FC B
Senior Member
Even since the first game with Setien, we have seen that the control and creativity is back where it should be. With the deep lying play-makers. Players like De Jong, Busi, Arthur, guys who can find the proper passes and find the best angles. Not with the fullbacks.
What I expected happened. The instant impact of Setien is much reduced time on the ball for fullbacks in dead end situations, and increased centrality through better positioning of the midfield 3, and better synchronizations, as well as better, more clever ways of finding the 3rd man and escaping pressing situations. Harder for opponents to cut off the passing channels in midfield, because now our midfielders readjust and make the other team work more to try to block central progression, which is damn hard to do. These are obvious things, which if you know the foundation of possession football and how it's supposed to work, at least at a basic level, you can see them being improved already.
Now the bad part. To play like that requires energy. Not insane energy, because better positioning means faster access on the ball by default, but more energy than we are currently able to put into a game. It is undeniable at this point that a main reason of the CL collapses in recent seasons has been down to the poor fitness and match preparation. This also plays in hand with the mentality part. Being prepared and fit, means being confident. Being confident means being mentally solid. But when you prepare poorly, and you're thrown in the deep end against teams who run more, press more, attack more, want more to win, that's where the panic mode sets in. It's a direct result of realizing you have no control, and in the end all you do is try to hang on and survive. That has been the story in the last 3 years.
We have a long way back and I hope the players are ready for what this means in terms of dedication and effort. This needs to be THE WAY forward. No two ways about it.
Exactly.