Modest introduction:
i guess this isn't the most relevant topic at the moment after a good result (after all we should be rightly confident after that performance - especially in the first half - that the players have rediscovered their ability), but i hope nobody minds if i talk about a feature of our play that's worryingly been absent in 90% of our games this season. The word i use to describe this missing feature is 'zip'.
Immodest introduction:
I don't intend to be a Buzz Killington but I'm happy to assume the role of the fish from Cat in the Hat to do what's necessary, id est alert you all to certain devils in the detail (Thing 1 and Thing 2) when you'd rather relax and enjoy the winning feeling after the last game. Therefore I will outline the nature of the problem and you will all read and take notice. And before you start, I don't want any retorts that sound like 'killjoy' because as it chances I champion the mantra that it's better to analyse deficiencies after success than after failure. The latter, well that's just sour grapes like as sour as from the sourest patch you could find yon side of Stanley Park. Over here, we only grow fresh grapes and these grapes, thank you very much, are fresh as fuck. So please, help yourself.......
So......what is 'zip'? Well, it's absence is characterised by Mr. Predictable, Mr. Unassertive, Mr. Indecisive, Mr. Panic and Mr. Play-it-safe. To explain that i'll direct your attention to our attackin performances in most of our games this season. It's all about periods in games, whether we're home or away, when we're on the front foot. IMO Stoke, Norwich, Swansea, Arsenal, the Mancs and Chelsea (at times) are the main games where a lack of zip has really frustrated and stifled us. I have seen every sec of these games; I didn't see Sunderland game so can't include that one although people have told me there were similar characteristics there.
The problem i've noticed in these games is the lack of cut-throat urgency to our attacks, in other words a lack of 'zip'. There's a pattern that you can notice happening when we're trying to invade the opponent's half and cause chaos (space between halfway line and their 18-yard line is where zip belongs). One of our back 4 or central midfielders has the ball and is looking for an option to move play forward, but the other team are keeping their shape pretty well and everyone is marked. So although there is a pass on, the person who receives the ball will be closed down and hassled quickly. It is basically square one of an attack and for us, when we're lacking zip, seems to be the hardest hurdle for us to get past/shift from. Why are we getting stuck on square one then, in terms of the conviction of our attacks (and why do so many of the passes seem to go safe and predictable, sideways/backwards)? Because our energy levels don't have enough zip.
Zip meaning the confidence and ability to change pace and, further forward, have absolute conviction that what you're going to try is going to work. You might say that the player on the ball at square 1 can only play what's in front of them, i.e: if there's noone making runs then he can't do anything. That's not totally true as when things are looking static the off-the-ball runners sometimes need a little encouragement to start moving themselves. Here's where some zip is needed to make the forward progression swift and cut-throat. To liven things up and get the team going again, the player in possession needs to 'go for it' and implement a change of pace, whether that means going on a small to medium run before releasing the ball, or passing it along the floor very quickly to a forward/advanced midfielder (and hope they can trap/control the ball). Carrying the ball while shielding it from attentive pressing opponents is probably preferable, as IMO it's the best way to get everyone else moving.
Further forward near the 18-yard box (or in it), the importance of the final pass is not lost on anyone. It's crucial that zip is present here as well, as we saw against Chelsea for Maxi's goal. But too often i've felt there's been hesitation in this area and attacks have stalled. Zip is so vital in a psychological sense here, as too much thinking can result in the chance 'goin begging' and negative psychological baggage. Without zip the attacks are often predictable, giving the opponents plenty of time to intercept them. Every time an attack fails like this, the other team get more confident and we get less confident (exacerbated by the crowd's groans of frustration). Predictable and careful attacks make the opponenets more confident that they will be able to deal with whatever you have to throw at them, making them more confident in themselves in general. Attacks with zip and intensity make the opponents think 'crap were in for a long afternoon'.
The best analogy is this: imagine you're fencing somebody and you gain the upper hand. Your opponent stumbles and you have an opening to finish him off, but you hesitate and he has time to recover his defence. This 'second chance' gives him a psychological boost and you a psychological knock (because you're rueing the missed opportunity}.The fencing analogy is only just that, an analogy, but this kind of 'jousting' does take place in games and has an impact on how the psychological complexion of the game will unfold.
So to summarise i'd say that a lot of our attacks this season, when we've been expected to seize the initiative, have lacked the zip or intensity that you need to really unsettle opponents (particularly games against smaller opponents or games at Anfield). Hopefully in the near future we can rediscover our natural confidence and start blitzing teams