I’d been critical of Kosta as the option against large CBs when his job was to win long ball from Crocombe or to win an aerial cross against the former in the box.
Here we played a different style with Kosta as one of a few parts of a ball on the deck machine, with some players running at their defenders or playing first time passes or moving around the front third. With Bell, Just and Payne playing balls in and Old grabbing metres carrying the ball down the left to set Randall away.
That said I would like to have seen this line up against a more disciplined defensive unit. This is a poor Chilean team compared to their glory days and the guy who got sent is apparently one of their best.
I wonder how we’d have gone against other stronger teams we’ve played in the last couple of years. While we really needed some goals, we need a stronger test for what might be plan A come the WC.
And Randall as a strong direct runner, who is going to beat his man and get a shot or square ball away as his only options (none of this dipping your toe in and passing back instead) certainly helps this style.
But at least if we are going with Kosta as Plan B this means there is a coherent way of playing that best uses his talents and those of the other players around him.
Here we played a different style with Kosta as one of a few parts of a ball on the deck machine, with some players running at their defenders or playing first time passes or moving around the front third. With Bell, Just and Payne playing balls in and Old grabbing metres carrying the ball down the left to set Randall away.
That said I would like to have seen this line up against a more disciplined defensive unit. This is a poor Chilean team compared to their glory days and the guy who got sent is apparently one of their best.
I wonder how we’d have gone against other stronger teams we’ve played in the last couple of years. While we really needed some goals, we need a stronger test for what might be plan A come the WC.
And Randall as a strong direct runner, who is going to beat his man and get a shot or square ball away as his only options (none of this dipping your toe in and passing back instead) certainly helps this style.
But at least if we are going with Kosta as Plan B this means there is a coherent way of playing that best uses his talents and those of the other players around him.