in my head. “And the Italians are out because they will not learn,” Davies said at the 2002 World Cup after Italy’s ultra-defensive approach saw them sit on a 1-0 lead against South Korea and ultimately lose 2-1.

It was a similar scenario for Tottenham against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Ahead through Tanguy Ndombele’s first-minute goal, Spurs tried to protect their lead and, as felt increasingly inevitable in the second half, conceded a late equaliser. It was the identical pattern as against Crystal Palace earlier this month, and followed draws being snatched from the jaws of victory at home to Newcastle and West Ham in the early weeks of the campaign. Throw in Liverpool’s dramatic late winner two weeks ago and Spurs have dropped nine points with goals conceded in the final 10 minutes of games this season, more than any other Premier League team.

It doesn’t appear to be a coincidence. If you sit on narrow leads where the margins between winning and drawing are very fine, this kind of thing will happen.

It will also happen if, as was the case for Spurs at Molineux, you don’t produce a shot on target after the 21st minute, and come up with a total of one effort on goal (an Eric Dier free kick) in the subsequent 69 minutes. Broadening that out, Spurs have managed just 22 second-half shots in their last seven league games.

As with so much of Tottenham’s season, many of their issues seem to stem from the trauma of the 3-3 home collapse against West Ham. After that, Mourinho switched to a more defensive approach — and it was one that led to Spurs conceding just once in their next six Premier League matches. It was an extraordinary turnaround but one that was helped by Tottenham often effectively setting up in a back six with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Moussa Sissoko dropping alongside Dier and Toby Alderweireld. It was a very effective defensive tactic but Spurs have not been the same side going forward since. They scored 15 goals in the four Premier League games prior to and including West Ham, compared to 11 in the subsequent 10. That is a significant drop-off.

In the immediate aftermath of West Ham, fans understood the need to dig in and grind out a few wins — as Tottenham did against Burnley, Brighton and West Brom. And there were no complaints from the vast majority of supporters when the approach led to seven points from the games against Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal. There was sympathy from many as well after the unfortunate defeat at Anfield when Spurs were more enterprising than expected.

But was the safety-first approach really necessary at Crystal Palace? Or against a Wolves team that without Raul Jimenez looked desperately short of an attacking threat? Playing reactive, largely unexciting football is generally fine with fans if it brings results. The moment it doesn’t it becomes a problem, and that’s what we’re seeing now.

Of those two matches, Palace was more acceptable given the way Roy Hodgson’s side roused themselves in the second half, roared on by a small but noisy crowd at Selhurst Park. But against Wolves, it felt like a team with Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Tanguy Ndombele and later, Steven Bergwijn should have backed themselves to do more than sit deep and soak up pressure against the team that started the day 11th after three defeats in their previous four matches.

A key question is the extent to which Spurs played like they did by design or because they were forced to by their opponents. Mourinho claimed the latter against Palace, saying it was not his instructions for the team to sit deep. Against Wolves he appeared to be making a similar point, saying that: “We had control of the game but we had 89 minutes to score more goals and we didn’t. It was not about scoring more goals, it was about not being dangerous or ambitious.” Frustratingly, when asked whether he had instructed the players to sit in and protect the lead, technical issues cut Mourinho off after he said: “Ask the players at half-time what I told (them). I think it was obvious for you when I..”

He pointedly repeated the message in an interview for Spurs TV, adding: “I would like the players to tell you what I told (them) at half-time.”

The implication seemed to be that the players had not carried out his instructions, and that sitting deep trying to protect the lead was not his intention. Mourinho might have pointed to replacing Sergio Reguilon with Bergwijn as evidence of this, while bringing in Davinson Sanchez and Harry Winks was at least an attempt to get Spurs to defend a bit higher and have a better range of passing in midfield.

Whatever the intentions, the way Sunday played out is a big concern. Spurs are either unwilling or unable to push on and kill games at the moment. And they have picked up two points from their last four league games.

But the nature of the season so far means they are only one point off the top four, and six off first-placed Liverpool. Home wins against Fulham and Leeds this week will likely lift them from fifth into the Champions League places.

Looking beyond just the short term, however, it appears that Tottenham need a reverse of the tightening up we saw after West Ham. Doing so was necessary to stiffen up a leaky defence that had gone 10 matches without a clean sheet, and kept just seven in Mourinho’s first 44 matches in charge.

