Quote:
Originally Posted by Revived Red
Other teams seem to have the ability to pass the ball into space knowing which players will be running on to it. We are not doing that. Stanley players look up and seek to pass to a player every time. That gives the opposition the opportunity to cover and even intercept as happened so often on Tuesday.
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Well observed.
Since Roberts passed on (contractually speaking) in the games I've seen Stanley appear rarely willing to pass the ball and then run forward into the space behind defenders, yet it's the oldest and simplest trick in the world. Stanley play a tight, one touch game where they try and squeeze play and get players as close to one another as possible; like in their warm up routine. Look where Stanley's other wide player is whenever the ball is down the opposite wing - usually 'marking' the full back in the middle of the pitch so, if he ever gets the ball, he has little space in which to use it. They play to where their players are not where the space is.
Rochdale figured it out for the second half and sprayed the ball across the width of the pitch, thereby stretching Stanley and opening up holes.
What I can't figure out is whether Coley (like some other world famous managers afore him) just doesn't like wingers who can get behind defenders or simply thinks he doesn't have the players who can play that way.
But, pretty though Stanley's intricate midfield passing and possession can be, sometimes the game cries out for simple triangular passes where the object is to get behind the ball and attacker into the open space behind the full back.