Lost in the first leg

[evilwebby]

Another very poor performance, stemming from the fact that we went over there with the intention of trying to stop them play football. Moyes STILL hasn't learnt that this doesn't work in the modern game. We need to focus on ourselves. Play our football, and let them worry about us.

All in all, a reality check for those who are still dreaming of European qualification this season and a top-4 challenge next. Until we cast of the shackles of fear and understand that the challenge comes from within, not from the players lining up against you, then we will not be winning anything.

 

[Blue_in_london]

In fairness to Moyes' rather 'subdued' tactics, if we'd have gone over there all gung-ho and then got beat, we'd be ****ging him off for not playing with a professional approach to conserve the win.

It's not all his fault that most of the players individual performances totally stunk. And I'm not one for singling out individuals, but on this occassion, Billy, for me, brought the whole team down with his lackluster effort in the first half. Really don't know what happened to him last night - looked out of it completely.

Wasn't surprised by the centrebacks uncertainties - hadn't played together before, let alone in a must win European away leg. Senderos has only played one game in total.

 

[DENNIS STEVENS]

At best Moyes may have hoped for a more controlled approach to frustrating the opposition, with a lot more possession forcing Sporting to work much harder to try & get into the game. However, it was clear by half-time that our plan to defend our slender lead from the first leg was very unlikely to succeed, so a tactical change should have been made then to assert ourselves, to push Sporting onto the defensive & to seek the goal that would nullify their away goal. Of course, we'll never know but I think we would have won the tie if we had scored first in the return leg. I'm more depressed by the aproach to the match than by being knocked out of the competition.

 

[davek]

At best Moyes may have hoped for a more controlled approach to frustrating the opposition, with a lot more possession forcing Sporting to work much harder to try & get into the game. However, it was clear by half-time that our plan to defend our slender lead from the first leg was very unlikely to succeed, so a tactical change should have been made then to assert ourselves, to push Sporting onto the defensive & to seek the goal that would nullify their away goal. Of course, we'll never know but I think we would have won the tie if we had scored first in the return leg. I'm more depressed by the aproach to the match than by being knocked out of the competition.

DENNIS, a tactical change was made on the half hour with Osman being placed deeper to man-mark Moutinho, springing Arteta to go further up the pitch. Now I'm all for acting boldly in a situation where it's obvious things aren't working out, but that was a baffling change. Osman the enforcer isn't a role I'm familiar with!! It looked like a blind panic decision corrected not at HT but on the hour mark. I pretty much have no faith in Moyes when Plan A goes west.

 

[Desaparecido]

DENNIS, a tactical change was made on the half hour with Osman being placed deeper to man-mark Moutinho, springing Arteta to go further up the pitch. Now I'm all for acting boldly in a situation where it's obvious things aren't working out, but that was a baffling change. Osman the enforcer isn't a role I'm familiar with!! It looked like a blind panic decision corrected not at HT but on the hour mark. I pretty much have no faith in Moyes when Plan A goes west.

Dave, I didn't see the match against United but was told that Osman did very well defensively, so could that have been the reason he was asked to stick on Moutinho? Admittedly it didn't work this time, but I think it was made difficult by how deep the centrebacks were.

 

[Ara]

For me this tie was lost by Distin an i no it sounds unfair but his stupid tackle in the first leg cost us the tie, he would of been better not tackling an staying on the pitch(even tho he might of still scored) and being available for the 2nd leg. Instead he did an awful tackle, which cost us a goal and ultimutly the tie. Our defence was shocking, due to the CB not playing together before, hense why Distin.

TBH with you i'm suprised we got as far as we did in euro, as we never once played with 2 good CB cos they been injured or ineligable.

Thursday night showed how good Heits is an how much we missed him.

Only tactics Moyes got wrong for me was keeping Bily on, should of swapped him in the 1st half for Rodders an got Rodders to man mark Muntinho, who had a Come get me Everton game.

Also this result doesn't suprise me, after all we are EVERTON. amazing 1 week, Pants the next.

1 real posative for the game JAGS got half hour

 

[Desaparecido]

he would of been better not tackling an staying on the pitch(even tho he might of still scored)

Only tactics Moyes got wrong for me was keeping Bily on, should of swapped him in the 1st half for Rodders an got Rodders to man mark Muntinho, who had a Come get me Everton game.

Perhaps you're right. However I think it must be impossible for a defender not to instinctively try to tackle a player, if they didn't have that instinct then I'd be puzzled.

Personally I wanted Arteta to come off, Neville in midfield to deal with Moutinho, defence to squeeze up to close the space, Coleman on at RB to give us something down a wing.

 

[davek]

Dave, I didn't see the match against United but was told that Osman did very well defensively, so could that have been the reason he was asked to stick on Moutinho? Admittedly it didn't work this time, but I think it was made difficult by how deep the centrebacks were.

Osman was amazing against United. I'm not sure he took on a man marking job though. He was just free to pick up the pieces and express himself. The obvious thing to do would have been what you suggest in your other post: draft Neville in there, who can do that job, and bring Coleman on.

Agree with you about Arteta as well. He looked lost. In fact, he only came into the game late on when Sporting had lost a bit of bite in midfield and as we frantically looked for a toe-hold back into the tie.

 

[DENNIS STEVENS]

DENNIS, a tactical change was made on the half hour with Osman being placed deeper to man-mark Moutinho, springing Arteta to go further up the pitch. Now I'm all for acting boldly in a situation where it's obvious things aren't working out, but that was a baffling change. Osman the enforcer isn't a role I'm familiar with!! It looked like a blind panic decision corrected not at HT but on the hour mark. I pretty much have no faith in Moyes when Plan A goes west.

I was really thinking along the lines of asserting ourselves in the sense of using the ball to hurt the opposition, to attack in search of a goal - to take the initiative rather than to hand the initiative to the opposition.