Instigating that kind of turnaround was hugely impressive, but it feels like it’s gone too far the other way. Teams no longer fear Tottenham’s attacking threat, especially when, like on Sunday, their most impressive player Ndombele is taken off after 70 minutes. It meant that when Spurs were finally woken up into trying to score after conceding that 86th-minute equaliser they were doing so without Ndombele and Son, who had also been withdrawn.

Like after West Ham, there’s no shame in accepting a bit of a reboot is needed and altering the team’s approach, even if on this occasion the fear is that doing so will leave Spurs exposed defensively.

After sitting through the inevitability of more dropped points on Sunday night, it has to be a risk worth taking.

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Sensible Transfers: Nkunku, Buendia and Diop would help Arsenal in problem areas

https://theathletic.com/2273580/2020/12/28/arsenal-transfers-buendia-nkunku/

Heading into the January transfer window, the problems Arsenal face aren’t identical to their summer ones, but they are very similar.

Following their FA Cup final triumph in August, there were clear objectives to be met in the looming transfer window. A creative midfielder had to be signed, as did a supporting midfielder and a more all-encompassing box-to-box option. Alongside this, Mikel Arteta needed another left-sided centre-back to challenge Pablo Mari.

Some of these needs were filled, but one has yet to be satisfactorily addressed. Arsenal have their much-needed left-sided centre-back in Gabriel Magalhaes, arguably Arsenal’s player of the season so far, their box-to-box midfielder in Thomas Partey — still waiting for a real run in the side — and a supporting midfielder in re-signed loanee Dani Ceballos.

Willian arrived from Chelsea as a creative option but has failed to meet expectations. Too often, he has cut a stationary figure out wide, unwilling to drift into more dangerous areas behind opposition midfielders to create real problems.

Arsenal are back at square one then, looking for a creative force to drive their season back to some form of normality.

As reported by David Ornstein in early December, Arsenal were interested in Dominik Szoboszlai — who had a €25 million release clause, but the 20-year-old will instead join RB Leipzig in Germany next month from their Austrian sister club Red Bull Salzburg. While the player had physical and technical attributes that appealed, Arsenal had concerns over his capacity to make an immediate impact in the team, as well as the size of the agent’s fee. Ultimately, the relationship between Salzburg and Leipzig was what decided Szoboszlai’s next destination. 

In the summer, Arsenal bid for 22-year-old Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar. It’s easy to see what attracted them to the Frenchman. Aouar can play both as a No 8 and a No 10. with the ability to both glide upfield with the ball and unpick defences. As yet, however, there has been no indication Arsenal are ready to resurrect their interest. during the winter window. After the player publicly claimed his contentment at staying in France earlier this season, prising him away in January appears unlikely.

Given the difficulty of buying in January, it may be that Arsenal need to scour the market for opportunities. There is one such potential case in Barcelona. Before the dismantling of their international scouting network, Arsenal had watched Barcelona’s young attacking midfielder Riqui Puig on several occasions.

Puig’s recent fallout with head coach Ronald Koeman means he is likely to be available for transfer next month, with talk of interest from Leeds United. Technically, the Spaniard fits the profile of midfielder Arsenal require. However, at just 21, they may have similar concerns over his capacity to make an instant impact in English football — and fans will doubtless still feel stung by memories of Denis Suarez’s disappointing loan spell from Barcelona in the same window two years ago.

Arsenal have also maintained an interest in Christopher Nkunku, the RB Leipzig midfielder Sven Mislintat had pushed for them to sign in that January 2019 window. Looking at the qualities Arteta’s squad currently lacks, the 23-year-old would be a more than welcome addition, with the ability to play deeper as a No 8, higher as a No 10. as well as out wide. He has most commonly featured in central areas, where his industry and technical skill enable him to influence games even when he does not record a goal or assist. 

His versatility has been useful to RB Leipzig as they mount a charge for the German title — but their involvement in that race makes the chance of acquiring him at midseason a slim one.

David Ornstein reported for The Athletic on Boxing Day that Arsenal have also considered Julian Brandt, of Borussia Dortmund.

