What was our biggest area of weakness this season? Defense, Midfield or Attack?

The team has a whole has simply not worked this season,  but if you had to pick one area for special mention, what would it be?

On the face of it, this one seems like a no-brainer, surely our defense right? But that would have to include Marshall who has been our player of the season. Besides there is another team that have conceded more than us (admittedly they have been relegated too).

I'm of the opinion that a case could be put forward that it was our lack of goals that truly cost us. 31 goals for a season is a real shoddy effort. We just haven't scored enough.

Question is, is that because we haven't been able to create enough chances or because we haven't been able to put them away?  

My view is that the larger portion of blame has to belong, in equal measure, to our midfield and the tactical approach they had been asked to use in their build up play.

We were too obvious and too clueless.  How many times did we try to score from whipping the ball into the box for Campbell, and sometimes one other, to try get onto the end of? Most our efforts come from the wings and I can only remember one or two times this season when campbell has won the ball, 9/10 it has been easy pickings for the opposite defence.  We were most successful scoring goals from open play going down the middle but we very rarely tried it.

Watching the Sunderland game, most of their attacking efforts came with a ball over the top, the sort of tactics where campbell would thrive.  Also, Cala's sending off came from an attack down the middle.

For me, this has been the most frustrating part of our game this season, our complete lack of creativity and ideas when in possession going forward. Although I'm not sure if this is entirely the fault of the players or the manager.

Our midfield, without a shadow of a doubt. Our defence was shaky but Caulker and John are young and still improving while Fabio has actually done pretty well the last couple of matches. Campbell is also a decent striker. His conversion rate isn't great but he isn't getting that many chances anyway and those he gets are tough. It's only when you are feeding him them on a constant plate you can really judge.

Our midfield however is pretty awful. We don't have anyone in the same league as Medel in the defensive midfield role and it shows whenever we lose him. And in a brilliant irony the rest of the midfield are too scared to make runs with Campbell in case it opens them up defensively. All too often Campbell gets the ball through sheer determination but there is no one to help him. The very best wingers will spot when their striker is likely to win the ball and has already started their run, while ours stand gawping most of the time.

We also lack the engine every good team has, that guy in the middle who is happy with the ball at his feet and makes things tick. Your Mata, Hazard, Huddlestone, etc. Yet again we find another 'laugh or you'll cry' moment when we realise that Joe Ledley is doing that pretty well at Palace.

The management of the club from top to bottom.

Cleve van Leef wrote:The management of the club from top to bottom.

Definetely something that's very, very difficult to disagree with. I think you could make a whole chapter in the 'how not to run a football club' book with just our season.

I think our attacking is too weak.

It's a combination of the midfield, and the striker(s).

The inability to convert chances has been a major problem; could have scored 3 or 4 on Saturday alone.

Red614 wrote:Our midfield, without a shadow of a doubt. Our defence was shaky but Caulker and John are young and still improving while Fabio has actually done pretty well the last couple of matches. Campbell is also a decent striker. His conversion rate isn't great but he isn't getting that many chances anyway and those he gets are tough. It's only when you are feeding him them on a constant plate you can really judge.

Our midfield however is pretty awful. We don't have anyone in the same league as Medel in the defensive midfield role and it shows whenever we lose him. And in a brilliant irony the rest of the midfield are too scared to make runs with Campbell in case it opens them up defensively. All too often Campbell gets the ball through sheer determination but there is no one to help him. The very best wingers will spot when their striker is likely to win the ball and has already started their run, while ours stand gawping most of the time.

We also lack the engine every good team has, that guy in the middle who is happy with the ball at his feet and makes things tick. Your Mata, Hazard, Huddlestone, etc. Yet again we find another 'laugh or you'll cry' moment when we realise that Joe Ledley is doing that pretty well at Palace.

Some good points, but I'd say Mutch is a better all-round player than Huddlestone.

I personally feel on his day Mutch is better than Huddlestone, but he is also very much an on-off sort of player. On form he is excellent while off form he is anonymous, comparatively Huddlestone is consistently good.

Sorry, but Huddlestone is a far more complete player than Mutch and with a far better attitude. Mutch goes missing more and more as a game goes on. We missed out on Huddlestone last summer..........he would have been a gem of a signing.