and I'll tell you why - because this quite simply isn't possession football. The notion of being brave in possession to create space and thus give players more options when they're on the ball is a sound one: it's creative, entertaining and effective. But it doesn't simply take care of itself... it requires bravery, risk-taking, intelligence and speed. We're currently lacking in all of those.
You've got Jagielka and Distin afraid to make even a 10-yard pass forward, favouring instead their pearolled sideways balls even when there's oceans of space ahead of them. It's cowardly more than anything, and totally handicaps us from playing effectively out from the back.
Once you've passed it, run forward to make yourself available. Our players need to start taking risks with their runs instead of with the ball. Martinez loves to encourage 'on-the-ball risks' which to me seems entirely stupid, leaving us with those painful failed stepovers McGeady, Barkley and Mirallas will continue to repeat, time after time even in the same game. What I don't see them doing, for example, is playing 1-2s, relying on a teammate's return ball rather than their own skills. Posession football doesn't work in isolation, but that's how Martinez seems to have our front four playing at the moment - all free roles, but zero link up. Too free, maybe.
There's so many plain stupid decisions made, too, that just defy justification. It's mostly failing to go for an easy pass, most glaringly when it's right on 5 yards away - how many times instead has, say, Barkley decided to do one more dragback and take it out of play? Or Lukaku going for a shot on the turn with 3 defenders in the way despite teammates all around him? Or instead of playing a Pienaar style one-two with Baines, seeing Mirallas ignore him completely and pelt down a blind alley on the wing?
And speed. We're cumbersome in both thought and execution. They plod around only to make a simple decision that could have been made instantly - so many times there's just nothing to be gained from these meanders on the ball. 4, 5 touches for no reason. It's one of the main reasons we're playing so badly, which is my main gripe with this awful run we're on: I hate how boring we've become. I really don't enjoy watching us at all. And the biggest worry is that Martinez no longer inspires me with confidence that he has command of our fate in games - we seem to start poorly and defy all expectations by getting worse and worse throughout the game. Lukaku and Eto'o don't work together. And his two golden boys - Lukaku, Barry - when they play badly (Barry rarely, Lukaku almost every game) it's like playing with 10 men, they're guaranteed to stay on no matter how rubbish they've been.
All in all, been an awful season so far.
You've got Jagielka and Distin afraid to make even a 10-yard pass forward, favouring instead their pearolled sideways balls even when there's oceans of space ahead of them. It's cowardly more than anything, and totally handicaps us from playing effectively out from the back.
Once you've passed it, run forward to make yourself available. Our players need to start taking risks with their runs instead of with the ball. Martinez loves to encourage 'on-the-ball risks' which to me seems entirely stupid, leaving us with those painful failed stepovers McGeady, Barkley and Mirallas will continue to repeat, time after time even in the same game. What I don't see them doing, for example, is playing 1-2s, relying on a teammate's return ball rather than their own skills. Posession football doesn't work in isolation, but that's how Martinez seems to have our front four playing at the moment - all free roles, but zero link up. Too free, maybe.
There's so many plain stupid decisions made, too, that just defy justification. It's mostly failing to go for an easy pass, most glaringly when it's right on 5 yards away - how many times instead has, say, Barkley decided to do one more dragback and take it out of play? Or Lukaku going for a shot on the turn with 3 defenders in the way despite teammates all around him? Or instead of playing a Pienaar style one-two with Baines, seeing Mirallas ignore him completely and pelt down a blind alley on the wing?
And speed. We're cumbersome in both thought and execution. They plod around only to make a simple decision that could have been made instantly - so many times there's just nothing to be gained from these meanders on the ball. 4, 5 touches for no reason. It's one of the main reasons we're playing so badly, which is my main gripe with this awful run we're on: I hate how boring we've become. I really don't enjoy watching us at all. And the biggest worry is that Martinez no longer inspires me with confidence that he has command of our fate in games - we seem to start poorly and defy all expectations by getting worse and worse throughout the game. Lukaku and Eto'o don't work together. And his two golden boys - Lukaku, Barry - when they play badly (Barry rarely, Lukaku almost every game) it's like playing with 10 men, they're guaranteed to stay on no matter how rubbish they've been.
All in all, been an awful season so far.