If Arsenal were to favour a player more familiar with the Premier League, however, Emi Buendia would appear to be an attractive option. More commonly used off the right wing, this season he has drifted into central areas much more often than in his previous two seasons by Championship leaders Norwich City — as analysed by Michael Bailey in November. In Arsenal’s current state, where the use of a 3-4-3 looks to be frequent once again, the 24-year-old’s inclusion in this area would be particularly fitting to combat both the creative and defensive voids at the top of the pitch.

Despite Norwich’s relegation last season, Buendia’s 83 chances created were fourth overall behind just Kevin De Bruyne (136), Jack Grealish (90) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (87), while playing a fifth-best 83 key passes (the final one before the recipient of the ball has an attempt at goal without scoring) and making seven actual assists. Alongside this, he made a club-high 82 tackles (31 more than any other Norwich player and sixth-highest for Premier League midfielders) feeding into head coach Daniel Farke’s philosophy at Carrow Road. 

His influence has continued into this season, creating the most chances from open play in the Championship (42), scoring six goals, contributing six assists, winning 22 of his 40 tackles (55 per cent) and contributing to their press. The positions he adopts without the ball have been integral to taking his side to the top of the league so far, it’s understandable why Farke isn’t thinking of offloading mid-season, saying: “It’s not a topic for us,” when asked if either Buendia or attacking midfielder Todd Cantwell could leave in January after both played vital roles in their 2-0 win over Cardiff City last weekend. One issue that counts against the Argentinian is that, in Nicolas Pepe and Willian, Arsenal have already invested considerable resource in players who ostensibly start from the right-hand side.

Arsenal have also discussed the possibility of recruiting a right-sided centre-back. Considering the club’s number of senior central defenders currently stands at eight, those ambitions may cause confusion initially — but context is key. The trio of Sokratis, Shkodran Mustafi and David Luiz are all set to be out of contract this summer and, as reported by David Ornstein in mid-December, there is scope for barely-used teenager William Saliba to leave on loan — preferably to a UK-based club.

Of those four mentioned above, only Luiz has been a fairly regular fixture in the first team this season and there is still room for improvement in that area. Calum Chambers’ recent return from almost a year out with a knee injury will help with this but considering the situation the club find themselves in, their longer-term plans for the position may have to become more immediate.

David Moyes using Aaron Cresswell as a third centre-back has been incredibly beneficial for West Ham. A natural left-back, he affects the game in more unorthodox areas, similar to how Kieran Tierney operates in a back three for Arteta. As a result of Cresswell’s new role, Issa Diop has played just four Premier League games this season.

The Frenchman impressed in his first two seasons in England despite West Ham’s overall struggles. Playing 32 league games last season (second-highest among Arsenal and West Ham defenders), he won 47 interceptions (15 more than David Luiz, who played one game more than him), 79 aerial duels (second highest at the two clubs) and was dribbled past just nine times (11th-most among the two clubs; defenders).

An imposing, right-footed centre-back who is currently out of favour at his club, Diop could be a good option for Arteta to solve short-term issues in defence. What must be taken into account, however, is that despite being out of the team currently, West Ham’s three at the back system could mean the 23-year-old will still be needed as back-up.

Alongside this, ill-discipline has been an issue of late at Arsenal and Diop conceded more fouls than any other defender at Arsenal or West Ham last season (31), which could raise understandable reservations. If Arsenal deem a centre-half necessary, perhaps a loan deal would be more appropriate, so they can assess how Saliba fares over the next six months wherever he ends up.

The other thing to note is that Arsenal consider moving players on in the forthcoming window to be almost as big a priority as securing new ones. The squad is too big and keeping all those players happy is proving increasingly difficult.

This will be a significant test not just of Edu’s ability to recruit, but his knack as a salesman.

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In the battle for hearts and minds, Marcelo Bielsa is winning those that matter

https://theathletic.com/2285902/2020/12/27/leeds-united-marcelo-bielsa-tactics/

One of the morning jobs at Leeds United is the translation of newspaper articles for Marcelo Bielsa. His secretary has the task of converting English to Spanish while retaining the nuance of everything that is written.

Bielsa made a habit of tracking press reports earlier in his career and kept it going after arriving in England but the workload increased with Leeds’ promotion to the Premier League. More reports, more opinion; and Bielsa wants it all — the good, the bad and the ugly. Some of it helps him gauge the general mood, a finger in the wind. Some of it, like the dispatches from Old Trafford last Sunday, raises his hackles and tests his patience. He subjects himself to the worst of it anyway, proving human nature draws you to things that are bad for your health.

