Last night, we bowed out of the EFL Trophy, after losing to a Oxford, after a late winner for the League One club. It sparked a lot of conversation, and I am adding to that with five talking points.
Rose Deserves a Run
In your MOTM poll, you voted Jack Rose as the winner, after a confident and solid performance. He commanded his box well, came out to collect the ball confidently, and made a few good saves along the way. The goal was a fantastic strike, and no keeper would have saved that. After last nights showing, I would be giving him a few games as the No1. He has not had a lot of game time, and he stepped into the team last night and showed just how good he can be. He is a player we all want to see more of, and Darrell can have no questions over his form after last night. Robbo has also been ill, which is why I assume he was missing from the bench too last night. In my opinion, Rose needs to start on Saturday, and him and Robbo should be kept in the team based on form, not on who has been awarded the No1 Jersey.
Attacking Threat? What Attacking Threat
We really struggled in the final third last night. Our only real effort of note was from Caolan Lavery and his header off the bar. Other than that, we had speculative efforts from range. The thing that really concerned me, was the lack of entries into the opposition box. There was barely anything for Scrimshaw and Lavery to feed off. We didn’t see many crosses, through balls, or general threat. Saturday we face a team at rock bottom, and we have to take control, and let our attack run wild.
Guthrie and Holden Key
We looked more threatening when Guthrie and Holden were introduced. We also looked more composed on the ball. It is very noticeable how much they can change a game when they are taken out of the side. Together, they look much more capable than their alternatives. We have to keep them fit and looked after. Obviously we will miss Guthrie for games here and there due to his fitness. I did think Bates did well last night, although I feel there is still a lot he can work on. However I don’t see an alternative for when Holden is out of the team.
Scarr is Improving
Last night, Dan Scarr put in a very solid performance, alongside Mat Sadler. It is easy to forget that Scarr is still fairly young, at 25. However, he has played over 70 games for us now, and you can see how he has grown. He was up against a strong attack last night. We all know how lethal Sam Winnall can be, and Jordan Obita is also a threat too. Yet we looked tight at the back, barring one moment of brilliance from Oxford. Scarr leads well, and puts his body on the line. For me, he is our key CB, and showed it last night.
Kids were OK
It was an OK night for our younger players. Alfie Bates had a positive, yet frustrating night. He moved the ball well, however there were many chances to play better, smarter and more attacking balls forward, rather than the defensive option. CCM once again showed he can be solid, although I did not see anything that makes me think he will be pushing a fit George Nurse out of the side soon. Jack Nolan was OK too. He did a lot of running, however, an attacking player is judged on their attacking output, and this was a night where Jack didn’t affect the team going forward too much. Finally, there was Scrimshaw. Out of all the players, he had played the biggest part. He was energetic and hustled defenders well. He reminds me of when we first signed Josh Gordon, and if trained and coached well, could be a key player going forward.
So there are my talking points. What do you think about the things mentioned?
