What absolutely appalling man-management from David Moyes. However good (or bad) Barry and Beto are, they are currently our only two options up front as target men.
Forget the notion of a ‘false 9’ or some other innovative approach, Moyes has only one way of playing and it requires a big man up front, as illustrated by the number of times Pickford launched the ball last night – under instruction – to our centre-forward and it went tamely through to their goalkeeper.
Mind you, I don’t trust Tarkowski, Keane, O’Brien or Mykolenko to play out either. Moyes requires a big, athletic centre-forward for his game-plan and currently we only have Barry and Beto.
Listen to any centre-forward or goalscorer and it’s all about confidence: the confidence to know that, if you miss a sitter, you’ll get another chance and you must be there to take it; the confidence to know your manager believes in you and you will score the next time; the confidence to know you will still be on the pitch when that next chance arrives.
D on’t take my word for it – listen to some great goalscorers like Shearer, Kane, Lineker and even our own Lukaku.
S o how does Moyes go about getting the best out of our only two options at centre-forward? Just for 1 minute, put yourself in Barry’s shoes. Last night, he missed a sitter but generally ran the line with some intelligence, put himself about, and won – or at least didn’t concede – some aerial duels.
He had one guilt-edged chance and missed it… and in that moment, he probably knew he would be hooked at either half-time or just after unless he scored.
We faded as the half wore on, created less and less, and Barry looked like a dead man walking; he knew what Moyes would do. Yes, he should have scored; and yes, he gets paid a shedload of money to score… but he’s a young man learning his trade in the hardest league in the world.
So when the inevitable happens is it any wonder he looks angry, frustrated but more importantly deflated by his manager? What price his mood in training this week? Is he the sort to buckle down and say “I’ll show you”? Or will he go into his shell? I don’t know what his character is like but, on current evidence, it doesn’t look very promising.
Then we have Beto. He started last week against Spurs, missed an early chance, had a good attempt well saved, but like most other weeks didn’t last the match and was inevitably hooked. He’s dropped this week (again) but comes on for most of the second half – what price his confidence??
He ran around fairly aimlessly, won no duels, and doesn’t seem to understand the role of a single striker in a Moyes formation. What’s his confidence like? Does he believe Moyes trusts him to lead the line? Does he think he will be starting next week?
Will he feel that, if he gets a chance, he will score? And if not, will he be on the pitch should another chance be presented? His body language looks equally deflated and poor but is it any wonder when all the signs are that he can’t be trusted as our main striker?
So two strikers of questionable ability… but our only two strikers and in reality we are not in a position currently to attract and buy any real quality in January. It therefore comes down to how Moyes manages, motivates and gets the best, however limited that might be, out of the pair of them.
If he’s trying to pitch one against the other, it is not working as neither is scoring and therefore there is no competition. Has he shown faith in either of them? No, because they play one week and get dropped the next. Does his system suit either? That is probably a far greater issue as it appears neither can play as the lone striker effectively and Moyes has no Plan B.
So, probably having destroyed both centre forwards in terms of support and confidence, what will he do now? Does anyone realistically think he will change tactics or formation? Will he show creativity and innovation? Or will he just plod on, playing the same way, doing the same things, and expecting a different outcome? – some call that senseless and idiotic.