If you doubt that Bielsa follows media coverage closely, listen to the press conference he staged on Christmas Eve. Listen to the tone of it and the language he used: destabilise, ridicule, embarrassing. “The lie that is sold to the public” about him preferring style over substance. His relationship with journalists is respectfully guarded, no doubt because he expects positivity and negativity to swerve sharply and lead to moments of conflict. He will tell you that the articles themselves do not matter to him. He sees them as an irrelevance in the context of managing his squad (even if he was irked by someone asking Patrick Bamford after Leeds’ 6-2 defeat to Manchester United if the players might think about asking Bielsa to rein in his tactics). “What worries me,” Bielsa said, “is that what’s written does influence the public. It can decrease their capacity to understand.”

His concern, it seemed, was that a shedload of critical pieces questioning the way Leeds play and doubting his resolute devotion to his brand may make the public think that yes, Bielsa’s football is unhinged and yes, it would be better to invest in the pragmatism that is clearly doing wonders for the top-flight’s other promoted teams this season. But in the battle for hearts and minds, Bielsa is winning those that matter. Leeds’ supporters, with very few exceptions, are happy to ride at whichever speed he drives. The club are more than satisfied with him, too. “This style took the Championship by storm,” wrote chief executive Angus Kinnear in his programme notes before Sunday’s 1-0 win over Burnley. “We’ve refused to compromise our beliefs, even in the toughest league in the world.” In other words, we’ve got his back.

Kinnear also noted that the contrast between Leeds routing Newcastle United 5-2 and then losing heavily at Old Trafford, all in the space of four days, was an example of how the club will “take time to adapt to the level we aspire to thrive at”. And therein lies the crux of this debate. Bielsa’s Leeds project is almost three years in the making but it is five short months since he laid his hands on the Championship title. How far could Leeds have expected to progress in that period, through one transfer window and 15 Premier League fixtures? Is Bielsa not nicely above par for a head coach who is exploring this division for the first time?

If there is one thing that can be said about the Premier League this season, it is that nobody in it has been close to flawless. Bielsa talked about media members mocking him and misrepresenting him, but what he suffers from more is the assumption that he will take straw and spin it into endless amounts of gold thread. To be cast as a genius is to have genius expected of you, in a way that underestimates the difficulty of his job. For the average manager, promotion means baby steps and acclimatisation. Where Bielsa is concerned, he is nine points clear of the bottom three and being told he should change. There is a bit of tunnel vision here, and it is not his.

The upsides to his reign at Elland Road are plentiful, such as Bamford taking himself to 10 goals for the term with a fifth-minute penalty against Burnley. Any plans Sean Dyche had to strangle the match for long enough for his visitors to nick it was blown apart by their goalkeeper, Nick Pope, sliding through Bamford in the fourth minute. Pope got some of the ball but too much of Bamford for referee Rob Jones to let the tackle go. Bamford’s confident penalty, driven high into the net, said everything about his epiphany under Bielsa, as opposed to the clash of personalities he once put up with under Dyche during a brief spell at Turf Moor.

That finish delivered a 1-0 victory, albeit without any tinsel or gift-wrapping. Leeds persevered on a pitch as stodgy and slow to move as leftover Christmas turkey on New Year’s Eve and wasted chances to properly put away Burnley before half-time. Burnley were unhappy about a decision to rule out Ashley Barnes’ finish for a foul on Illan Meslier, and Chris Wood should have scored against his previous club with a header from underneath the crossbar. But for 45 minutes, it was steady and it was routine, just as the clamour after Old Trafford demanded.

Dyche, though, flicked a switch and turned on the high press in the second half. It forced Leeds to dig in and dig in desperately, doing what could loosely be described as playing a different way (or winning ugly, as they say in Buenos Aires). It was more through necessity than choice — caused, Bielsa admitted, by Leeds struggling to take their attacks far beyond halfway and deny Burnley good territory — but at full-time, it was another win and 20 points on the board. They will call that halfway towards safety but it is 10 years since anyone actually needed to get to 40 points to stay in the Premier League. Bielsa and his players have half a foot in next season’s top flight already.

