Adkins or Pochetinno; if we could choose today

[sydney_saint]

Well after a victory against a team around us, the legitimacy of my argument just fell a little bit!

[Dig Dig]

Pochettino is tactically superior

[The Outsider]

Actually Adkins tactics were excellent today from a coaching point of view. With the high pressing game we have embraced since MP took over, it dictates that the other team either play fast counter attacking football the quickly bypasses our midfield or that the team play highly direct over the top and in behind. As MP himself has said, you cannot press what is in the air. Direct tactics are very successful against high pressing teams, which is why most teams chose not to press high and instead prefer to allow the opposition the ball in their half, condensing the play slightly deeper in order to be more compact and not so exposed by pace in behind. This was evidenced by how teams such as newcastle beat us quite comfortably.

 

To counteract exposure to teams by passing our advanced midfield, we have to play with a high line, we do this to compress the field and panic the opposition into turning the ball over to our centre halves. However, this leaves a lot of space in behind the defence. This is risky and always will be, whoever we play against, we are going to concede a lot of goals in games we are dominating under MP (Wigan, QPR, Newcastle). Knowing this weakness, today Adkins chose to play Le Fondre, not only in order to give them the threat in behind the high line but also by having this threat make us sit a fraction deeper as a unit. This would afford their defenders and deep lying midfielders that little more time to pick off direct passes into positions of maximum opportunity, and give their advanced players the opportunity to pick off the second balls. They used LeFondre to expose the lack of pace that we have at centre half.

 

This pace threat meant that Hoiveld and Yoshida had to be wary of the ball in behind, and to begin with, we were positioned a little deeper as a team than usual. With us dropping off, Reading were able to play direct, commit bodies forward in support and try to get turnover higher up the pitch, not too disimilar to how we would set up positionally (though we would pass through the phases on the pitch as opposed to going through them direct, they simply dont have the personel to play the ball how we do). This plan worked for the first 20 minutes or so as they imposed themselves on us and slipped a few balls in behind. Unfortunately for them, they were useless. Thats the players fault, nothing to do with NA's tactics.

 

Tactically, NA set Reading up very well with the limited options he had. Had he started with Pobgrebnyak, we would have been able to press even further up the field with complete impunity and beat them even more comfortably. Of course they could have tried to sit deep and park the bus, but ultimately, they needed to score they had to give yourself themselves an opportunity. They score very few as it is, they stand even less chance if they dont even attempt to offer an attacking threat and they need wins not draws. Over time, we grew in confidence, established ourselves higher up the pitch, shut down their out balls and were ultimately easily able to over come them as we gained monopoly of the ball, pinned them back, demoralised them and sapped what little hope they had. Our players are technically superior, much fitter and in high confidence and great form. Readings are short technically at this level, morale is low and their players were visibly flagging after 65 mins. We would have had to have truly stunk the place out today not to win today and for me the win was never in doubt, before or during the game.

 

I think MP is very good, being a huge fan of the Bielsa school of football who MP so clearly is also, I am delighted watching us play the way we do. However, I think anyone who thinks that NA is tactically naive doesnt know much about tactics. He may appear one dimensional with the way he straight bats the press but anyone who is a student of the game knows he is a thoroughly progressive manager and tactician and that in fact his ethos is not too dissimilar to that of MP. Both of them are very intelligent and progressive coaches and weve been blessed in that department, both under NA and now under MP.

[ottery st mary]

Thank you for that Outsider...very good read and well put..

[Olallana]

Well, not saying Adkins is a bad tactical manager.

But at this level you would expect that a manager know the weaknesses in a team he has managed for 2,5 yrs....

[sandwichsaint]

Actually Adkins tactics were excellent today from a coaching point of view. With the high pressing game we have embraced since MP took over, it dictates that the other team either play fast counter attacking football the quickly bypasses our midfield or that the team play highly direct over the top and in behind. As MP himself has said, you cannot press what is in the air. Direct tactics are very successful against high pressing teams, which is why most teams chose not to press high and instead prefer to allow the opposition the ball in their half, condensing the play slightly deeper in order to be more compact and not so exposed by pace in behind. This was evidenced by how teams such as newcastle beat us quite comfortably.

 

To counteract exposure to teams by passing our advanced midfield, we have to play with a high line, we do this to compress the field and panic the opposition into turning the ball over to our centre halves. However, this leaves a lot of space in behind the defence. This is risky and always will be, whoever we play against, we are going to concede a lot of goals in games we are dominating under MP (Wigan, QPR, Newcastle). Knowing this weakness, today Adkins chose to play Le Fondre, not only in order to give them the threat in behind the high line but also by having this threat make us sit a fraction deeper as a unit. This would afford their defenders and deep lying midfielders that little more time to pick off direct passes into positions of maximum opportunity, and give their advanced players the opportunity to pick off the second balls. They used LeFondre to expose the lack of pace that we have at centre half.

 

This pace threat meant that Hoiveld and Yoshida had to be wary of the ball in behind, and to begin with, we were positioned a little deeper as a team than usual. With us dropping off, Reading were able to play direct, commit bodies forward in support and try to get turnover higher up the pitch, not too disimilar to how we would set up positionally (though we would pass through the phases on the pitch as opposed to going through them direct, they simply dont have the personel to play the ball how we do). This plan worked for the first 20 minutes or so as they imposed themselves on us and slipped a few balls in behind. Unfortunately for them, they were useless. Thats the players fault, nothing to do with NA's tactics.

