Ahead of Tuesday night’s match at home against Accrington Stanley in the Quarter-Final of the EFL Trophy, I asked the Vital Lincoln City members what three things they think The Imps need to do to progress.
You can discuss what has been said in this article HERE, as well as get involved with our pre-match threads: You can post your score predictions, and discuss the starting XI.
We have also published a quiz about the times The Imps have played Accrington Stanley in the EFL Trophy, which can be found HERE, and also below the three things!
Here’s what sedgleyimp said:
1. Tweak the formation. The loss of Matty Virtue has highlighted how very easily our centre midfield can be over-run in a game. Charlton did so in the first half yesterday and only when we added an extra player in that central role in Bishop did we start to look like a team again. The centre of the pitch is a key area and it is so very difficult to control that area with only two players in there, players who will put in a shift, but ones who will in reality create very little on their own. So we should be looking to play more of a 5-3-2/3-5-2. This will solidify that central area but also give support to the lone striker. It will also give the wing-backs so more room to attack rather than their path be obstructed by our wide forwards being in the same area of the pitch. Two up front in the middle. Radical!!
2. Defend high. I keep saying this but we seem to drop very deep in games. A prime example of this was the league game against them a couple of months ago. A game we should have won but ended up drawing because we dropped far too deep for a free kick to them which ended up being headed into our net. We defend that kind of situation higher up the pitch and it is so much harder for the attacking player to score.
3. Play forward. We are not alone in this but so often this season when a player receives a pass their body shape is such that they are already looking to pass the ball backwards. I expect Accrington will play pretty much as we have in recent games against those challenging up at the top and as such we will have more possession and time on the ball. Look forward when we are in such positions. They are a team in poor form and if we take a positive attitude and game plan to this game it is there for the taking.
– @ASFCofficial (h): Three Things The Imps Need To Do To Progress:https://t.co/TNYGPdzBSp#ImpsAsOne #WeAreImps #ASFC
— Vital Lincoln City (@VitalLincoln) January 8, 2023
Mark Kennedy needs to react quicker in the game.
I completely agree. Had he made a change or two at 1-0 down on Saturday, we could have at least come away with a point from that match.