As Leeds evolve and grow familiar with the division, high standards will be enforced. Which is to say that if, in a year’s time, Bielsa’s team are getting punched over the ropes at Old Trafford again, brutal results might start to grate but he is so well ensconced that Leeds would be delighted to have a guarantee he will be in the dug-out this time in 2021.

Scepticism in the wider reaches of English football is being drowned out by support in his own back yard and when he fights his corner, here, in Leeds, he is preaching to the converted.

Who else is he paid to please?

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Why Sean Dyche is so frustrated by referees

https://theathletic.com/2286489/2020/12/27/sean-dyche-burnley-leeds-referee/

Sean Dyche’s march across a football pitch is something Burnley supporters are used to seeing. 

At home matches, he emerges from the dressing room and strides across the turf to the dugouts. Before away games, Dyche will go out onto the opposition’s pitch and stride across it to measure its length and width.

Watching him approach referee Rob Jones at full-time of Sunday’s game against Leeds United, however, was something different.  

His left arm remained outstretched. There was no aggression, no malice, no confrontation, just a simple, polite question as he pointed to his watch.

“What time can I come in?”

He asked it one. Twice. And again… no response. Jones appeared unable to hear him. Eventually, Dyche gave up asking.

Understandably, Dyche wanted answers.

“I will be going to see him,” he told Sky Sports during one post-match interview.

The idea of sitting in a room, waiting for Dyche to enter it, knowing he is frustrated, is a frightening one. There was no shouting match though, only a civil conversation. Dyche expressed his opinions on the incidents in question, Jones offered his. 

By the time Dyche arrived for his post-match press conference, it was nearly an hour after the final whistle of a 1-0 defeat for his side. As he sat down, he checked his phone.

“Just the referee sending me a Happy Christmas text,” he joked. 

Did he get the explanation he was looking for?

“Not really,” he said. “When you do speak to referees, it is a difficult one. I understand that. They have just finished — it is an emotional game for them as well. It’s only the strange thing when they use their ‘In your opinion’ thing and you remind them that you have just seen it (the incident concerned replayed) 15 times.” 

The main talking point was the awarding of a foul against Ben Mee on Leeds’ Illan Meslier, which resulted in the goalkeeper dropping the ball and Ashley Barnes sticking it in the net. 

“The referee said he felt it was a clear foul from Ben Mee on the goalkeeper,” he said, before adding later, “How that is a foul by Ben is bizarre.”

The above image from one replay shows that as Meslier attempts to catch the ball, he has kneed Mee in the back. Anywhere else on the pitch, as Dyche eluded, even during his own playing days, that is a foul on the Burnley player.

“Ben does nothing other than clearly attempt to win a header,” Dyche said. “He doesn’t even look at the man. The latest thing in the game is the centre-forward looks at the man so where they (the opponent) are going to jump, they jump in his eye-line. Ben purely looks at the ball, the keeper comes over the back, knees him in the back, drops the ball —and somehow that’s a foul (on Meslier).”

Mee’s eyes remain on the ball throughout. He could not see Meslier closing in from directly behind him. When the ball does arrive, Meslier never gains control of it. After hitting his hands it bounces off as he falls to the ground on top of Mee, where the foul on him is adjudged to have taken place.

“I have spoken endlessly about the game and where it is going physically,” said Dyche. “I have no clue how that is not… at a minimum, how the referee doesn’t give himself five or six seconds, Barnesy whacks it in the goal and it’s a goal because he thinks, actually the keeper is miles out of his goal, he spills the ball. Ben does nothing other than clearly attempt to win a header. He doesn’t even look at the man.”

The image below shows when the moment the sound of Jones’ whistle can be heard.

It is as Barnes lines up the shot, and is beginning his shooting motion. Jones does give himself a tiny window from Meslier spilling the ball to the moment the Burnley forward goes to strike it but the point Dyche is trying to make is, if you have allowed it to go on for that period, why not allow it to run just one second further?

“I’m incredibly frustrated at lots of other decisions but they are two very important decisions that have gone against us,” Dyche said.

That’s a reference to the fifth minute, when what turned out to be its only goal came from a penalty won and scored by Patrick Bamford. It was a simple ball over the top; poor play defensively from Burnley but Pope was alert and came out to challenge Bamford, appearing to make contact with the ball and altering the direction of it. The ball is off the ground, making the tackle look forceful, but how else is Pope supposed to challenge Bamford in that situation?

