Blackburn 2 – 1 Barnsley

Ruthless Blackburn showed the power of their attack to beat a spirited Barnsley 2-1 at Ewood Park. Goals from the league’s top scorer Adam Armstrong and Sam Gallagher were enough to see the home side to victory. Barnsley did pull a goal back late on with young midfielder Romal Palmer scoring his first Barnsley goal but this came too late in the game and Blackburn held on for the win.  

Barnsley created plenty of chances in the game but failed to make them count and were punished which means it’s a second defeat in a week for Ismael and Barnsley and worrying something I think will become the norm unless the manager decides to change things.

Barnsley for large parts were the better team and ended the game with 23 shots to Blackburn’s 7. The major worry will be the inability to make those shots count with just 5 of those on target. Blackburn showed why they are one of the league’s top scoring teams as they were able to convert the key chances they created.

Whilst the reds did create the chances it was rare that the Blackburn keeper was tested and it was another game with very little possession and whilst I don’t think possession is all that some believe it to be, I think we need a lot more of the ball than we are having if we are to win more than we lose.

I think that it is time for a change in system. You could say that it's more that the squad doesn't suit the system than anything wrong with the system perhaps?

We're playing three centre halves, 2 wing backs, 2 central midfield players and three forwards. Rain or shine, come hell or high water, that's what we're playing and it looks like the manager won’t change even during games.

You can point to problems at the back or in the wing back areas but in this system I want to look at the midfield and forward areas.

Central midfield: We've got 5 who all look decent to me. All look capable of playing in most Championship teams. I thought Kane played well yesterday and proved me wrong when I suggested he shouldn’t be starting. The system allows us to play two of them in their best positions. In most games 2 of our better players are on the bench and one is stuck at left wing back and eventually shoved in to central midfield if the game isn’t going our way.

Forwards: We play three. We haven't got three good forwards. So we fill the team with players from a position that is our weakest. We have one definitely worth picking in Woodrow. Adeboyejo looks promising. Chaplin can score on his day but would you want to start him week in and week out? Then the likes of Frieser, Thomas & Schmidt are embarrassingly poor.

We've got some decent players and we've got some others who aren't as good but will work hard and I don't believe that we're playing a system that gets the best out of them.

Our best player yesterday was Brittain again. He looks the real deal both defensively and offensively and he had been a real find. Odour struggled defensively when he came on but I believe he could do a better job as one of the wide forwards than any that are being picked there at the minute.

I have campaigned constantly for Styles to be picked in central midfield but I also think he could do a better job as one of the wide forwards than anyone who is being picked there now.

I also don’t think we need to play three centre halves in every game and at time a flat back four will do especially if Jordan Williams is fit.

My team for the next game assuming everyone is fit:

Walton

Brittain, Sollbauer, Anderson, Williams

Palmer, Kane, Mowatt

Styles, Woodrow, Odour

Change of system. Only one of our midfielders misses out. I’ve gone with James as I like how Palmer can get about the pitch.

Subs:

Collins, Helik, Halme, James, Adeboyejo, Chaplin, Simoes, Schmidt, Miller

Thomas and Frieser are written off now in my head. At least Schmidt might put the ball in the back of the net.

I do however think that the manager will stick with the same back five and go back to his favoured front three. I can see a lot of rotation coming for the two in midfield though with Mowatt not exempt from a rest.

COYR