Since Liam Rosenior was appointed on November 3rd, a significant and steady improvement has been made , which has seen us start to look up the table instead of over our shoulders at the bottom three. Whilst the playing style and identity have clearly changed for the better, City only seem to be reaping the rewards of this away from home , so it is paramount that in the remaining 18 games that the MKM turns into the proverbial ‘fortress’.
An alarming stat that came about prior to the Huddersfield match on Saturday is that we are the only side in the Championship yet to register a clean sheet in front of our home supporters. in general, the defence has improved remarkably under Rosenior’s stewardship (only conceding 8 goals in as many league games ), but in all three of the home fixtures following the mid-season break, a soft goal has been gifted to the opposition which then gives us a mountain to climb.
The opening goal on Saturday , unlike the Sunderland and Blackpool games had being coming, and yet again it came from this side’s inefficiency to deal with set plays. Another slight concern at times has been the lack of urgency in our play , in my opinion.
The way Rosenior wants to play is something that a lot of us are all for, but it seems to suit us more to playing away from home which suggests the need to be more adaptable. To give Huddersfield some credit (despite multiple time-wasting attempts), their game plan was executed very well for the majority of the game. It was proven when he came on that Ozan Tufan gave us that creativity and urgency to link midfield and attack, which we’d been crying out for all game long. This for me highlights why he has to start more often, but I can see the argument that he has a greater impact as a substitute.
Whilst there is a clear identity in our style compared to when Shota Arveladze was in charge, at times it does seem that we are slightly one-dimensional during certain periods of games. The possession-based style may seem pretty on the eye, but it feels like at times there is a lack of intensity or movement, and whilst opponents seem to respect us a lot more at the MKM, this comes at a cost. It’s proven at times that when we’ve gone direct e.g. Oscar and Smith’s first goal at Wigan, Tufan vs Sunderland, Oscar vs Huddersfield, we can cause these defences a lot of problems, so mixing it up at times wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.
There are a couple of players who have come under unjustified scrutiny , when for me they have been the most improved players since the return of club football in Ryan Longman and Tyler Smith. In the first half of the Huddersfield game, Longman seemed to be one of a handful of players getting forward with any real attacking purpose, something which he’s shown in the last few weeks and all that has been missing from his game is a bit of quality when it comes to his final ball or final shot. Another slight disappointment with Longman has been that he seems to have lost a yard of pace, which is no fault of his own, but this seems to be one thing which Malcolm Ebiowei can offer us instead. With Smith, some of the criticism for me has been unfair particularly when he’s occasionally been forced out wide due to the absence of Allahyar, but there has still been a marked improvement under Rosenior when he’s played in a central role, proven by his two well taken finishes in the 4-1 away win at Wigan.
On the flip-side, it has been very pleasing to see the resurgence of Estupiñán in front of goal. Even in his baron spell between October 3rd and December 26th, the Colombian continued to show great desire, commitment and all-round centre forward play and he’s finally reaped the rewards in the last two weeks, not just because of his goals, but the different types he’s scored – none better and more timely than his acrobatic swing in the dying embers on Saturday afternoon.
At times, I can understand the frustration of some fans, e.g. during certain passages of play where we are seemingly passing it sideways or backwards with no intent. However, even with a recent upward trajectory up the table, this will be no quick fix so if anything, a solid mid-table finish wouldn’t be a disaster considering where we were in October. As is the case with any club between 3rd-18th who are so concertinaed together, consistency is a massive issue, therefore whilst a late surge into play-off contention isn’t beyond the realms of possibility, there is a sense that it would be a false position at the same time. There is no doubting that Acun’s appointment of Rosenior has added to the reconnection between the fans and the club as a whole, something which began 12 months ago.
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