WPM R11 vs Adelaide | Thurs 4th Jan | 9:45pm | SkySport 4

Adelaide doubling up out wide looking like smart tactics. Bugger

Ffs. Can we try to tackle please?

kwlap

Wooten again. Let’s his man stand with a free shot. Eish. 

The goal was created by Irakunda, exceptional run. He was unstoppable.

Kelly-Heald is not up to the defensive load, the sub needed to happen sooner imo.

Good run + poor defending. 

Monto

Kelly-Heald is not up to the defensive load, the sub needed to happen sooner imo.

He was good against aerial threats, but Adelaide are keeping the ball flat on the deck, so apart from the corners he was not as useful as Sutton might be with his footwork.

Monto

Kelly-Heald is not up to the defensive load, the sub needed to happen sooner imo.

Agreed. He was too slow to read the danger from that Irankunda run.

Jesus this game could really go either fudgeing way

Good man Paulsen knowing when to punch and when to grab the fudge out of that ball

Thank you crossbar

Bananas

Jesus this game could really go either fudgeing way

Be hard to hold them out to be honest. When they get that crowd behind them they are unstoppable. Only just hanging on.

Bananas

Jesus this game could really go either fudgeing way

 Yep. A crossbar saved us. Again, we cannot keep up with Irankunda.

Great work from Kosta there to hold the ball and to win the throw. 

Outpost

Bananas

Jesus this game could really go either fudgeing way

Be hard to hold them out to be honest. When they get that crowd behind them they are unstoppable. Only just hanging on.

But we have our moments of brilliance too.  That amazing back heel would have been a screamer if there was someone there.  And as I type this Barba placed a pretty damn good kick.

Most fun game of the season.

Where is Ball supposed to play if he replaced a midfielder? Is he playing deep?

How many more corners do we want to give them??? The pressure on the attacking player with the ball coming far too late. Leaving huge holes for them in front of our back 4

Our inability to retain meaningful possession in our midfield once we play out from the backline is a big concern to me, we're creating so much more pressure for ourselves by giving the ball away constantly. The same thing happened last week.

We need a plan b to get the ball out of there and have it be less of a danger to us if we do lose it.

Mainland FC

I wonder how is Ball supposed to position himself with Al-Taay off?

4321 - Ball in the 2 and Old in the 3

What a save by Paulsen

I wish we tried to keep the ball for a change. 

Geez! Nerve wrecking.

Come on lads stop giving them time and space on the ball! 

Come on Phoenix!

I am normally generous, but I think we have an ineffective attack, Adelaide's good play notwithstanding. Our last foray in the box was as dangerous as a knitting club soiree.

Watching Adelaide go forward, they have passing patterns in the final third. These open space and keep players in motion. Whereas, when we go forward, we have very limited movement. We either arrive with space or play it back to try and create it. We need greater options in attack and I think that should come from more rotation from in to our(or vice versa) from the midfielder who supports the attack. 

Mainland FC

I am normally generous, but I think we have an ineffective attack, Adelaide's good play notwithstanding. Our last foray in the box was as dangerous as a knitting club soiree.

 
We’re pulling our punches a little. We’ve had 4 decent opportunities, but not worked a good shot.

We are practically down to walking pace and there's still 20 minutes to go.

kwlap

Watching Adelaide go forward, they have passing patterns in the final third. These open space and keep players in motion. Whereas, when we go forward, we have very limited movement. We either arrive with space or play it back to try and create it. We need greater options in attack and I think that should come from more rotation from in to our(or vice versa) from the midfielder who supports the attack. 

Our attacks are way more tentative than theirs, as if we were trying to think it through what to do.

Referee being reffed by the crowd. Appalling. But it was clear from his stats before he was a weak ref.

It is surprisingly not a night for Ben Old, he had way more of a game against Sydney under worst circumstances.

martinb

Referee being reffed by the crowd. Appalling. But it was clear from his stats before he was a weak ref.

Yep the last couple of whistle blows have been of the classic 'even up the ledger' type that we see so much of in the A League.

Nice intercept Kraev, just didn't quite work out.

Off the post for Ibesuke, he is having a great game tonight.

Fair red

We don’t deserve a point. We do the same thing on repeat with the same results and wonder why it doesn’t work. Goalkicks being the obvious one. I just want this to end.

Haha, Red! Well done OvH.

Straight red for Warland, Barreiro not as "weak" as some claim.

Time wasting by Isais ref!

kwlap

Watching Adelaide go forward, they have passing patterns in the final third. These open space and keep players in motion. Whereas, when we go forward, we have very limited movement. We either arrive with space or play it back to try and create it. We need greater options in attack and I think that should come from more rotation from in to our(or vice versa) from the midfielder who supports the attack. 

The problem is that the shape doesn't lend itself to getting numbers forward and progressing play unless it's on the counter attack where the likes of Payne & Sutts or Kelly-Heald become the extra man. 

The midfield three as it's set probably has Pennington as the creative outlet - and even saying that is a stretch, because the three of them (Rufer/Al-Taay/Pennington for this one) well they're all essentially one in the same. The point of difference is nil (to my eyes anyway).

Would like to see a midfield four and maybe bring Conchie in to a play making role. We've seen in the U-20 World Cup that his range of passing is good and he has an eye for the progressive ball when we look to build up and probe. I hope he gets a chance, but I think we're pretty set on this formation. 

Just my two cents of course.