“Popey has got the ball,” he said. “You can tell by the trajectory of the ball — where it goes — that he has got the ball. I’m amazed… well, I’m not amazed because I know that the very top of the game is saying that they want more penalties. So there is a directive for that, so I understand that.”

Even still, it was not overturned by VAR.

The press conference was not without humour though, as Dyche joked he was not an aficionado on the subject — as he rarely sees penalties given for his side.

“We’ve only had one every 24 games on average, so that’s bizarre in itself.”

By contrast, the penalty awarded to Leeds by Jones was the seventh Burnley have had awarded against them in the Premier League in 2020. only Tottenham Hotspur, with eight, have been penalised more.

It was only Jones’ fourth Premier League game (the first was just over a year ago, Sheffield United’s 1-0 away win over Brighton & Hove Albion) and his third this season. Last December, Dyche and counterpart Steve Bruce commented on inexperienced referees after Burnley beat Newcastle 1-0 at Turf Moor.

Back then, Dyche asked the question about the division’s lower sides getting a fair share of the top referees. It was something he referenced again at Elland Road, and is a topic Daniel Taylor explained in The Athletic yesterday.

“If the referee, as he did to me, suggested he had a decent game today then that’s something that certainly needs to be fed back possibly. But that’s for the powers that be who run the referees, PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) to feed back to these referees,” Dyche said.

Managers are encouraged to offer feedback too but “not lot a lot is changing though”, according to Dyche. He rarely visits the referee after a match but he felt it necessary on this occasion. “As fans, forget about me being in the game, we’ve got to be really careful,” he said.

Dyche has constantly highlighted issues, including players screaming when challenged as well as feigning injuries. He repeated these feelings on Sunday afternoon, but believes he has become a lone voice. He reiterated his point that the game is at a precarious moment with the physicality minimal and is pushing towards becoming a non-contact sport.

This is not Dyche searching for excuses. He admitted that Leeds started brightly, and it was a poor shape by Burnley that led to Pope needing to make the challenge on Bamford for the penalty. Equally, he was delighted with his side’s second-half performance, pressing well and controlling the game but they could not create that one, golden opportunity to equalise. Leeds dug in, as his side have done on many occasions.

The decisions were not the complete story of the game, but they had a significant impact.

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West Brom’s second-half aggression will be key to Allardyce’s survival plan

https://theathletic.com/2286828/2020/12/28/west-brom-allardyce-pressing/

“If you just sit back against Liverpool then you die a slow death,” said Jamie Redknapp on Sky Sports before West Bromwich Albion’s game at Anfield.

For 45 minutes Albion did exactly that and, by half-time, were still alive against the champions. But you took Redknapp’s point. Albion had enjoyed just 18 per cent possession.

In the second half, Sam Allardyce’s side showed precisely what will be needed to stay in the Premier League to claim a point which, as improbable as it might have seemed at the break, they deserved.

For half of the game on Merseyside, Albion had all the parts and construction of an Allardyce defensive machine but almost none of the fuel that makes it work.

For the second 45 minutes, the energy and intent was added to the obvious first-half structure and Albion found a method that will be a blueprint for the remainder of the season. One statistical difference screamed out between the first and second half.

Before half-time Albion’s “passes per defensive action” (PPDA) average was 54.5 — Albion’s highest for any first half this season. This meant Allardyce’s men allowed the Premier League champions more than 50 passes on average between attempts to win the ball back through a tackle, interception, or similar sort of action.

So while Albion’s shape (a 4-4-2 that, more often than not, became 4-6-0 when they lost possession) was solid, their play lacked aggression. Albion were passive and allowed Jurgen Klopp’s side too much time on the ball.

Even 30 yards from the Albion goal, Liverpool’s midfielders had time and space to pick their passes and get their heads up and — had the champions been on more ruthless form — would surely have taken advantage and put the game to bed.

The chart above shows West Brom’s average positions in the first half of the game. After the interval, the story was very different.

Albion’s PPDA average also more than halved to 21.3 after the break — they allowed fewer than half as many passes before attempting to try and win the ball back.

