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Post by dai on Jun 2, 2022 22:28:14 GMT
Regarding James vs Brennan, it's still James all day for me.
Brennan is very talented, and could very well be our next big star. However, he fails badly in an areas where James excels, and that is off the ball work, getting stuck in, not afraid to tackle.
If you watched the C-ship playoff final, Brennan was the 4th player with the least touches after like 60mins (iirc). We cannot afford such passiveness when it comes to our gameplan, especially when we rely a lot on James' work ethic to press, close down, get stuck in.
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Post by iot on Jun 2, 2022 22:45:07 GMT
Page said in his post match comments that Dan James played because he wanted to and asked for the minutes, as did Neco and Moore. I got the impression it would have been even more second string if Page had stuck to his original plan. So I don't think we can read a lot into the fact Dan James started - he starts again on Sunday for me, I'm almost certain I think James will start. Think Ward will get nod over Hennessey. Question for me would be does Mepham or Wilson start? Poland selection suggests the latter? Yeah, expecting the same lineup as Austria. Page does love a surprise though! |
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Post by morg on Jun 2, 2022 22:54:47 GMT
I'm never 100% happy about any selection at the moment. Worry about Ramsey and Wilson in same team; where should Ampadu play; should Moore start etc etc.. ( thought Moore and James up front the other day looked really promising). Anyway, here's to getting it right!
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Post by allezlesrouges on Jun 2, 2022 23:26:13 GMT
The more I think about it, the more I think James will be vital in pressing them and disrupting their play out from the back - especially given how shaky their keeper was. James to start for me
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Post by erasedcitizen on Jun 3, 2022 6:52:33 GMT
Tough one. Brennan is the more in form and probably more gifted player but we've got where we are with James and he's a known quantity. As a believer of going with your best team, I'm edging towards Brennan also. I think the rest of the team picks itself. Ward or Hennessey ? I was Hennessey but now edging towards Ward selection Ward's the better keeper now, so him. |
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Post by bringbackelmo on Jun 3, 2022 8:35:34 GMT
The more I think about it, the more I think James will be vital in pressing them and disrupting their play out from the back - especially given how shaky their keeper was. James to start for me This times a million, James' workrate has been instrumental in our good form. Must start for me. |
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Post by hooky on Jun 3, 2022 8:50:07 GMT
I was going towards Brennan but the play off matches again showed that he can drift out of matches. Also someone needs to teach him how to compete for headers! He does not even jump in the air!
I just wish James could improve his end product - mad that he trains every day but it does not seem to have materially improved. The reason I was veering towards Johnson is that he is a natural footballer - in a dangerous position then he makes the right decision whereas James tends to do the opposite.
Its a really strange one isn't it! Given how physical Ukraine are then we need James' pressure. Lets hope he gets one of his worldies on Sunday!
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Post by vaulksthrowfanclub on Jun 3, 2022 9:19:30 GMT
DJ to grind them down and tire them out, Brenin to be subbed on and strike the killer blow
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Post by marsvolta on Jun 3, 2022 9:24:32 GMT
DJ to grind them down and tire them out, Brenin to be subbed on and strike the killer blow Spot on sir |
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Post by erasedcitizen on Jun 3, 2022 10:29:11 GMT
DJ to grind them down and tire them out, Brenin to be subbed on and strike the killer blow I've changed my mind, this is the way. |
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Post by saturn9 on Jun 3, 2022 11:43:23 GMT
Ward or Hennessey ? I was Hennessey but now edging towards Ward selection Ward's the better keeper now, so him. This time next year or later. If he stays healthy🤞and fit. Is it a stretch to say that Dan Barden should be vying with Ward as our No1 keeper? |
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Post by talyfan on Jun 3, 2022 14:50:36 GMT
One thing that has been going under the radar somewhat is the fact the Ukranians have been training together for 1 month. With everything else in the mix as well in terms of quality players, momentum and the motivation for them qualify, I think will be a tough test for us. Think it'll be close either way though.
