However you interpret the comments made by Bilic in his post match interview, his demeanour was that of man in pain. I admire Bilic for his honesty and he comes across as someone that cares deeply about his players and the club. It must be difficult to see so many individual errors – the most of any team in the Premier League – leading to costly goals, as well as the continued lack of confidence projected by the players.
When Bilic said that our intensity in training, as well as matches, has been inconsistent, that struck a chord with me. OK, it seems obvious, but there have been spells of varying length where we have played well as a cohesive, structured unit. We’ve looked controlled, composed and sharp. We have just not been able to do it for long enough spells.
Perhaps the answer is simpler than it appears. Maybe the team are just not fit enough and are therefore incapable of producing the output required to compete at the highest level.
I’m not naive enough to think that by simply improving our fitness levels we can reignite the form of last season, but it could be a fundamental problem from which other problems are manifesting.
It seems like a shake up is needed to get the season back on track, and with the transfer window and the new year around the corner, we have the perfect opportunity for change.
Fitness levels
If the team aren’t committed in training, or if training is not of the necessary standard, then the team will struggle in games. “Train well, play well” is a phrase commonly used in team sports, and for good reason.
What happens on the training pitch shapes what happens in the games and it’s crucial that the players commit to every session.
I found Enner Valencia’s comments regarding the low standards of our training, when compared to Everton’s, quite out of place at the time of reading them. A player may wish to impress his new club, but it’s a dangerous play when on loan and one has to wonder, now, if they had substance. I watched Everton play Man Utd on Sunday and his cameo was impressive enough for Everton fans to take to Twitter in their numbers to request more game time for our loanee. That, alone, is no proof, but I felt it was worthy of mentioning.
Maybe the players are failing to accurately interpret Bilic’s and his coaching teams tactics or coaching methods, or perhaps it is them that are failing to create the correct environment. Either way, change at this point seems like the sensible option.
Covering ground
Distance covered statistics do not provide a direct correlation with league position, although all of the current top five are in the top ten teams in the league for this statistic. Sprints made per game, however, correlate fairly accurately with league position and we rank bottom for this and 14th for distance covered.
There is an interesting article?
covering this in the Telegraph for anyone interested in reading more:
Last season Sakho was ranked as the 8th best player for sprints made per match, providing a key component to how Bilic likes to play. Closing down from the front and pressing high up the pitch were huge factors to our success last season and they demand high levels of fitness from the whole team in order to be effective.
A general lack of fitness could also be a factor in the high number of injuries we’ve sustained. Although that is just opinion and an argument could easily be made the other way.
However we look at it, addressing the fitness levels of the squad appears a must and I’m certain that Bilic and Miljenko Rak will look to improve on the current situation.
Ponderous passing and failing to transition quickly
Interestingly, we made and completed more passes than Arsenal. We out-passed them 393 to 384, with a success rate of 80% – 0.5% better than the visitors. The possession stats were similar, with us edging it marginally 50.5% to 49.5%.
What does this tell us? It tells us that Arsenal used the ball far more effectively than we did, and a key part of that was the speed of their passing and transition.
We have some technically proficient players – Payet, Lanzini, Obiang, Noble, Ayew etc – yet we are struggling to move the ball quickly.
Noble has come under criticism, and it’s easy to see why. He has not lived up – like many – to last season’s performances and as captain, it is imperative he leads by example and uses his influence in the dressing room.
Predictability
Payet and Lanzini were the top players for pass combinations, sharing more passes between them than any other two players – 20 and 21 respectively. Our following seven two player pass combinations all favoured our left flank, with five involving Payet or Lanzini.
Now, it makes sense so utilise your best players but Arsenal were allowed to defend in numbers down this side of the pitch and all too often we played into their hands.
Payet and Lanzini shared some exquisite interplay but unfortunately it was a bit too predictable. Granted, we were handicapped by our right flank slightly considering the injury to Collins – which forced a rusty Arbeloa on the pitch, along with a formation change – and the inexperience of Fernandes, but we lacked guile and failed to adapt.
Tackles
We are currently 19th in the league for tackles made – and 1st for defensive errors leading to goals – which is aiding our current slump in form. The Arsenal game highlights this well. We were successful in only 12 of our 28 tackles, less 43%, whereas Arsenal were successful in 17 of their 21, giving them an impressive 81%.
Winning the ball back, or stopping an attack by tackling the opposition is crucial. Football is about creating space and then utilising that space to create opportunities. Winning the ball and catching a team out of shape is an effective way for most teams to create chances and therefore win games. There are other philosophies such as tiki-taka, or the possession tactics of Guardiola, Bielsa, Cruyff et al, but generally, an interpretation of the former is most common, and certainly what we employ under Bilic.
Our poor tackling could also be connected to our poor positioning, fitness – inability to press at high intensity or for long spells – and also confidence. All three areas will be marked for improvement I’m sure.
Digging in for Christmas
It feels like a solid run over the Christmas period will be vital if we plan to start the new year afresh.
After our trip to Anfield, we face Burnley (H), Hull (H) and Swansea (A) and Leicester (A). Five or six points can propel us away from the relegation zone, so tight is the league with just six points currently separating 17th from 10th. The psychological advantage of starting the new year in touching distance of mid-table, rather than relegation, will be notable.
All of the aforementioned teams are struggling to varying degrees, but one thing we’ll need to do against all of them, in order to gain vital points, is maintain our discipline. Facing well-organised, defensive and counter-attacking teams requires discipline, and we must remain focussed on our task.
Conclusion
With returns planned for Cresswell, Kouyate and Antonio, and with Carroll’s return to fitness, we should feel as positive as we can. Yes, the Arsenal defeat was painful and humiliating, but even with a full strength, in-form, team, the odds would never been in our favour to win. Injuries, also, played a huge part. Forget the talent of a player, playing players in their natural positions is crucial, as well as fielding a consistent defence as often as possible. We could not come close to that against Arsenal, and we have struggled most of the season on both fronts.
Players and managers do not become bad overnight. Yes, Bilic has his faults and we have been leaking too many goals for a long time – dating back well into last season. But he has brought us something we craved so deeply in previous years. He has brought excitement, hope and attacking football. OK, things aren’t currently working out the way we hoped, and it is worrying – of course it is – but Bilic has earned our support and faith, and I personally think he’ll turn it around.
Regarding the players, my thoughts on this would take up another article, but the core of it is this; some need to wake up and take responsibility, some need to ship out and find pastures new, some need to consider what brought them success and others need to fire themselves up and show us all what they’re made of. All is solvable, and nothing fuels the fire of redemption better than a win, a good performance and points on the board.
Let’s start the ball rolling against Liverpool at the weekend and see what our manager and players are made of.
COYI