It is apparent that the squad lacks the depth to really make the changes required. I think in some respects this is where the criticism of Rafa Benitez’s squad rotation policy occurred from too. The lack of depth meant that Gerrard and Torres were replaced by players who weren’t up to the job, and many felt he should have started with the pair more often and then looked to take them off when they were in the lead in the second half.
It is still I feel a double standard when it comes to managers though. Tottenham lost 4-2 against Bolton last weekend after rotating their squad after playing a Champions League match in mid week. Harry Redknapp opted to start Brazilian youngster Sandro alongside out of favour Wilson Palacios in midfield while giving Croatian winger Nico Kranjcar his first start of the season. The changes backfired but no one accused Harry of making the wrong tactical choices.
In my eyes, the policy of squad rotation is a sound one which teams can use to great effect if done correctly. The problem was that under Rafa Benitez there were times when the squad was not big enough to accommodate the changes he felt were required. While Rafa would probably have gone with the policy of changing personnel to bring in fresh legs last night, Roy Hodgson took the opposite view of picking his strongest team without trying to change things with a limited squad. I believe that if Rafa was in charge, perhaps players such as Jovanovic and Ngog would have started the match. Would it have made a difference? I don’t know to be honest. You are comparing better players who are tired, to less talented players who are fresh. Roy was concerned before the match about Fernando Torres not being able to cope with two matches in a week but hoped he would still get the best out of him. He got a goal from him but the rest of the team wilted as the match went on. Raul Meireles started the match ill as well and Roy felt reluctant to change and include another player, indicating the depth of Roy’s concerns over squad strength.
The solution is of course to have a bigger squad with higher quality players that could come in for matches such as last night. If this does occur then I have no doubt that a return to a squad rotation policy will follow.
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yet again roy has opened the disaster hole, (his mouth) belittling his young players by saying we finished the match with kelly shelvey and eccleston, well kelly and shelvey are well up to it and if he chooses to play an untried boy over an international player like jovanavich then thats his fault.
if you show you have no confidence in some of your players you are doing the exact opposite of what a manager should do. seriously if i was the owner i would ban him from speaking to the press live, his mutterings should be edited before release.
Look at Holloway said in his press conf. Roy needs to learn from him.
squad is too big and full of ‘flops’ when he arrives. so he naturally sends two of them on loan and brings in 2 far worse replacements.
now of course the squad is too small.
Maxi is in form??? Wow, some people are so easily impressed!!
Even with that team he selected yesterday and under those same circumstances, Hodgson could’ve switched to 433, put Jovanovich on for Maxi and had a front 3 of Torres, Jovanovich & Kuyt ahead of a midfield 3 of Gerrard, Lucas & Meireles (Shelvey). A midfield 3 would’ve given Shelvey more protection and time to get a feel for the game (in his natural position), while also giving us a foothold in the game and preventing the opposition from attacking our back line so consistently
Ecclestone (or even N’gog) then could’ve been coming on in a much more attacking role that is natural to him, instead of playing a defensive role in a midfield 4.
There are always options to improve our style of play, and for me, playing any of Maxi, Meireles, Shelvey or Kuyt out wide in a midfield four do not come close to doing so
Shelvey was absolutely awful when he came on
yes I’ve acknowledged that Shelvey was poor when he came on, and also acknowledged that he was put in a position where he should be expected to fail – he clearly didn’t have a clue what he was supposed to be doing out on the wing.
It’s like putting Wilshere in at full back to give him some time on the pitch and expecting him to show his quality!
What about pacheco? why wasn’t he or babel on the bench.
Babel was injured, so will be ‘eased’ back in action. So you may expect him to leave in Jan without playing a match. It would be a shame.
As for pacheco I have no bloody clue. He isn’t present even in the Europa league matches! He might not be a player to start and finish the game yet(his physical level is low) but he needs to be given 15-20 minutes to play as a sub. Dont surprised if like nemeth he too leaves by end of the season!Again, such a shame.
it’s funny how player’s he doesn’t like (Babel & Agger) had to be “carefully looked after” when they had light injuries to return from, whereas Kuyt could be thrown straight into the starting line up as soon as he declares himself fit.
Hate to say it, but Hodgson just replicates all the bad that Benitez did during the end of his reign. I just can’t see the point of waiting a year or two to acknowledge that he isn’t the man to lead us to where we want to be and should be dismissed.
roy is a plonker fact. he has won nothing in this country fact. kenny is the best manager at the club today fact
I’m not sure if Roy had a batter squad he wouldn’t send the better players out on loan as he said, Aqua was too good for the bench!!!
Tiredness may be a factor leading to our lacklustre performance at Wigan, after all the players were exhausted after the Chelsea game but that can’t be an excuse. If Roy knew beforehand that the first XI were suffering from tiredness then why didn’t he change the team and use the likes of Jovanovic, Pacheco and Poulsen? So after the match, he says the team was tired when he knew perfectly clear that was the case before the match. He took a gamble and played all the same players and when they couldn’t get the job done, Roy gives the excuse. It’s clear, Roy doesn’t have a clue but he had it all planned out that if he couldn’t win at Wigan then he would give the excuse that the team was tired.
What actually suprise me with ROY is that a team that was over staff @ d begining of the season( that we can even loan out 2 players) is now too small. Candidly Roy is confused.
give jovanovic a decent go. The lad has speed and was player of the year in the belgium league. im sure if you gave him a chance, he’d show you what a true player he is…