Critchley eyes Blackpool play-off push after his Anfield education

Nearly a year on from his FA Cup exploits with Liverpool, Neil Critchley is building the foundations of a successful side in League One at Bloomfield Road.

The Crewe born head coach, 42, made 19 signings in the summer transfer window and, after a shaky start to his spell at Blackpool, has seen an upturn in form culminating in the Seasiders’ first victory over Premier League opposition in the FA Cup since 1976, after defeating West Brom on penalties.

He has arrived at a side fresh off the long anticipated takeover by Hong Kong-based businessman Simon Sadler, who is revolutionising the structure of a club that was far behind its Football League counterparts.

An emphasis on data-led recruitment, youth development and an attractive style of play made Critchley the perfect candidate, taking his first foray into first team management after his high profile temporary charge of Liverpool in their FA Cup victory against Shrewsbury.

The ex-Anfield man has settled on a 4-4-2 formation, after lacking a cutting edge with a 4-3-3 earlier in the season. And he was forced to learn tough lessons early on, compromising on his preferred style in order to prioritise results as the Tangerines lingered above the relegation zone in early November.

Since that change, they have become one of the form sides in the division, with a run of seven wins in eight games pushing the Lancashire club right into a shout of the play-offs.

His ability to find problem areas and solve them has been exemplary in recent months, particularly in the defensive area. Blackpool’s centre half pairing which included Michael Nottingham, now of Accrington, made too many individual mistakes early on and it was clear this was the weakest part of the squad.

Identifying the issue, Critchley bought in Dan Ballard on loan from Arsenal, and more intriguingly Daniel Gretarsson from Norwegian side Aalesunds FK. Both have international pedigree for Northern Ireland and Iceland respectively and have made the central defensive area one of the sides’ strongest assets.

Add to that the reinvigoration of Gary Madine’s career, a player who most fans believed would be one of the first out of the door in the summer, and the arrival of some midfield solidity in Kenny Dougall, who impressed during his time at Barnsley, and it gives Blackpool a real spine to build from.

What Critchley has thrived off during his first Head coach role so far is playing bigger teams. In pre-season, his side put in impressive performances against Liverpool and Everton and they have carried that into their league campaign.

Blackpool have defeated the likes of Portsmouth, Hull and Peterborough all in recent months to cement the Seasiders as one of the strongest teams in the division. The cause for concern comes from blips in the creative aspects of their play.

Lack of consistency, particularly in the underlying data on chance creation, has been a thorn in Critchley’s side throughout the season. Bizarrely, during the team’s early season run of two wins in nine games, their chance creation peaked sitting 7th in the expected goals (xG) table at that point.

Yet, since the turnaround in actual results, the Seasiders now sit 13th in the xG table. The positive turn in form came from the bulk of summer signings beginning to grow a mutual understanding and that brought a more clinical edge to a team who were sparse of goals.

Expected Goals (xG) table for League One after Matchday 20

CJ Hamilton has been the key man for Blackpool in an attacking sense with five goals and three assists providing an important outlet on the right wing. Jerry Yates, after a frustrating start to the season, has joined Hamilton on five goals and his growing partnership with Madine has made the 4-4-2 formation change tick.

There is no doubt that Critchley and Blackpool have a lot more room to grow and, although the expectation within the club is a quick promotion, a top half finish after a major overhaul will sit the side in a good place going into next season.

Having said that, after taking scalps of many of the division’s promotion contenders, and with a healthy transfer budget to strengthen in January, the club will feel optimistic of making a push for the play-offs in the second half of the season.

A recent link to Wigan’s striking prospect Kyle Joseph pays testament to Critchley being able to identify the right areas to strengthen, with Blackpool lacking rotational options in the centre forward mould.

Whilst the Seasiders see the appointment of Neil Critchley as part of a long term strategy to revolutionise the club, following the path of Brentford in terms of use of data and a strategic approach to both on and off field matters, short term success does not feel that far away.

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