Huddersfield H post match thread 3-1

[Arriba Los Zorros]

56 minutes ago, StriderHiryu said:

 

I think you can use this game as a good barometer to compare us to last season. Many times at home we would start slow, concede a clanger and only then start playing. We’d get it back to 1-1 but couldn’t win. Today whilst the slow start and poor defending reared their ugly head again we got back into it faster and ended up winning comfortably. That is progress of some kind even if it’s not as much as I’d like. 

 

This is exactly what I think much better than I could ever have said it, thank you. We need to see evidence of steady improvement for Puel to keep his job and so far this season I'd give him the benefit of the doubt as 1-1s at home Vs poor teams are becoming 2-1s, and we are showing more signs of being able to grind results out.

[Bert]

1 hour ago, Marutimon said:

Ndidi did tremendously today (6 tackles, several of them were really key). Mendy was the weak link. 

Good job he can tackle and intercept. Because he can’t pass and is great at giving the ball away. 

[Goober]

All in all I don’t think result tells us anything that we didn’t already know. Big one next week

[mozartfox]

Many positives today BUT the CB pairing needs an injection of pace.  We will not get away with it against teams having a rapid striker.  Sort this is out and I can see  a bright future.  Puel does not have the luxury of time so why we purchased two younger CB’s that are not considered ‘ready’,  is something that needs explaining.

 

Pleased for Kelechi, Mendy and Armatey. Vards back to his best and Madders and Chilly were class.  Happy for Puel too.

 

Wes to comeback back in next week and FT will go into meltdown.

 

 

[TJB-fox]

I too thought Mendy was weak today, lost count of the number of times he lost the ball. Thought we played well today after taking a little while to get going, glad to see Gray coming on and making a positive impact. 

 

On the the subject of 352, there’s no way Puel is going to chop and change systems now. He’s got an ongoing project with the owners I’d be gobsmacked if he suddenly dropped his system to pander to the fans. Maybe that’s just me being hopeful though because I do not want 352

[HoustonFox]

Very happy with the win, and even more happy that Claude was actually able to make some changes to adapt early this time. I'll be first to admit, I said something in the match thread about that being a concern, and he proved me wrong.

 

Positives:

• Nacho and Vards look a real partnership up front - looking and working for each other.  Nacho's pass was sublime, and Jamie was super unselfish
• Madders' free kicks make us a real threat in and around the box - mini Becks
• Amartey had a really good game at right back, covered well, and joined in attacks when needed

Room for improvement:

• Defence still looked a bit ropey - massive let off when Depoitre was clean through - still giant gaps between the CBs and Mendy or Ndidi need to be more aware when Harry moves forward
• Still slow on the ball - Mendy improving but needs to move it quicker.  We know Wilf is a destroyer, so Nampalys needs to not only help out at the back and do some tidy stuff, needs some more incisiveness

Overall, 3 points and signs of improvement.  Balance is getting there and moving forward, but let's not underestimate how poor Huddersfield were, but let's take the confidence of the win to the next game

[StriderHiryu]

1 hour ago, Pete from the USA said:

Two goals on couterattacks and one on a set piece. So much for possession football. 

Fair comment this. 

 

Today was the first goal we’ve scored from a set piece and I think our first counter attacking goals of the season so it has overall bore some fruits. I’d also say it’s actually encouraging that we can still be lethal on the break despite it not being plan A. 

 

But when you often see us knocking the ball sideways for 30mins but create nothing then I understand the criticism. We can definitely improve in our ability to open teams up but remember that it’s the very best players that at excel at this. We had one such player but he left for 60m!

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

Quote

Puel out, Puel in, round and round we go, can't make our minds up, curse the so and so. Bring your left leg in. your right leg out, we're

doing the Claude Puel shuffle, so shake it all about. Should he stay or should he go, that's what we wonder, and all want to know?.

Now just look above, and see what he's done, got me all confused, that son of a gun.

[Realist Guy In The Room]

Thought Amartey was excellent today.  Would like to see him continue at RB and have Ricardo in an attacking role.  Iheanacho was very good too as the game moved on.

 

The central midfield partnership i’m liking alot.  Huddersfield are pretty poor but their central midfield is probably their strongest area and I thought Mendy and Ndidi coped well.  Mendy has been superb since he came in for me.  Streets ahead of Silva.

[Tielemans63]

On a positive note, I love how Maddison plays the game.

 

That free kick and the pass that started the break were brilliant but I love the way he plays with his head up and takes risks. So many players play like automatons (not their fault necessarily) and often look like they're going thorough the motions but Madders looks like he's loving every minute of it.

[StriderHiryu]

3 minutes ago, Arriba Los Zorros said:

This is exactly what I think much better than I could ever have said it, thank you. We need to see evidence of steady improvement for Puel to keep his job and so far this season I'd give him the benefit of the doubt as 1-1s at home Vs poor teams are becoming 2-1s, and we are showing more signs of being able to grind results out.

