Quote Originally Posted by A Quiet Monkfish View Post
There was an element of irony in my comment. It's relatively easy for managers to get a group of players passing the ball around between their own penalty area and the opposition's, especially as the modern trend is for the other team to drop back giving them room. So I'd say that Huddersfield in that respect are no worse than Swansea - though maybe I'd amend 'top six' to 'top half' on reflection. What they can't do is score and defend - as you also commented - things that separate the tippy-tappy coaches from the successful results-orientated managers.
Huddersfield's plight is interesting because it demonstrates how difficult it is for a manager to get a team playing his way when they've spent so long playing another way. I'm pretty sure Danny Cowley's Lincoln side were physical, robust and direct, This Huddersfield team is anything but.

Cowley's description of his own team last night was as follows: "I thought we started the game well and had a lot of pretty patterns to the final third, time and time again. We were disappointed, though, with the final pass and the final action - and definitely the movement ahead of the ball, I didn't think we had enough penetration. Ultimately, games of football are won in both boxes and if you are soft in your defensive box and powder puff in the attacking area then don't expect to win football matches."

He's spot on. Huddersfield were definitely powder puff up front. Mounie was absolutely awful. He didn't trouble City's centre backs at all. Morrison played well but he'll seldom have an easier night. Once they'd got the first goal, City needed to do little more than stay solid in order to win the game. They did so very comfortably.