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Post by hc16040 on Jun 3, 2022 15:05:16 GMT
One thing that has been going under the radar somewhat is the fact the Ukranians have been training together for 1 month. With everything else in the mix as well in terms of quality players, momentum and the motivation for them qualify, I think will be a tough test for us. Think it'll be close either way though. I think this is being overplayed slightly, since the Euros we have settled on a certain style of football and have stuck to it. Every player in the starting 11 and on the bench knows exactly what is expected of them. I don't think we should have to worry about cohesion etc. from our boys. |
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Post by iot on Jun 3, 2022 15:09:40 GMT
The other major concern is their tactical set-up and how effective it was against Scotland, who have a very similar set-up to us. Tom Ramasut (assistant coach at Cardiff) was on Cymrucast yesterday and explained how Ukraine's gameplan was to get overloads in the middle of the park. Scotland had 5 at the back and two in midfield; I believe Ukraine played 3 in the middle and therefore already had a man advantage. However, on top of that, their full backs would come in centrally and Yarmolenko would drift in to the middle too, so they completely dominated the middle of the park. Zinchenko is key in that respect as he's essentially a midfielder playing as a full back, so it just meant they had loads of bodies in the middle with the technical ability to ping it around and play killer through balls. Scotland simply didn't have the numbers to disrupt it, and Ukraine were incredibly accurate and passed with so much tempo, that it looked like men against boys.
Hopefully we'll have a plan for it. We can either get Ampadu and Davies to step up more than they usually would, maybe even move ampadu to midfield if needed. We could also potentially get Neco to tuck into the middle - he showed against France that he can do that. And of course we could ask Rambo and Wilson to drop deeper than they were against Austria, maybe even Bale too. My fear is that we go with the Austria approach where our back three were quite deep and wilson + rambo were really high, leaving Allen to cover about 30m of the pitch! The risk with dropping back too deep, of course, is that we accept they are going to have 70% of the ball and we limit our ability to impose ourselves on the game - that would be a really timid way of going out. I suspect the fans would get frustrated and on the players' backs too, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere.
So in summary, I have no idea what I'm talking about or how we should set up, but I'm concerned!
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Post by pclaude on Jun 3, 2022 15:17:30 GMT
One thing that has been going under the radar somewhat is the fact the Ukranians have been training together for 1 month. With everything else in the mix as well in terms of quality players, momentum and the motivation for them qualify, I think will be a tough test for us. Think it'll be close either way though. Not all of them have been, and it’s offset but the fact that most of them hadn’t played a proper game for 4 months until Wednesday. |
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Post by insertname on Jun 3, 2022 15:20:44 GMT
One thing that has been going under the radar somewhat is the fact the Ukranians have been training together for 1 month. With everything else in the mix as well in terms of quality players, momentum and the motivation for them qualify, I think will be a tough test for us. Think it'll be close either way though. I’m surprised more Scots haven’t been up in arms about it. Let’s be honest here: they did not play like a scratch side that hadn’t played together in the months since their last competitive game. They played like a well drilled side who ran far longer than most expected them to and only really tired in the last 15 minutes. That wasn’t the actions of a hastily cobbled together XI that most were predicting they would put out. The saving grace for us is that they have played their hand, there is no way we can be caught cold by how well drilled they are. |
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Post by jimexotic on Jun 3, 2022 15:25:21 GMT
We've got pace all over the pitch and on the bench, it's going to be the deciding factor I think, we're one of the best counter attacking sides in Europe.
