Bit harsh on Aribo mate. I thought he was arguably Man Of The Match.
Absolutely, over complication was 100% the issue yesterday and Kent was no doubt the guiltiest party, Aribo also. Always seem to want to beat an extra man instead of pulling the trigger, or running away from trouble.
I think the Kent centrally thing works in games that are more stretched but he was never going to get one on ones against that kili side in central areas. We should have been overloading their full backs to cause real damage on the wings. If teams show us the wings, we need to be willing to go round them and have bodies in the box to convert crosses / cut backs.
I wasn’t saying I think he isn’t a good footballer however yesterday wasn’t his best game.
Btw writing fact doesn’t make things a fact
I'd say his comment about our midfield is very harsh.
We closed them down quickly when they got possession and tried to break while probing patiently for the opening. Jack/Kent/Kamara had long range efforts on goal which were unlucky.
When teams sit in and limit space, it makes it extremely difficult to do anything that is pleasing on the eye. The goal was superb and was enough for the three points.
"Running away from trouble" - to do that you are running back wards towards our half.
Killie pretty much had 10 men in their final 3rd of the pitch - when attacking the wings, they double up and have an extra player there to track any runners while 6 players pack their box and they have one out ball.
There is very little to be done with that but be patient and work the openings.
I think it's all about quick passing and good movement. Morelos when he come on was always moving and looking for space - Aribo was also looking for that yard in the box.
Tbh I do favour GS but today’s fixture was a sort that suited his talents , home fixture where opponents are stifling space and we are dominant in possession ( sorry bbc stats man ) .
Had a nice mix of attempts , dribbles, spins , linkups and chance creation .
A good card to have going into the 2020 SPL programme of home games I’d imagine he will see his chances rise.
Decent post.I think Greg’s problem is his lack of athleticism. He is nowhere near as quick as our other options in that area of the park which means he can’t effect a press nearly as well. Gerrard will be looking at his statistics in training perpetuating that view.
I think he’s underused though, he does have guile and can finish. When we have the ball but can’t break a defence, he’s the man. That’s why he should have been the first sub before barker in the LCF.
I agree with you, when we signed him I didn't fancy it but I've changed my mind on him, clever player doesn't waste much ball and positionaly good, trouble is he is not getting enough game time for my liking.Tbh I do favour GS but today’s fixture was a sort that suited his talents , home fixture where opponents are stifling space and we are dominant in possession ( sorry bbc stats man ) .
Had a nice mix of attempts , dribbles, spins , linkups and chance creation .
A good card to have going into the 2020 SPL programme of home games I’d imagine he will see his chances rise.
No he doesn't and I have not worked out yet what he adds to the team except effort and possibly work rate.There is no substitute for skill.
Something Arfield does not possess.
Got to agree, It's not happening for Ojo at the moment. I'd play Stewart instead.Always contributed well. He has been unlucky not to get a few more goals.
What annoyed me is that he was only brought on today as a last roll of the dice and I don't know why Gerrard hasn't used him more before now. Vs Aberdeen we brought Ojo on which was the weirdest sub ever.
Stewart is a far better option than Ojo and Barker. It’s actually embarrassing thinking that Gerrard chucks Barker into a old firm final then won’t play him again for months.
Stewart is the number one sub option in the wide positions. Fûcking use him properly Gerrard ffs.
Bringing on Barker instead of Stewart in the final was baffling as wellAlways contributed well. He has been unlucky not to get a few more goals.
What annoyed me is that he was only brought on today as a last roll of the dice and I don't know why Gerrard hasn't used him more before now. Vs Aberdeen we brought Ojo on which was the weirdest sub ever.
JFCGladys Knight , eh?
No, they defended the box tight and conceded the wings. It should have been easy for us to attack those areas to create better crossing / cut back opportunities. Kent on a few occasions beat a man or had space to run wide but tried to come back inside to get crowded out. Had he taken the ball wide to the bye line, he’d draw defenders out to him, disrupting their tactic to crowd the box.
Ojo is a good option when we are becoming hemmed in, struggling to get on the ball and need a player with pace and directness to get us up the park.
With Stewart the ball sticks, he can can link up, pick out those intrecate passes and finds that bit of space in a crowded area to get a shot off.
Different situations require a different style of player. Ojo and Stewart should certainly be ahead of Barker and we've got Jones who was on the bench yesterday.
Stewart is a far better option than Ojo and Barker. It’s actually embarrassing thinking that Gerrard chucks Barker into a old firm final then won’t play him again for months.
Stewart is the number one sub option in the wide positions. Fûcking use him properly Gerrard ffs.
I think Greg’s problem is his lack of athleticism. He is nowhere near as quick as our other options in that area of the park which means he can’t effect a press nearly as well. Gerrard will be looking at his statistics in training perpetuating that view.
I think he’s underused though, he does have guile and can finish. When we have the ball but can’t break a defence, he’s the man. That’s why he should have been the first sub before barker in the LCF.
Their game plan looked fairly clear to me - any time we tried to go down the wings, they had two out there and one back up. Their full back on the other wing slotted into to central defence.
Granted Kent was coming onto his right foot often to the center of the pitch and that is something that works better in more open games where the opposition is a bit more attack minded.
They were centrally compact meaning there were always wide balls on to Barisic and Tav. Had Kent gone out there as well, it would have drawn them out to an area they didn’t want to be in. That creates space in the middle for us to get a goal. Quick pass and move us bloody difficult if they have 8 players in and around the box.
There is no substitute for skill.
Something Arfield does not possess.
I'd genuinely start him before aribo or ojo on Sunday. Kent Stewart wide players Alfie center Jack arfield davo midfield
I was shocked he didn’t start the cup final and was even more shocked when Barker came off the bench ahead of him. Strange oneI'd genuinely start him before aribo or ojo on Sunday. Kent Stewart wide players Alfie center Jack arfield davo midfield
He could easily have had 3 great chances at scoring if not for greed and lack of vision. Be ghout himself in there, found space and for me might be a surprise for SundayTbh I do favour GS but today’s fixture was a sort that suited his talents , home fixture where opponents are stifling space and we are dominant in possession ( sorry bbc stats man ) .
Had a nice mix of attempts , dribbles, spins , linkups and chance creation .
A good card to have going into the 2020 SPL programme of home games I’d imagine he will see his chances rise.
No it wouldn't and it didn't.
They had a zonal set up which they - to their credit - stuck to rigidly depending where on the pitch we had possession.
When Kent/ Borna or Tav/Aribo were in the wide areas and were taking on players, their players didn't commit to challenges, instead backing off and eventually crowding us out.
When you say Killie "conceded the wide areas" - a comment I suspect copied from Gary Ralston's Record report - this would be correct until the final third and then their zonal positioning kicked in.
You could see all their players running into specific positions any times we attacked.
I agree quick pass and move is difficult when they pack the defence. Nevertheless - it is how we got our goal - being patient and picking the right pass at the right time - quick pass, good positioning and sharp finishing.
We can agree to differ on our view of the game.
Cross balls from the full backs against teams like Murderwell aren't going to pay back much. You need to wangle into the box on the ground. Then they can't touch you for fear of a pen and that's when Alfie and Defoe can do their stuff.A home game against a packed defence is exactly the type of game Stewart should be playing in.
Aribo needs to be one of the first names on the team sheet after the last few weeks.
I must be missing something here, an improvement from him yes but I dont think hes ready to even start never mind be one of the first names on the team sheet