Tactics for First Leg

[CircleSeven]

38 minutes ago, Inspector Lestrade said:

So we have the best home record in the league and no one thinks it would be a good idea to get a draw at Sunderland.

 

 

As I said in my post. I’d be happy with a draw. But don’t really know how you go about actually playing for one. Particularly given the team with the second best home record in the league is Sunderland. 

 

What are your aims? Defend and don’t attack unless the opponent scores? Or try and nick one goal and defend and don’t try for a second and be relaxed if the opposition score? 

[theowlsman]

Bang some goyls in.

 

Sorted.

[flash]

Play for the win is what I’m pretty confident Moore will be saying. This means pressing them high up the pitch like we’ve done very well recently. 

[the_vinyl_frontier]

Just go at them. 3-0 win away and we can relax for the second leg. Sunderland aren't anything special and we shouldn't fear them

[jonnyowl]

play our best 11, play the way we have all second half of this season.

[0114]

I’d take a draw at Sunderland if offered. We are an odd side away from home. I worry we get involved in too many high scoring games away from home.

 

I’d have preferred to play them at Hillsborough first, hopefully win and then have the opportunity to play against an open Sunderland.
 

[Holmowl]

1 hour ago, Pieman said:

It can be nothing but all out attack, especially if Dean is available and fully fit.

 

The only question is does he start with Beres or MDL. If Sunderland play a high line (I don’t know what they do), I suspect he will throw Langers in there to stretch them in behind, leaving Beres and Windass to come on from the bench and really push them, in the last 20. 

We’ve been a free-scoring side in 2022.

 

The exception was when he put NML up the middle. We stopped scoring.

 

 

[Inspector Lestrade]

22 minutes ago, CircleSeven said:

As I said in my post. I’d be happy with a draw. But don’t really know how you go about actually playing for one. Particularly given the team with the second best home record in the league is Sunderland. 

 

What are your aims? Defend and don’t attack unless the opponent scores? Or try and nick one goal and defend and don’t try for a second and be relaxed if the opposition score? 

 

Attack yes, but not go gung ho at the expense of leaving our defence exposed.  

[Harrysgame]

1 hour ago, s29wfc said:

We can't play for a draw otherwise we will come unstuck cos let's be honest we can't defend and soak up pressure for long periods. BUT if it does happen to be a draw I'd be over the moon. We get out of there with a draw in that first leg and we'll go through imo. Nobody can live with us at home and in front of a packed Hillsborough I'm even more confident.

This, no way we can defend for 90 mins and get anything. We're just to leaky at the back.

[Marro]

I think Sunderland will try and get off to a fast start with the fans behind them.

 

Just need to withstand the initial onslaught.  Don’t overcommit when we attack and concede on a quick counter.

 

If we can keep it tight for the first 20 mins I can see us picking them off and scoring a few.  Whilst we should be cautious what I don’t want are the tactics Carlos displayed v Huddersfield in the first leg.  No need for that.  We have the players to cause Sunderland a few problems.  I’m quietly optimistic.

[DobbinTheDonkey]

17 minutes ago, Holmowl said:

We’ve been a free-scoring side in 2022.

 

The exception was when he put NML up the middle. We stopped scoring.

 

 

 

I'm guessing, like me, you're thinking he's going to go down this route to defend deep and hit on the counter?

 

Over thinking instead of playing our natural game. I hope not, many teams come unstuck playing to the opposition instead of going with what they do best.

[CircleSeven]

15 minutes ago, Inspector Lestrade said:

 

Attack yes, but not go gung ho at the expense of leaving our defence exposed.  

Is that how you play for a draw? Or just how to play football in General? 
 

In any event Sunderland are going to be as tricky at their place as we are going to be at ours. 
 

Wouldn’t rule out the whole thing going to pens

[Inspector Lestrade]

Just now, CircleSeven said:

Is that how you play for a draw? Or just how to play football in General? 
 

In any event Sunderland are going to be as tricky at their place as we are going to be at ours. 
 

Wouldn’t rule out the whole thing going to pens

 

Wouldn't surprise me either, not much between the two clubs.  Very well matched, be interesting to see how the unbiased see it going.

 

 

[Holmowl]

26 minutes ago, DobbinTheDonkey said:

 

I'm guessing, like me, you're thinking he's going to go down this route to defend deep and hit on the counter?

 

Over thinking instead of playing our natural game. I hope not, many teams come unstuck playing to the opposition instead of going with what they do best.

I think/hope he’s got the clear message that NML up the middle doesn’t work.

 

He does seem to have ditched it.

[Howmanyowls]

Too often in the past, teams take the lead and then change their style. There's often a reason you take the lead; by putting pressure on the opposition, outplaying them. I hope if we take the lead away, we try to build on the lead rather than hand the initiative back. Manage the game when full time approaches. 

[@owlstalk]

3 hours ago, CourteenerOwl said:

What we all thinking and how do we all want the team to set up?

 

Personally, I would like us to set up like we did away at MK. We pressed and set our stool out early that day.

 

I don't think any of us want a repeat of Huddersfield away, and play for a draw. Also Brighton away, many of us 100% cannot handle an away day like that on the old tickers.

 

We all know Sunderland fans get on the teams back, so an early goal is crucial.

 

Our best form of defence is to attack. I actually trust Moore to go there and set us up to attack. I cannot see him doing a Carlos away at Huddersfield at all.

 

100% definitely bang on

We need to all out attack, and when we score immediately and relentlessly try and score more

[nbupperthongowl]

I think the injury to Bannan (so who is available) will dictate how we play. I fear that if Baz is out we will see Patterson in there and play for a draw....

[BIG D]

Brighton away in the 2nd leg.
My God, I’d just about thrown the towel in when they scored. I have never, ever seen us get battered like that at the start of a game.

 

 

[Inspector Lestrade]

21 minutes ago, BIG D said:

Brighton away in the 2nd leg.
My God, I’d just about thrown the towel in when they scored. I have never, ever seen us get battered like that at the start of a game.

 

 

 

They could have still been playing now and they wouldn't have scored.  

[Blatter]

Why change to suit the opposition/occasion?
These are games that need to be be won. The last few weeks has shown both that we are vulnerable in defence and that the top teams can’t cope when we go on the attack.  If we sit back and concede a goal we will be confronted with the infamous low block and the Sh1thouse tactics we have seen from Alex Neil team several times before.