Purely from watching us this season and even in the past I have felt sometimes our build-up play is too slow and side to side. We are at our best when countering or when a wing back gets high up the field stretching the opposition's defence. However, these days it seems like we just play it side to side and there aren't enough runs from midfield or our attackers for anything to happen once our wing backs have the ball wide.
While I do not think our issues are because of Mane leaving when he was through the middle he seemed to have been able to take at least two defenders with him which created a lot of space for Salah and Diaz to run IN-BEHIND but now it seems that our wide players are just staying wide and not playing like inverted wingers. Furthermore, Mane was a lot more direct in his running than Diaz so he would make things happen a lot more, Diaz seems to be adding that to his game now which is good but still a bit of a way to go before matching what Mane gave us.
I think this issue boils down to Nunez and trying to tweak our play to accommodate to his strengths, but if we are going to do this he needs to start week in and week out and we have to persevere with that style of play, but then we run the risk of it being a transitional type season with our style of play changing.
Personally, I want to see Diaz down the left, Jota down the right and Salah through the middle, I think this will get us making the behind runs we need again, Salah has got in his own head down that right-wing and we need him getting in behind CB's again, his pace alone will frighten CB's into being pulled out of position which will create the space Jota and Diaz need.
Our defence needs to go back to basics, if we continue to use the high line we cannot have defenders who do not track back, so Trent needs to either buck up his ideas or sit on the bench and the same for Robbo at the minute. I would say our best bet defensively is Tsmikas, VVD, Matip, Gomez. When Konate is back fit depending on the form of VVD I wouldn't be far away from giving him a run, as VVD I am sorry to say is not himself this season, he seems sluggish and just not at the races.
Fabinho seems incapable of protecting the high line by himself so perhaps we need Fab and Thiago sitting with a more creative presence in Harvey or Carvalho higher up the pitch, but gone are the days where we can rely on Fab sitting by himself, maybe it's just this season or he needs a break but it doesn't seem he has it in him at the moment.
Nunez should be used when we need a change in style during a game, if he comes on we go to plan B and try something different, I am not sure changing our style of play week in week out at the start of games is a good idea, he is at the club for the long run, we do not need to sacrifice this season to try make our play suit him.
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