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Neil Critchley put on an out of possession clinic to give Blackpool their first win of the season against Fulham.
A fine solo effort from Josh Bowler who drifted through two Fulham defenders before slotting home was the difference maker in a contest that showcased the Seasiders’ ability off the ball as well as on it.
What has perhaps been lacking in some games this season is the sheer intensity of press in the opposition third of the pitch from Blackpool when out of possession.
Their best spell of the campaign prior to Fulham was the second half away at Bournemouth where that intensity of press and smart positioning in order to set traps off the ball shone through, but this was on another level.
First of all, what has to be acknowledged is that the visitors created more in the way of chances with their 1.6xG to Blackpool’s 0.44 (via Wyscout), that being said this came in the form of various low quality opportunities that then built up over time because a major factor in the game was the hosts’ ability to defend their 18 yard box.
So what changed in this game that allowed Blackpool to contain relative control over proceedings?
I looked at a few key findings from the match.
Reacting to the second phase of play
A key difference was the general positioning of Marvin Ekpiteta and Richard Keogh when it came to defending in the first phase of play.
Too often this season, Blackpool have failed to react to the second phase of play and have been caught short at the back because their was a lack of anticipation from other defenders should the initial challenge be lost – Coventry and Cardiff were prime examples of this.
This time however, Blackpool were well set up in terms of anticipating losing the initial challenge, which was key given Alexsandar Mitrovic was their opponent on this afternoon.
Above are the combined heatmaps for Marvin Ekpiteta, figure deeper in the half, and Richard Keogh, figure further up the pitch (via WhoScored).
As you can see, Keogh was much more aggressive in his general positioning than Ekpiteta, with the latter looking to sit as the second phase defender in order to provide cover in behind so that Keogh was able to take more risks in his play without leaving Blackpool short.
There have been various question marks over Richard Keogh’s time at Blackpool so far but what he does well is anticipating the initial phase of play and competing in aerial duels so allowing him the freedom to be aggressive with that, without being the final defender before the opposition can turn and have a run at goal, is key.
Against Cardiff and Coventry, Keogh was in a halfway house of being aggressive in order to compete in the initial phase or anticipating to drop deeper for the second phase because he was the last line of defence, with James Husband playing as the more aggressive central defender.
Keogh cannot perform the role Ekpiteta did vs Fulham because he does not have the recovery pace nor the positional awareness as a last-ditch defender in order to cover, but playing in this fashion is the best way to work with Keogh.
Above is a prime example of this positioning.
Against Cardiff and Coventry, Keogh would compete in the initial phase with Kiefer Moore or Viktor Gyökeres, whilst the rest of the defence would then push high in order to force a quick counter should Keogh win the ball.
That put too much risk on Keogh winning in the initial phase every single time, otherwise the opposition would have an easy run at goal, it is clear that Blackpool have learned their lesson in this regard.
In this instance, Keogh goes on to win the aerial duel with Mitrovic and Blackpool progress play forward, but Ekpiteta, rather than pressing out, positions himself in order to cover should Keogh lose the aerial duel, allowing Blackpool to react to the second phase of play.
This was a key reason why Fulham were limited to low quality opportunities because they were never able to play in a free-flowing fashion once Mitrovic won the ball in a progressive area as Blackpool had already recovered defensively and reset their shape before Mitrovic could turn his marker.
Marvin Ekpiteta now sits with 9.55 interceptions per 90 which is the sixth highest in the division in all positions, owing to his fine reading of the game and cool head in dangerous areas.
Aggressive press bringing wingers narrow
What anyone could see when watching this game was the aggressive nature of Blackpool’s press when Fulham had the ball at the back.
Fulham were dispossessed 15 times compared to Blackpool’s five, only Millwall have forced more turnovers from the Cottagers so far this season.
It was not just in the initial phase that the Seasiders would press aggressively however, they would continue to set traps and react to trigger points in the middle third also, never giving the visitors a moments peace.
