3-1 is unfortunately a poor result. Bolton did what they had to do very well and we just couldn’t break them down. It was at times hard to watch, but it is by no means all doom and gloom. I have outlined a few areas below that I feel really influenced the game…more so than the bullish attitude of a well organised Bolton side.

Rob Green
I personally feel a little sorry for Rob. He knew full well that the first (and in my opinion the second) goal was his fault, and acknowledged it as his mistake as soon as it happened. He doesn’t make many ‘clangers’ like these in the course of a season, and I suppose we can all find the grace in us somewhere to forgive him. The main problem I have with these mistakes however is actually rooted in some of our midfield frailties that we showed today. Both of his errors came in some respect from a high ball into the box, the second indirectly.

I personally felt that for most of the game we were giving away sloppy and frankly unecessary freekicks in dangerous areas of the pitch. By doing this the outfield players are putting pressure on Rob Green that could easily be avoided…and against teams like Bolton, should be avoided. They are a tall, physical side whose aerial presence is very hard to deal with, particularly with Nolan up front. It happened on plenty of occasions today and we were making life difficult for ourselves.

So although they were fundamental errors from Green, I would argue that had Zola’s tactics been different, they may never have happened.

Tactics
I have so far been very impressed with the way that Zola has got us playing fluent football with the ball on the floor. I think to introduce a 4-3-3 system back at Upton Park has been a brave thing to do and I think done well, it is the right thing to do. However I would argue that today was not the day to play that system. It became evident at times during the first half, but mainly after the two goals the way Bolton intended to play, two banks of 5.

It’s always the same with Bolton, long ball stuff and men behind the ball. By playing 4-3-3, I feel that we narrow down our options, quite literally, with the way we play. Yes, the ball is being played on the floor (which we all like and encourage) but it was at times today restricted to centre of the field. Maybe by bringing Matty back into a more familiar left wing role, we could have packed out the midfield a little more during the times when Bolton had the ball (that was 35% of the time) and when we were in posession, it would have encouraged the use of the wings a lot more. Spreading the play to the wider areas would have also spread the defensive unit that Bolton quite sucessfully parked in front of the goal. We tried too hard today to play the ball around and weave our way through the Bolton defense. Quicker, more decisive football that made more use of the wings would have been ideal. The tactics that Zola set out just didn’t, in my opinion, suit our opposition.

I would also add that I feel the lack of bodies in our small, lightweight, 3-man midfield was one of the reasons that in the middle of the park we were continually giving away unecessary freekicks. The extra man in there would helped break up any Bolton play without the need to lunge in because we were stretched.

Zola
As I mentioned previously, I am a firm favourite so far of what Zola is trying to do with the side. Before they took the lead today our football was looking slick. The passing was crisp and we were playing with an air of confidence.

As he stood on the touchline shouting “Chin-up” after the second goal, you just felt the connection that he has with the players. They are all playing with what appears a new found lease of life, Matty in particular. He is clearly trying to instill in them an ethic of enjoying the football that they play whilst adopting the correct mental atitude in regards to effort and teamwork.

Early on today, we saw a team who were playing as a unit. When the ball was on the floor, we looked in control of the game an the players were working together. Sometimes in football, stuff happens that is unfortunate…Rob Green. Other times the guys in charge get their tactics wrong and sometimes the opposition get it just right. Credit to Bolton, they did just that. I think though that what is important to take away from the game even though at times it was frustrating to watch is that under Zola, we will be getting what we, the fans, have been calling for for two years. Entertaining football.

I think it is an exciting time for us as a team, and I just hope that what is happening off the pitch stays off the pitch. On that note, I am holding the arbitration ruling, all 40 or so pages, in my hand. Cannot wait to read it.

COYI

Sam

It’s also always very nice to know that even though we lost, we are still a mere 10 points above Spurs. I really am suffering from back ache you know.

5 recent posts you may have missed

Report This Post