Before I delve into my conclusions from Tuesday night’s 0-0 draw away to Eintracht Frankfurt, I just want to voice my commiserations to the family and friends of our fitness instructor Gian Piero Ventrone, who devastatingly passed away today at the age of 61. RIP Gian Piero.
Given how popular he was with the players as well as the coaching staff, there is no doubt that Ventrone’s passing will have cast a black cloud over the club this week. Indeed, events on the pitch in recent weeks have done little to boost morale, and Tuesday’s drab affair will have very much perpetuated the negativity circling around certain segments of our fanbase.
Nevertheless, I can’t help but view the result as a positive one, and a point gained rather than two lost. I’ve no doubt that this will irk many readers, but since when has any team in Europe had a God-given right to win every game at this level? Playing away in Europe is hard, irrespective of whether you’re playing “inferior” opposition, as Eintracht are to us if the Euroclub Index will have you believe (with 17 places separating us in 11th and the Germans in 28th).
Eintracht are no mugs, and are in this competition by virtue of winning the Europa League. Yes, it’s frustrating that we didn’t score; yes, it’s frustrating that we missed so many chances; yes, it’s frustrating that we were so slow to move the ball and create meaningful chances after the break; but ultimately, we made a decent team look very ordinary…we just couldn’t finish our dinner when it mattered!
It’s worth noting that Tuesday’s performance was a step in the right direction in terms of our work with the ball and our attacking play – as Sky Sports’ statisticians have noted, we didn’t stray offside once (something that was an issue against Sporting and to a lesser extent, Arsenal), our passing accuracy was back up to 84%, and we had 12 attempts on goal. Plenty of huff and puff indeed!
However, this in itself is a negative – courtesy of the same source, only 2 of our 12 attempts were on target, and we missed 3 clear-cut chances. Conte has spoken before about our need to be clinical – even after games we’ve won – and yet again was banging that very same drum after Tuesday’s stalemate in his post-match comments. This is a clear weakness that won’t go away overnight.
Moreover, that we failed to register a single shot on goal in the 2nd half is a damning indictment of our overall performance on Tuesday, and bears a disturbing resemblance to the manner in which our second-half performances declined in past games this season: West Ham, Sporting CP, and Arsenal. Mitigating circumstances with the red card in the NLD aside, this has the makings of an emerging trend that needs to be nipped in the bud.
On the whole, however, let’s view this as a good point – after all, the old European adage about group qualification dictates that you try to draw all your away games, and win your home games. Well, with two home games coming up against Frankfurt and SPorting, there’s no need to lose heart just yet.
As recent weeks have shown, this group is anything but a foregone conclusion, but we’re a different beast at home, winning every one of our five matches in all competitions this season – no reason why we can’t take maximum points in our remaining group home games. COYS!
I thought the performance was quite good. We created some excellent scoring opportunities but failed to convert them. It happens. It’s football.
A match without even one shot on goal is, for me, more than failing to convert some opportunities.
It’s an embarrassment.
But we all respond differently to things.
The performance was adequate because we didn’t lose. However, no shots on goal was an awful indictment of overall play and the way our coach is endorsing such a boring and defensive style.
Very, very disappointed with Conte. I was expecting so much more. Yes we are in top 4 temporarily but I begrudge paying exorbitant match day prices to watch a struggling and irritated team passing the ball sideways and backwards and forwards running around chasing scraps.
The only excitement is watching the animated Conte jumping up and down and moaning at some of the players.
Hopefully, the attraction of Italy will give him an excuse to sign off in the very near future.
Must be close to a match-day thread.
Hi Geoff
I too thought we played well
A big improvement form Saturday.
As I posted on another thread
This, Frankfurt team have just won the, Europa league beating:
Fenerbache, Olympiakos, Westham, R Sociodad, and indeed Barcelona.(spelling)
So for me they were no slouches.
Whilst last season we struggled against
Rennes, Antwerp, and Mura
For me we did boss that team who were, at home on a Euro nite.
These CL games, are not easy for anyone, and very few are classics at least until the knock out stages.
So for me decent performance, improvement, good result…
Hi ND …. Yes, it wasn’t a bad result by any means but I thought, given the chances we had, that we should have won. Pity football doesn’t always work that way. lol
Expected better after the shambles in the Derby.
Ten men away to Arsenal would make anyone a shambles. I thought we were still in the game before the sending off, despite being one goal down. Hard to judge them on that result.
A draw away in the CL = very good, but the down side it was 2pts dropped, we should have won that game comfortably.
As Geof said…”pity football doesn’t always work that way!”
A trip down Souff to the sunny seaside tomorrow, let the Cockerels do the Shitehawks in, lol! COYS
Not a shot on goal. this is sufficient to judge the match as dreadful, and not to be interpreted in the Rasta way as being full of dreads.
No shots on goal suggests a manager who revealed too much when he felt a need to proclaim in public that he isn’t stupid. Setting a team up to pass from side to side and backwards instead of grasping that you’ve got to go forward to shoot at the goal is–how should this be put? Ah yes, Mr. Conte provided the appropriate word, didn’t he?
Someone claims not to be stupid only when their manner invites being called stupid.
The match was a display of coaching stupidity.
Better to call yourself stupid, totally stupid. Know anyone who does that? They’re a half step up on Mr. Conte feeling the need to say he’s not a knobhead.
You shout your stupidity to the heavens, Mr. Conte, when the team you coach get zero shots on goal. You’ve missed the point of playing football. It’s to get shots on goal.
What player want to be on a team that gets no shots on goal? It takes a masochist.