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Post by insertname on Jun 3, 2022 15:28:09 GMT
The other major concern is their tactical set-up and how effective it was against Scotland, who have a very similar set-up to us. Tom Ramasut (assistant coach at Cardiff) was on Cymrucast yesterday and explained how Ukraine's gameplan was to get overloads in the middle of the park. Scotland had 5 at the back and two in midfield; I believe Ukraine played 3 in the middle and therefore already had a man advantage. However, on top of that, their full backs would come in centrally and Yarmolenko would drift in to the middle too, so they completely dominated the middle of the park. Zinchenko is key in that respect as he's essentially a midfielder playing as a full back, so it just meant they had loads of bodies in the middle with the technical ability to ping it around and play killer through balls. Scotland simply didn't have the numbers to disrupt it, and Ukraine were incredibly accurate and passed with so much tempo, that it looked like men against boys. Hopefully we'll have a plan for it. We can either get Ampadu and Davies to step up more than they usually would, maybe even move ampadu to midfield if needed. We could also potentially get Neco to tuck into the middle - he showed against France that he can do that. And of course we could ask Rambo and Wilson to drop deeper than they were against Austria, maybe even Bale too. My fear is that we go with the Austria approach where our back three were quite deep and wilson + rambo were really high, leaving Allen to cover about 30m of the pitch! The risk with dropping back too deep, of course, is that we accept they are going to have 70% of the ball and we limit our ability to impose ourselves on the game - that would be a really timid way of going out. I suspect the fans would get frustrated and on the players' backs too, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere. So in summary, I have no idea what I'm talking about or how we should set up, but I'm concerned! If they commit so many men into midfield then that leaves them open to a simple ball over the top and down the channels and unlike Scotland we have the pace up front to capitalise on that…although I wonder if Ukraine would be willing to take risks in that sense because it’s been a hallmark of our play with James that for all the counter attacking threat we very rarely got anything from those golden opportunities against Poland and Austria. Sadly if you’re the opposition manager your arse wouldn’t be twitching like a rabbit’s nose if you saw James breaking over the half way line with one defender between him and the goal. |
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Post by iot on Jun 3, 2022 15:30:50 GMT
The other major concern is their tactical set-up and how effective it was against Scotland, who have a very similar set-up to us. Tom Ramasut (assistant coach at Cardiff) was on Cymrucast yesterday and explained how Ukraine's gameplan was to get overloads in the middle of the park. Scotland had 5 at the back and two in midfield; I believe Ukraine played 3 in the middle and therefore already had a man advantage. However, on top of that, their full backs would come in centrally and Yarmolenko would drift in to the middle too, so they completely dominated the middle of the park. Zinchenko is key in that respect as he's essentially a midfielder playing as a full back, so it just meant they had loads of bodies in the middle with the technical ability to ping it around and play killer through balls. Scotland simply didn't have the numbers to disrupt it, and Ukraine were incredibly accurate and passed with so much tempo, that it looked like men against boys. Hopefully we'll have a plan for it. We can either get Ampadu and Davies to step up more than they usually would, maybe even move ampadu to midfield if needed. We could also potentially get Neco to tuck into the middle - he showed against France that he can do that. And of course we could ask Rambo and Wilson to drop deeper than they were against Austria, maybe even Bale too. My fear is that we go with the Austria approach where our back three were quite deep and wilson + rambo were really high, leaving Allen to cover about 30m of the pitch! The risk with dropping back too deep, of course, is that we accept they are going to have 70% of the ball and we limit our ability to impose ourselves on the game - that would be a really timid way of going out. I suspect the fans would get frustrated and on the players' backs too, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere. So in summary, I have no idea what I'm talking about or how we should set up, but I'm concerned! If they commit so many men into midfield then that leaves them open to a simple ball over the top and down the channels and unlike Scotland we have the pace up front to capitalise on that…although I wonder if Ukraine would be willing to take risks in that sense because it’s been a hallmark of our play with James that for all the counter attacking threat we very rarely got anything from those golden opportunities against Poland and Austria. Sadly if you’re the opposition manager your arse wouldn’t be twitching like a rabbit’s nose if you saw James breaking over the half way line with one defender between him and the goal. The key point is they commit those men when in possession, whilst holding a more traditional set-up out of possession. Obviously if we can disposes them then the counter is on, but against Scotland they were so dominant in that facet of play that the Scots couldn't get the ball off them to launch any counters. |
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Post by insertname on Jun 3, 2022 15:32:34 GMT