Kevin Stewart, Ryan Wintle and Keshi Anderson all had the highest successive tackles on the pitch with five each, owing to the importance of the midfield playing their part in the off the ball effort ensuring that Fulham could not feed play in between the lines.
Why Blackpool’s midfielders had so much success in the press is clear with the above being a good example.
This eventually leads to Tyreece John-Jules dispossessing the defender and getting a run at goal that he should really have put away.
What stands out here is that Josh Bowler is inviting the centre half to play the pass into the wide channel rather than simply cutting off that option for a pass, this is important.
Had Bowler sat tighter to the wide option, the central midfielder in frame just behind Bowler would then become the free option for a pass.
Whilst Jerry Yates and John-Jules were set out to press the two opposition central defenders, the midfield behind them were set out to position themselves in passing lanes, setting triggers to then go and press once the pass is played.
This meant that, rather than being able to think two or three passes ahead, Fulham had to play pass by pass because Blackpool had already cut off the avenue for the second or third pass once the initial pass out wide is made.
Lets take this scenario above, had the pass been made out wide, Bowler would have instantly pressed, Ryan Wintle would have shuttled across to mark the man in behind Bowler and Yates would have dropped deep in order to cover the second central midfielder either forcing Fulham to lose possession or switch the ball to the left.
Waiting out of frame for them on the left would be Keshi Anderson who, much like Bowler, sat narrow off the ball meaning he would be in a position to press the spare Fulham centre half, but surely that centre half would be able to quickly shuttle it out to his right back and break the press?
Luke Garbutt and Jordan Gabriel’s naturally high positioning
In answer to that question of breaking the press the short answer is no.
Normally, teams would find their way out of a tight press in one half of the pitch by switching possession like that and quickly filtering the ball out to the opposite full back, but Critchley placed his two full backs in very aggressive positions.
Here are the combined heatmaps for Luke Garbutt and Jordan Gabriel, as you can see they are practically identical pointing to the finely tuned balance of Blackpool’s positional play against Fulham.
Sitting in these positions off the ball when looking to aggressively press allowed Blackpool to squeeze the pitch into confined squares again evidencing that idea that Fulham could not look to think a pass ahead, only managing to turn in behind the press on one occasion all match.
Sitting the full backs naturally high enabled the wingers to sit narrow off the ball and particularly in Anderson’s case, in his natural home roaming in and around the ten position.
But it is all well and good setting traps in order to force turnovers out of possession, once possession is gained you need the quality to make use of it and in Luke Garbutt he showcased that.
Two key passes in the game added to an ever-growing catalogue of fine passing play that allows Blackpool to retain possession in tight areas and release attacking players into the final third.
10.31 progressive passes per 90 sees Garbutt fourth for left backs in the Championship, third for passes into the final third per 90 with 8.28 and third for interceptions per 90 with 6.44.
When Blackpool are playing in such an aggressive fashion, having someone with the quality both on the ball and in terms of reading the game like Garbutt gives you a vastly increased chance of success.
A Critchley clinic
This is exactly the type of football Neil Critchley likes to see from a team with significantly less resources to their opposition counterparts.
Aggressive pressing, setting triggers in between the lines, quality on the ball when a turnover has been forced but more importantly a bravery to play in tight areas. He got all of that and more.
Ryan Wintle’s elegance on the ball in the central area set the tone of the expansive way in which Blackpool were going to play, a fine debut performance from someone who will quickly become an integral figure in this team.
Josh Bowler with seven out of eight attempted successful dribbles again stood out on his own with his ability to drive at players and beat them in order to create opportunities.
A key pass rate of 0.79 per 90 for Bowler is the highest in the Blackpool side with John-Jules just behind with 0.71 owing to their ability to provide moments of quality whether in link up play or with balls cut back into the box after forcing turnovers.
That is the key takeaway from this game, being set up perfectly off the ball is one thing, but being able to rely on moments of quality like that from Josh Bowler once a turnover has been forced is the vital cog in the machine.
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Stats via WhoScored & Wyscout
Screenshots via EFL Highlights
