Written by kirsikka
I’ve already said before this is going to get repetitive, but here it is again. VAR was brought in to level the obvious big club bias from refs but did the opposite. Then this summer the new rules about allowing more physical challenges were brought in, and again it’s being used to help the big clubs when you would think it would be the opposite.
First week of the season West Ham defenders were constantly all over us but the ref let it slide time and again. Last week against Liverpool, anytime we were anywhere near one of their players the ref peeped. Then today, we start like a storm, pressing high and getting into them. Each time we brushed against a player they collapsed to the ground and each time the ref gave it to them. Four or five early free kicks later, of which one was worth giving, and our press lost the snap because we were worried about the ref. This meant they got a yard of space at the back and were able to bypass our press easily. Meanwhile, Semenyo was scythed down in a dangerous position when lining up a shot centrally but the ref seemed happy with that, presumably under the new rules.
What is also frustrating is the media narrative. The pundit on commentary kept saying ‘Oh, Bournemouth have lost faith in their press which is why Spurs are getting out and breaking so easily”. Absolute horseshit. We’d lost faith in the ref treating the two teams equally which handed them the initiative because we felt compelled to back off from getting anywhere close to them. I’m not sure who she was, but the way she went on about Spurs, it did sound like she spends a lot of special alone time wearing a Spurs shirt.
What we know about AI and his setup means the high press is crucial to how we want to play. If every game is going to see the refs protecting the bigger teams but allowing them to steamroll over us it’s going to fail. And that won’t be AI’s fault. It’s frustrating and boring to be talking about refs so much but they’ve put themselves in the centre of the action with the changes and the way they are and aren’t implementing them.
What was interesting was the one time the ref did let one go, Semenyo fairly shoulder barged a player trying to break beyond the press (he collapsed arms outstretched, naturally, and was shocked when he wasn’t protected), but we won the ball, seconds later Christie had a decent shot on goal which was saved. That’s how it’s supposed to work.
It’s tragic that the season looks like it will rest on us against the refs rather than us against the opposition. Still, fans of the big clubs will still try to claim somehow that things are biased against them and I expect we’ll see yet more things brought in to help them. Boring.
The first goal is yet another case of the missing midfielder. Rothwell was standing where he should have been but simply doesn’t have the nous to play the position. It isn’t his natural role as we’ve seen numerous times already this season and he didn’t anticipate or cover the Maddison run. Meanwhile, Zabarnyi didn’t look great either, letting Maddison get in behind him like that.
First half we weren’t seeing the movement I was expecting from the team when we got on the ball. Too static with often only one option open to the player in possession. That changed in the first fifteen after half time when we came out all guns blazing and people making runs all around. More of that please, and an exciting insight into what may be coming.
Having someone fit enough to actually play the six role changed us significantly when Cook came on for Rothwell. The period after the break we were excellent and that bodes well for future weeks.
The second goal was a hotch potch of poor defensive play from several players. It’ll take some unpicking but I’m not sure it’s a single player’s fault, instead a collective screw-up. And that was that we didn’t threaten much thereafter.
In matches against these specially protected teams, we need to be totally on our game, they need to be off it and we need a balanced ref to have a chance. We were mostly poor in the final third, they were mostly on their game and the ref was a poor. So it was never likely to happen.
We move on without being battered, which is something, and with some glimmers of what may be when we can work the system better, and when a ref decides to treat the teams equally.
Positive Performances
Semenyo – Again looked a beast out there. Not everything he did came off, but two weeks running he’s been the player that had a big six team running scared when he got on the ball. So much of his best work seems to come when he goes through the middle. So, I was again disappointed Solanke stayed on and he went off. Surely worth a try through the centre since Solanke is struggling?
Kerkez – Some moments of good defending and some good runs that looked promising. Shame his team mates often failed to pick him out. The second goal was a mess from several players. However, he lost the man who scored but I’d like to see it again. I’m not sure he should be following all the way to the front post and leaving all that space open behind him, so was it a case of a poor handoff on a runner, or is it something for him to work on? That aside, good stuff.
Room For Improvement
Neto – Some of his distribution was shocking.
Solanke – More of the same. Looking a shadow of the player we know he can be. Perhaps he’s too comfortable in his position since we always look to take others off before him?
Traore – Last week’s excellent cameo was followed up with a very poor 30 minutes. One pass aside, every time he was on the ball he struggled.
AI Watch
These aren’t the games that matter but I worry if the ridiculous officiating is going to eat into the confidence of the players in AI’s system when we finally get to a game that’s reffed fairly. This needs work from AI so they truly believe in him and his methods and trust the system he’s looking to implement. It isn’t only about understanding and executing, it’s also about instilling belief mentally. Especially against such egregious nonsense from the men in black who seem to be a bunch of hecking aliens from the Planet Big Six in love with their Golden Games.
So two weeks running a fast start that has rattled a big club has been curtailed by the ref. Sadly, this is how it is in the PL and AI will need to find a way to combat it as it won’t change.
That’s also two weeks running when a moment of significant change in the match has seen us concede almost immediately afterwards. Last week the sending off, this week a double sub from both teams. We need to be better focused and aware in those moments whilst things are settling down. Something else to work on in training.
The big positive for me was how much better I thought we looked when we had Cook on for Rothwell. Someone fit who can actually play that role and all of a sudden we start to click. That’s the encouragement we should take from today. Especially with only one game to go until we hopefully have two options to play there. Finally.
The drop-off in energy levels after the second goal was a concern. We didn’t go after Spurs in the aggressive manner I was hoping we would. They didn’t look that comfortable at the back when we got at them but we seemed to lose zip again and let them off the hook.
Does the season finally start next week if we have LC available from the start, we won’t be playing a team that has special ref protection and Toney won’t be there to con the ref and get awarded another ridiculous penalty? I hope so.
So a boring ref assisted defeat for a big club following a boring ref assisted defeat for a big club. These are the matches where the PL is at its most boring and I miss playing in the other leagues. I don’t mind being beaten fair and square, but when all your momentum is taken away by shocking officiating then it makes a mockery of the competition and the game dull.
Don’t expect to hear anything about it from the media though. In their eyes, this will be our players not trying hard enough.
All that said, we had nascent signs of AI’s approach out there. Not consistent and not for long enough but maybe the message is starting to get through. A defeat isn’t a surprise in this match so I’m not so bothered about that. Roll on next week, when we might actually get to play a proper football match against a proper team, instead of a ref-protected (r) brand.
boscombe botn said…
I appreciate that I’m going to get pelters for this, but here goes!
I thought we were beaten fair and square by the better team!
I thought that the ref let a lot go for both teams, but thought that overall he was one of the better refs that we have recently had. No obvious ‘top six’ bias for me!
I haven’t seen a replay of the off-the-ball incident where their player was booked, but didn’t that player grab one of our player’s shirts, which then appeared to follow through in the direction of our player’s chin?
Obviously not, as VAR didn’t recommend a ref review! Phew! – To join the conversation, click here.
