festa5
Well-known member
A fully fit, on form, Hackney makes a massive difference to playing that way. He's the best at receiving under the ball under pressure and capable of turning away from players. Makes it harder to press him (because you'll get turned) and gives the rest of the team more options because of it.If we have Hackney and howson playing then I'm much more confident of beating anything but the best of presses.
The ultimate was when we had Chuba who we could just fire the ball into on half way and most of the time he could hold it, spin and get us on the attack out wide. It would be amazing if we could get him back in the summer either perm or on loan.
Teams in the championship don't tend to change the way the play from game to game. I imagine it's because it is not realistic to change a playing style in 3 days and it would leave you under-prepared. Your best chance is just being great at plan A.
As you say, if you have that and a 10 who you can fire it into the feet of, it makes a massive difference.