We struggle with game management.
For me, when you're 2-0 or 3-0 up and you concede, there needs to be a response. And that response is to slow the game for a few minutes. We need a man in the middle to put a foot on the ball and find the short, simple pass to someone, anyone, in a red shirt who is free. And we need that man to do the same thing. You do not think about scoring at this moment. You do not think about getting it up the byline. You do not think about crossing the halfway line. You play simple triangles. You sit back. Not deep, but in your half, and you move the ball around.
I was crying out for someone to do this last night, but every ball was forwards every single time. It's ironic that some criticise Henderson for playing sideways when I was desperate for him to do just that and he refused over and over again.
When a team who is behind scores, they get a lift. For a few minutes, they are running on adrenaline, they are quicker and stronger, they are more focused, more aware. They are more dangerous. But they are still behind. So you wait it out. The adrenaline will wear off faster if you can frustrate them. Not for long, either, a couple of minutes of steady, simple, training ground pass-pass-pass, find your man, don't take any risks will feel like a lifetime to the opposition.
And because you're in your half of the field, you are drawing them out. They want the ball, they know on some level that this is meant to be their time, this is when they are dangerous, so they will chase it. Great. That stretches them, takes them out of their shape, so when you do switch it back to attack, they are all over the place and there's spaces to run at.
We were trying to turn it over every time anyone touched the ball last night. I can see the temptation, go back and respond with a goal of your own, changes things around, but it's naive to assume you can just do that every time to quality opposition. We were 3-1 up and looking desperate. Sometimes part of this is the crowd being nervy. I wish there was some way to tell people to stop fretting so fucking loud because it spreads. Roar some confidence into yourself. Have a good shout and a sing, you'll fell better and the team will respond, but it falls on deaf ears because people are in love with displaying their own cowardice for some reason and will happily tell the world they are shitting themselves. I have fuck all idea what that is supposed to achieve.
But I digress.
While I am an admirer of Henderson, he definitely did not show the sort of leadership last night that I expect in that situation. The difference once Can and Milner came on was huge. Even though we conceded late on, their introduction slashed the amount of times we were simply handing the ball back to Seville, or trying to force things that were fringe chances at best at the expense of just closing down play and shutting the game down with some short passes. It's not about the skills of the players. Short-passing in triangles is well within the ability of every member of our squad. The under-17s can do it. It is about someone on the pitch setting the tone, knowing that it is time to crush the tempo, play boring and frustrate. Call it "resting in possession" if you like, it's what Mourinho does but it's also what Rafa was the master of. Draw the sting. Drop a little deep. Let them get overambitious and then, then you break and catch them napping.
Easier said than done in the heat of the moment, sure, but that is where an experienced player, not necessarily the captain, really needs to step up and boss it.
