Blackpool Up(and Down)date and Other Thoughts

photo by James Cridland	via PhotoRee

Ed's a busy man, as he's continuing to cover Blackpool while also taking back Spurs' responsibilities.  When will he sleep?

Blackpool lost again, this time 5-3 to Everton on the road. The Tangerines fought back twice and took a 3-2 lead with about twenty minutes to play on a great Charlie Adam run ending in a punctuating headed goal. For most teams, the game would be over at that point, but not for Blackpool. Despite Coach Holloway subbing a defender in to go five across at the back, and putting one man forward, Blackpool couldn’t even slow down the attempts of Everton. A few quick goals later and he was forced to go back on offense, which ultimately led the the fifth and final goal.

One might conclude that Blackpool’s skid is a result of their lack of depth, and in part it is. But sadly it’s also just a result of their lack of talent. It used to confuse me when Holloway attempted to keep the pressure on the other team even after putting up leads. Now it is clear to me that his defenders aren’t so much getting caught up field, but rather just aren’t very good at defending in the first place. It makes sense, then, that the his strategy is that it is imperative to put his team in a position to score early and often.

I do have one issue, however, for the Coach, and that is that Charlie Adam is too often caught out too far wide when on defense. I believe he’s trying too hard here to cover for other players. Regardless, he has to stay central as that’s where all the damage happens, and Tangerines need him there most.

Three Other Thoughts:

• Depth is one thing, but why in the world did Chelsea bring in Torres when they already have Drogba? Having two premier players who play the exact same position is a recipe for disaster. Then moving Anelka to Malouda’s position and benching Malouda? I just don’t get it. I think this was an owner-inspired move and not guided by the Manager. Too bad Chelsea didn’t know that Charlie Adam would have been both a better fit and a much cheaper one.

• Arsenal have been without two strong central defenders for too long. Everyone knows this (I suspect even Arsene Wenger knows this) but for some reason no one is doing anything to correct it. I suspect this is due to the financial stress in the Emirates since the global financial collapse, but it’s too bad that they just can’t fix this problem, because I don’t see them as serious title contenders until they do.

• Manchester City is now only five points back from United, and you just know that United fans are getting a little nervous. Could United really not even be the best team in their city? Only time will tell...

This is farlieonfootie for February 11.