It is still above their season’s average of 17.8 but understandably so, given the need to be judicious when pressing against one of Europe’s most devastating attacking forces. Allardyce’s team put pressure on the ball while staying mindful of the need to maintain their defensive discipline.

The balance between discipline and aggression which had been worryingly skewed towards the former before the break was spot on when the sides emerged for the second half with Karlan Grant, who had been dragged back as an auxiliary left winger in the first half, used as a central outlet in the second.

Further statistics underlined the difference. Liverpool made just 318 passes in the second 45 minutes compared to 454 in the first. Albion’s figures of 111 in the second half compared to 103 in the first were similar, but their passing accuracy rose from 48 per cent to 65.

Their willingness to be on the front foot allowed them to improve on the ball and create the golden opportunity when Grant was put through on goal and, eventually, to force the corner from which Semi Ajayi scored his first Premier League goal.

“The players were so good at holding their discipline, at defending in a pack and as a team,” said Allardyce.

“And in that second half they were better at finding a way to attack Liverpool when they got an opportunity. We talked at half-time about how we couldn’t just keep sitting deep as we did.

“We got better and better as the second half went on — getting out of defence and into Liverpool’s half. And ultimately, we created two or three chances and one of those was taken by Semi which was a great header and gave us a very precious point.

“I told them not to waste the possession they got, make the right decisions and try to get the ball forward quickly.

“As soon as you pass the ball sideways, three Liverpool players will run at the man on the ball — if not three it will certainly be two. You can very quickly find yourself in trouble and giving away possession.

“We had to get the ball forward quickly and with accuracy. But I also told them to carry on defending as well as they were doing.”

And there, in a nutshell, was the plan that will surely serve Albion best for the remainder of the season as Allardyce tries to mastermind an escape from a tricky position with a squad that is far from suited to his tried and trusted methods.

He does not have players of vast Premier League experience with the reserves of concentration and discipline to simply defend for 90 minutes, as the promising Ajayi’s lapse for Sadio Mane’s opening goal proved.

He does not have a striker with the physical presence and link-up ability to hold the ball and allow his side to escape their own half.

He has a squad designed to play the possession-based, easy-on-the-eye style that won promotion under Slaven Bilic but a squad who lack the quality to do the same in the Premier League.

Still, though, for all the limitations of the tools at Allardyce’s disposal, his side do better when they blends defensive structure with some boldness, aggression and attacking intent.

It is the best way to reap the benefits of the organisation that Allardyce will undoubtedly add.

[Vesper 28,366]

Sensible Transfers: West Ham need a striker like Antonio and midfield cover

https://theathletic.com/2285846/2020/12/27/west-ham-transfers-antonio/

As manager of Everton, David Moyes was often asked to operate on a limited budget and it is likely he will once again be instructed to work within his means during the January transfer window.

This time last year, West Ham United were embroiled in a relegation fight and, following Moyes’ reappointment as manager, the club acted quickly to strengthen their survival chances with the additions of Tomas Soucek from Slavia Prague and Jarrod Bowen from Hull City.

Given the impact that duo had, many anticipated West Ham would operate similarly in January, but due to the hugely uncertain economic climate, it appears Moyes will only spend money if the right player becomes available at a bargain price.

In the 2-2 draw against Brighton, Moyes tried to make greater use of his squad but after a dreadful first half he brought on Andriy Yarmolenko and Manuel Lanzini to fight back twice for a draw. Although it was a decent point, it still highlighted the need for West Ham to add more depth to their squad, noticeably in the forward position and midfield.

“It’s more to do with the financial situation,” said before the game. “Like every other club, no crowds are coming in and no money from gates coming in, so it would be silly to ignore the situation clubs are in. There are so many clubs around Europe now where there are players who are available if you have the money to do it.

“But most haven’t got the money and (the economic effect of) COVID-19 hasn’t completely cleared. Anything can happen and I think a lot of the countries have lost money from television. So I don’t think there’ll be many with lots of money. Our club wouldn’t be in a position where we would necessarily spend big money on new players.”

So where does this leave Moyes? The club have been linked with Spartak Moscow defensive midfielder Alex Kral, Bournemouth forward Josh King and, following the signings of Soucek and Vladimir Coufal, you cannot rule out a third raid on Slavia Prague as West Ham monitor the progress of promising striker Abdallah Sima.