 

Tactically, NA set Reading up very well with the limited options he had. Had he started with Pobgrebnyak, we would have been able to press even further up the field with complete impunity and beat them even more comfortably. Of course they could have tried to sit deep and park the bus, but ultimately, they needed to score they had to give yourself themselves an opportunity. They score very few as it is, they stand even less chance if they dont even attempt to offer an attacking threat and they need wins not draws. Over time, we grew in confidence, established ourselves higher up the pitch, shut down their out balls and were ultimately easily able to over come them as we gained monopoly of the ball, pinned them back, demoralised them and sapped what little hope they had. Our players are technically superior, much fitter and in high confidence and great form. Readings are short technically at this level, morale is low and their players were visibly flagging after 65 mins. We would have had to have truly stunk the place out today not to win today and for me the win was never in doubt, before or during the game.

 

I think MP is very good, being a huge fan of the Bielsa school of football who MP so clearly is also, I am delighted watching us play the way we do. However, I think anyone who thinks that NA is tactically naive doesnt know much about tactics. He may appear one dimensional with the way he straight bats the press but anyone who is a student of the game knows he is a thoroughly progressive manager and tactician and that in fact his ethos is not too dissimilar to that of MP. Both of them are very intelligent and progressive coaches and weve been blessed in that department, both under NA and now under MP.

 

Excellent.

[The Outsider]

Well, not saying Adkins is a bad tactical manager.

But at this level you would expect that a manager know the weaknesses in a team he has managed for 2,5 yrs....

 

He does know exactly what our weaknesses are as Ive pointed out above. He set them up accordingly, we were just too good. Nothing to do with tactics. Its the players. NA set Reading up to give them maximum opportunity with what they have, MP had several choices today and chose to go with Ramirez in order for the midfield to get possession and then pass through Lambert and Ramirez with Rodriquez and Davis running through. In truth, he could have gone with Lallana or even Puncheon in place of ramirez, as was evidenced by Lallana making an impact when he came on. Adkins didnt have any of those options. When your turning to Leigerwood to get some traction in midfield or Noel Hunt to try and get amongst us and nick you a goal, you are struggling. He did the best with what hes got, which is a top 6 championship squad.

 

MP is sewing a lot of the rewards of NA's and the transfer committees work which is a great position for him, the same way that NA is in a terrible position, now inheriting the mess that McDermott had made of Readings PL campaign. For a start, MP inherited a squad that has adapted to the league. They now have the belief that they can win games in this league. They also have some of the best conditioning of any team in the league. They didnt become able to press high like that overnight, the squad has been on a carefully planned fitness regime that would see them get fitter as the season went on, this was to a great extent, NA's staffs work. The squad in general has adapted to the league and everyone is performing higher, an upward trajectory which was happening under NA is continuing apace under MP. I think its very difficult to differentiate.

 

Ultimately, NA is a very capable manager, MP is proving himself also to be.

[Picard]

 

NA is better dressed.

[georgeweahscousin]

What was clear yesterday is that if NA wants Reading to play like we did under him, he will need a whole new team.

 

I actually thought NA got it right yesterday, he just didn't have good enough players to execute the plan.

[CB Fry]

Well, not saying Adkins is a bad tactical manager.

But at this level you would expect that a manager know the weaknesses in a team he has managed for 2,5 yrs....

 

 

 

And what, pray tell, did you see with your expert eye that suggested he didn't know them?

 

Nige's main issue patently wasn't tactical, it was the fact he could only select players from the Reading squad.

[Suomi Saint]

You couldn't really tell from yesterday. If the game was limited to the first 30 minutes then you would conclude it was NA - we were definitely second best. Reading ran out of puff and their heads went down after the first goal. After that we totally bossed it. The one negative you could possibly be able to throw in NA's direction is that his players lost their confidence far too easily. However, our squad is definitely better in terms of quality and it showed, which of course helped MP no end. On another day we could have actually lost this game, such was our defending at times. MP has 'tweaked' the way we play, and the initial signs are very encouraging, but it will be interesting to see how things develop from here. He has inherited some good players. Let's see what he does with his 'own' players when he signs them in the summer. Hopefully, they will make a bigger impact than Forren. First and foremost, we need 3 more points. NA proved himself over 2 amazing seasons, and was beginning to prove himself in the PL. MP has a way to go yet. One swallow doesn't make a summer.

[Olallana]

And what, pray tell, did you see with your expert eye that suggested he didn't know them?

 

Nige's main issue patently wasn't tactical, it was the fact he could only select players from the Reading squad.

 

Eh....wherer did I say he didn´t?

 

Just answering to the post that Adkins were spot on tactical and as he knows the team he should be.

But we´ve seen during the season quite a few tactical mistakes too....

[OldNick]

And what, pray tell, did you see with your expert eye that suggested he didn't know them?

 

Nige's main issue patently wasn't tactical, it was the fact he could only select players from the Reading squad.

watching the game it was clear that players like le fonder were winning headers against our centre backs, to not bring on the big forward they had on the bench was a poor decision in my opinion. To take off Robson-kanu was also odd IMO . 2 down and you don't throw the dice was poor, HR would have gone for it and sent on 2attackers. The way we were so nervy meant that if they had got 1 goal back we would have been on the rack. They went out with a whimper and the poor sub selection was very much like his tenure at Saints