Exactly. Don’t get me wrong Puel wouldn’t get an “A” on his report card but it has so far improved slightly. Would probably give him a “B minus” right now but think 10 league games in is a better time to judge. 

 

It’s important to remember how competitive this league is. The big guns can basically get anyone and even some of the upstarts have serious backing such as Everton, West Ham, Wolves and Fulham. 

 

Before today i’d have only ranked Bournemouth and Watford as beating expectations and one of those got smashed today. 

 

This league is tough tough tough and a long term plan is needed to consistently break the mould. Luckily we’ve got such owners so let’s be patient!

[Stan]

I’ve seen a few comments suggesting that Mendy kept giving the ball away.

 

Certainly not what I saw - his passing completion looked very good.

 

Is there a statto around to nail this?

[Matt]

1 hour ago, Pete from the USA said:

Two goals on couterattacks and one on a set piece. So much for possession football. 

Felt like the shackles were off at times but then it was like 'shit, we havn't been instructed to do this/we've been instructed not to do this' and back to sideways it was (they shouldn't need to be instructed to do that but that's exactly the point.)

 

p.s. sorry for explaining what I saw or how I viewed it.

[NeilLCFC]

Happy we bagged 3 points but a win against the worst team in the league is not enough to give me  confidence in Puel 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

50 minutes ago, cropstonfox said:

They were very poor and we made heavy weather of it for an hour.

We could have played any formation and still  won

 

 

But a wins a win and it was dcomfortable in the ed

Mate we smashed them. Even at 0-1 we were the only team playing football. 

[RowlattsFox]

People seem incapable of understanding that you can be a possession based side that can still use the counter attack when the opportunity arises. 

[Costock_Fox]

1 hour ago, abdul_fox said:

Mendy's slowly becoming our best midfielder.

When it’s a choice of him and Ndidi, on today’s evidence it’s a no brainer.

[The Doctor]

8 minutes ago, Stan said:

I’ve seen a few comments suggesting that Mendy kept giving the ball away.

 

Certainly not what I saw - his passing completion looked very good.

 

Is there a statto around to nail this?

93% pass success rate, best in the starting line up today and fourth best on the pitch after Shinji and Albrighton for us and Schindler for them:

 

https://www.whoscored.com/Matches/1284797/Live/England-Premier-League-2018-2019-Leicester-Huddersfield

[Costock_Fox]

1 hour ago, Foxxed said:

 

Very modern team this one.

“How many fingers can I put up there babes?”

[HankMarvin]

Thought the defence was shaky as...

Huddersfield could've had 3 on another day

Mendy seems too similar in a defensive role as Ndidi 

Not sure how Amartery kept out Ricardo for 90 mins

 

Vardy played well and showed good commitment

Maddsion will only get better 

 

[NaijaFox]

30 minutes ago, Bert said:

Good job he can tackle and intercept. Because he can’t pass and is great at giving the ball away. 

Wilf somehow manages a couple of spectacularly poor passes per game, but his basic passing is just fine.

 

Nonetheless, he still completed about 89% of his passes today with the most touches of the ball among all of the players on both sides (WhoScored stats).

Edited 22 September 2018 by NaijaFox

[Tringfox]

22 minutes ago, Bert said:

Good job he can tackle and intercept. Because he can’t pass and is great at giving the ball away. 

I agree with you totally, yet any word of criticism on hear about him they will say “it’s not part of his game”. 

[NaijaFox]

1 minute ago, NaijaFox said:

 

 

Edited 22 September 2018 by NaijaFox

[Ric Flair]

Really pleased for Iheanacho, he's had a tough start to the season given it appeared he'd get the longest run of games he's had for us. Still in that time he set up 2 and got another assist last week when Vardy was back. Add in a goal and an assist vs Fleetwood and a goal and an assist today and the man is quietly in very good nick. 

 

I've still no clue what our best line up is, there's little to take out of today except it's 3 points, our 3 attackers were in fine fettle and we got the job done. We are still dubious at the back and if Amartey does play then it goes against Puel's attacking full backs plan but that might not be a bad thing if it continued to cause us problems. Maguire is a good player but is he actually a great defender? We certainly don't ever look like we'll keep a run of clean sheets, it's why I think 3-4-1-2 suits us better. We have the width in the full backs, the pace at the back in Soyuncu and then Maddison behind Vardy and Iheanacho. Maybe one day.

[Goober]

8 minutes ago, RowlattsFox said:

People seem incapable of understanding that you can be a possession based side that can still use the counter attack when the opportunity arises. 

This. Guardiola has City getting 70-75% possession every week but how often do you see them rip a team on the counter. Saw us attacking in a number of different way today which was promising. Vardy’s goal was a great little move.