Kral would be a good signing considering he fits Moyes’ mantra of wanting to sign young, up-and-coming players. He is 22, has amassed 16 caps for the Czech Republic and would be an ideal understudy for Declan Rice and Soucek, who are the preferred options in central midfield. If the either of that duo was to suffer an injury, West Ham have options, but each has a drawback.

Kral fits the profile of the sort of player Moyes wants to sign for West Ham (Photo: Mike Kireev/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Robert Snodgrass and Mark Noble, who was taken off at half-time against Brighton, are both 33 and have only played a combined total of 180 minutes in the league, while Lanzini hasn’t started in the Premier League since playing 57 minutes against Newcastle United in July. Academy prospects Conor Coventry and Alfie Lewis have an outside chance of breaking through into the first team but lack experience.

Further forward, Sebastien Haller’s failure to fully seize his opportunity in Michail Antonio’s absence will also be a cause for concern. He scored in the 1-0 win at Sheffield United and netted a brilliant, acrobatic goal in the 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace. But it is the overall nature of his performance that frustrates supporters. Haller has shown he is unable to match the same level of intensity as Antonio and, more recently, has been prone to giving the ball away, with Mateusz Klich’s opener at Leeds United being a case in point.

The Athletic understands that Moyes would like a striker with a skill set more similar to Antonio. This is where King comes in: the former Manchester United trainee can play centrally or out wide and should be more comfortable leading the line in West Han’s formation than Haller. King has also shown he can score regularly in the top flight, with a record of 48 goals in 161 Premier League games, including 16 in the 2016-17 season. However, he might lack match fitness considering he has only played 11 games for club and country this season, without finding the net in any of them.

It is also worth mentioning King will turn 29 in January and considering West Ham have rewarded Antonio, 30, with a new deal that runs until 2023, a younger option could be considered more appropriate.

Highly rated academy striker Mipo Odubeko has struggled with injury this season but is well thought of behind the scenes. Moyes and first-team coach Paul Nevin were in attendance at the Roots Hall Stadium when the 18-year-old scored two goals during the under-23s’ 3-1 win over Southend United. Although Sima, 19, has attracted attention following several impressive performances for Slavia Prague, there is no reason why Odubeko can’t have a similar impact at West Ham if he is given the opportunity.

In an era when the tendency is to buy and pray for the best, Moyes has shown he can work with what he has. This brings us to the defence. On the eve of deadline day in October, there was a strong clamour for Moyes to augment his defence with another ball-playing centre-back. Fikayo Tomori turned down a loan move and on reflection, it is hard to think how he would have dislodged Fabian Balbuena, Angelo Ogbonna and Aaron Cresswell, all of whom have been excellent in a back three.

Central defence is well-stocked following the recent addition of Frederik Alves, who will join the club at the start of January, but one area where West Ham remain light is the left wing-back position. There is not an obvious replacement for the injured Arthur Masuaku, which prompted Moyes to switch to a back four against Leeds, Crystal Palace and Chelsea. Ben Johnson, who made his debut for the club at left-back and scored his first Premier League goal for the club against Brighton on Sunday, is versatile and could play in the wing-back role, and Emmanuel Longelo is a left-footed full-back in the academy.

But in terms of new personnel, The Athletic would recommend Rico Henry. During the pre-season encounter with Bournemouth in September, the full-back caught the eye and was a threat on the left flank. If that were an audition for a place in West Ham’s starting XI, Henry would have passed in flying colours.

The futures of Lukasz Fabianski, Balbuena, Noble and Snodgrass will be in the spotlight heading into the window. The quartet are out of contract in the summer and have yet to open discussions over a new deal. Due to the nature of Noble’s performance against Chelsea, talks could be delayed until the end of the season. It is likely Snodgrass will look to leave due to a lack of first-team appearances but getting Fabianski and Balbuena to commit their futures will be the immediate priority for West Ham.

Other noticeable outgoings may include Nathan Holland going out on loan to a Championship team, Winston Reid rejoining MLS side Sporting Kansas City and Craig Dawson’s loan spell from Watford being cut short given his lack of involvement.

Moyes has said on numerous occasions he wants to build West Ham in his vision. There is a strong chance he won’t have the funds to reprise the success of the previous January transfer window, but the club has already started to bear the fruit of their most important investment.