ronadamus_prime
Well-Known Member
Lennon made a tactical change to go 3-5-2 during the winter break. They've been on easy street since then, blowing sides away. We came back with the same old 4-3-3 that everyone knows how to counter. It's hardly surprising that they're pulling ahead at a rate of knots.
The same old 4-3-3 that got us into the position we were in prior to the return from the winter break you mean? The formation we used all season, that only saw us drop points on 3 occasions? Now, I agree we lack flexibility in certain games but to completely disregard all of the work prior to our dip in form is mental tbh.
This reductionist and revisionist version of events is what bothers me. We dropped 7 points before the winter break. We've now dropped 7 in the 2 months after it. Not acceptable. Blame the formation, blame the manager, blame Mick Beale, blame the fitness coaches, blame Dubai and blame the players if you want. It's probably got elements of all of that in there somewhere.
It does not change the fact that the mentally challengeds have pressed on at a rate that quite frankly none of us predicted or saw coming. Despite some of the evidence being quite plain to see, that they were more than capable of doing what they are doing right now. I believe many on here, were predicting a Lennon meltdown and player led mutiny by this point for them at the start of the season.
So aye, unless that's around the corner in the near future then I don't see how we catch them, without further strengthening of ourselves first. The 'collapse' or 'timplosion' isn't happening from them this season. We've collapsed not because everything about us is shite or being done totally incorrectly but because we simply aren't there yet. It's shite and it is frustrating but it's the lay of the land.
All of the normal measurements and metrics of gauging footballing success is in their favour at the moment. They can outstrip us financially and they've had the luxury of building upon title winning squads year on year. We are still very much a side on the rise, young players and young manager. A side still missing a few of the crucial ingredients to be a title favourite though. It's not as simple as tinker with the formation, play the fringe players and drop the guys out of form. I wish it was but it just simply isn't.
Edit: I mean this in the nicest possible way but a team with Andy Halliday or Jon Flanagan or Matt Polster as their back up Fullbacks isn't a title winning team. It's a contender.
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