Well I’ve had another watch of the game in some detail. I agree with a lot that has been written here but trying as always to organise my thoughts into some kind of sense.
That Rotherham side has been built with a focus and sense of purpose that rivals/exceeds our own. Every player is a giant. Every player is an athlete, quick and strong. They attack directly and put high crosses into the box, which is a complete contrast to our pass-and-control approach.
For six months, we have played by stacking the midfield. Our central three are joined by Henry and often one of Fosu or Ruffels, with the other providing width to complement Cadden playing as an RM. The weakness, pretty clearly now, has been that you can break with pace down the flanks whilst our RB and LB are out of position. Gorrin took a yellow card very early on, because Rotherham exploited the space left when Sam Long went to their byline and OUFC lost possession. Their two forwards were willing to do the hard running between CB and FB. MK Dons actually did something similar – but to a lower standard – in choosing to use their forwards for this rather than their wingers, most of the time.
As has been much remarked, they were also willing to commit three people to the edge of our area for goal kicks and force us to play it long. They scored from consecutive OUFC goal kicks, taken long towards Ruffels. The first directly exploited the space behind Ruffels, and that familiar weakness. As Shaun Rice said, Gorrin was in a position to make a similar challenge/foul, but backed off because of his booking.
Both of their first two goals came from moves that were three passes, and 12/14 seconds each. They are very similar goals in a lot of respects. You could certainly argue that Eastwood needed to be more aggressive, or even more passive, in both as he ends up in no-man’s land. For the first goal, no Oxford player has any idea where the striker is. It’s worth noting they were also guilty of doing this with Sterling in the Man City game. Man City also scored their first goal exploiting the space when Ruffels got dragged into midfield, and bringing Moore out to the left back position. The difference in quality might be too much for these to be worthwhile comparisons, but I hope Oxford look at it.
Rotherham had done their homework, then. Oxford were also guilty of trying to play them at their own game. In the first half, Long and Sykes had some joy combining down the right flank, but they launched high balls into the box that are meat and drink for the Rotherham team. It is worth noting they started Wiles at RB and Olosunde at LB, but they switched this up in the first half. Olosunde at RB was excellent for my money, playing a defensive role that involved cutting out a number of Ruffels passes, and also standing up to Fosu pretty much every single time. The best player on the pitch, I thought.
It took six minutes of watching highlight footage to see how Rotherham scored from set pieces, particularly through their ability to win the second ball and get a second cross in, and I know nothing about football. I would love to know why we tried to pass the ball out from their corner for the third, and I think we limit our options severely when we bring all 11 players back.
In the second half we rightly made changes, and I think we got to see what Oxford might look like post-Cadden. Ruffels and Long (in particular) played slightly deeper and they tried to play through balls on the ground for wingers to run on to. This helped with the goal kick problem too, because it left less space for Rotherham to exploit. However, Rotherham definitely tired/eased up a bit too.
Browne and Holland ran at Rotherham with more directness, and Rotherham were much less comfortable with this because it didn’t play to their strengths. We played similarly when we had Whyte and Browne in the team last year, and I have to say I think it’s very exciting football. I hope there is more to come.
Taylor made a real impact too, I thought. Not just as a goal threat, but also in dropping deeper. With willing runners in the positions behind him, he could play some really nice lay-offs and he also looked to keep going afterwards, getting himself into dangerous positions. Twice he controlled the ball with his chest, making a forward pass. As he is shorter than most defenders, these balls are played at a really awkward height for them to deal with, and it’s a nice little move. We also tried a couple of backheels to onrushing attackers, which are fun to watch.
I will add the keeper did a superb job closing down the angle for his best chance. I’ve included a screen grab below. Taylor didn’t take a heavy touch, or an undue amount of time before shooting, and I think the only way he can really score is by drilling it in the top right corner. Tricky.
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At the time, I thought Sykes and Long struggled. A rewatch, and I completely revise my opinion. Long was tested a lot, early doors, but the main Rotherham chances came down the opposite flank. I think both players played their game well. The problem I see is that a team without Taylor
and Henry is just missing too many goals. I would like to see Taylor being given a run in the team, and two from Holland/Fosu/Browne always being on the pitch wherever possible.
We certainly got it wrong, and we deserved to lose. It is not the end of the world, there are plenty of lessons to learn and I think our approach to games is about to change anyway. Looking forward to Ipswich.