We've got pace all over the pitch and on the bench, it's going to be the deciding factor I think, we're one of the best counter attacking sides in Europe. In theory we are, but we rarely score from those opportunities because (and I take no pleasure in saying it) James just isn’t quite up to it from an attacking perspective at the moment. We are great at displaying the potential for quality counter attacking but if we were actually good at it we would have scored more goals against Poland and Austria. Saying that I don’t think I would start Johnson yet because he is still an unknown at this level and it’s been pointed out earlier that at least James does good work without the ball whereas a Johnson having a quiet game is basically an empty shirt. I really hope that Johnson can start showing his club form for Wales because then we really whould look like a very dangerous counter attacking side, but also *act* like a very dangerous counter attacking side. |
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Post by insertname on Jun 3, 2022 15:44:10 GMT
If they commit so many men into midfield then that leaves them open to a simple ball over the top and down the channels and unlike Scotland we have the pace up front to capitalise on that…although I wonder if Ukraine would be willing to take risks in that sense because it’s been a hallmark of our play with James that for all the counter attacking threat we very rarely got anything from those golden opportunities against Poland and Austria. Sadly if you’re the opposition manager your arse wouldn’t be twitching like a rabbit’s nose if you saw James breaking over the half way line with one defender between him and the goal. The key point is they commit those men when in possession, whilst holding a more traditional set-up out of possession. Obviously if we can disposes them then the counter is on, but against Scotland they were so dominant in that facet of play that the Scots couldn't get the ball off them to launch any counters. Whilst I think it was more Ukraine playing well than Scotland playing badly Scotland did allow them the space between their lines to operate in. I would expect us not to show them similar respect and to make it much harder for them to get their passing going. Saying that when Scotland did try to press at times they were able to pass their way round them with ease so there is definitely a danger of committing too many men to disrupt their passing and getting very caught out. It’s not really a hallmark of this side that we can keep possession and set the tempo of the game which is a shame because a controlled approach that forces them to sit back neutralises their overloading and takes them more time to transition into that shape when they win the ball back. I think our utilisation of pace is a natural fit for Ukraine, bar the pressure we can exert when their centre backs try and play out from the back. |
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Post by jimexotic on Jun 3, 2022 16:28:24 GMT
Just looking at the groups again, Ukraine didn't lose a any of their 8 qualifiers and they had winners, France, in their group, they also only won 2 games, drawing 6. They're tough to beat but also tough to lose to, we just need to be on it from the off and play like it's arguably the biggest game in Welsh football history and we have the luxury of having it in a packed out close to the pitch home stadium.
Decades and decades of crap we've endured and it just feels like finally we might be doing something we've never done, qualified, on merit, for a World Cup.
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Post by barneycat1 on Jun 3, 2022 18:01:16 GMT
Pace is going to do the job. Pace, and decent finishing. If we get that right we will beat them comfortably.
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Post by dai on Jun 3, 2022 20:32:54 GMT
Has anyone else seen the ref on Saturday's previous form?!!
He's dished out 67 yellows and 5 (I think) red cards in his last 9 matches.
Very worried about some of our players. Don't think Ampadu nor Moore should start.
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Post by insertname on Jun 3, 2022 21:20:17 GMT
Has anyone else seen the ref on Saturday's previous form?!! He's dished out 67 yellows and 5 (I think) red cards in his last 9 matches. Very worried about some of our players. Don't think Ampadu nor Moore should start. Fuck me that’s brutal. 5 reds in 9 games? What’s his name? He can’t be one of the top names the lad quoted the other day on here |
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Post by cynonvalley on Jun 3, 2022 21:25:37 GMT
Has anyone else seen the ref on Saturday's previous form?!! He's dished out 67 yellows and 5 (I think) red cards in his last 9 matches. Very worried about some of our players. Don't think Ampadu nor Moore should start. Fuck me that’s brutal. 5 reds in 9 games? What’s his name? He can’t be one of the top names the lad quoted the other day on here |
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Post by insertname on Jun 3, 2022 21:36:33 GMT
Hmm….I’ve had only a cursory look but none of the recent fixtures hes reffed look like relegation/important fixtures that would suggest both sides kicking the shit out of each other, apart from Cadiz v Madrid where I can imagine the lower league team tried to put the boot in to their more illustrious rivals. On the face of it it looks like the dodgy Ukrainian keeper is likely to have the best man he could have hoped for protecting him. I was thinking it would be Felix Brych. Surprising we don’t have a big name ref for this one. |
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Post by dai on Jun 3, 2022 21:37:18 GMT
That's the boy. That list is missing the greek cup final though, which was his last club game, and where he gave out two reds. |
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Post by deandadonda on Jun 3, 2022 22:19:56 GMT
Anyone else getting sick of this Ukraine pandering now
I want to smash them. See zinchenko crying again
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Post by allezlesrouges on Jun 3, 2022 22:32:01 GMT
Ward's the better keeper now, so him. This time next year or later. If he stays healthy🤞and fit. Is it a stretch to say that Dan Barden should be vying with Ward as our No1 keeper? Needs senior games, I don't think he's that close yet. Wayne will undoubtedly be phased out after the WC, as his club career is waning, and he'll have probably achieved everything he wanted to in a Wales shirt. We'll need a new keeper in the squad and that could be Barden, but will depend on his senior club career |
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