Southend v Posh, 5 Things We Learned

Southend V Posh, 5 things we learned:

1.       Southend are very bad

It’s difficult to make any firm assessments on whether Posh have turned a corner after a stuttering start to their League One campaign on the back of their most recent display at Roots Hall given the level of opposition. For 25 minutes in the first half Southend were really bad, I mean really really bad, woeful in fact, even worse than Posh were against Fleetwood.

The opening four matches of the season have taught us some very clearly lessons about Posh defensively:

1      They can’t defend long balls, crosses or set pieces

2     They struggle to break down packed, deep lying defences

Thankfully, Southend decided to ignore the blueprint on how to beat Posh set out by both Fleetwood Town and Oxford United and instead opted to play open and expansive football, pushingplayers high up the pitch. Resultantly, despite Darragh’s insistence towards the latter, it is hard to know just how much of Posh’s dominance was down to Southend’s own failings and how much was due to Peterborough’s slick passing and quick pressing. It was also quite alarming both how Posh failed to capitalise on their early dominance and how quickly Southend were able to work their way back into the match after deciding to go slightly more direct and noticing that the Posh diamond midfield left oodles of space out wide.

Posh were excellent in spells, well organised throughout and scored two goals of real quality just as it was starting to look as though a frustrating evening may be in store. However, it is impossible to make any sweeping predictions of a playoff push, or better, without further evidence against stiffer opposition. The weekend ‘derby’ against MK Dons should go some way to answering these questions.

2.       Marcus Maddison is very good

Marcus Maddison has long had his detractors at London Road and I’m sure many would not have been sad to see him leave on Championship deadline day. Whilst at times his play acting and diving can be infuriating for Posh and opposition fans alike, he again demonstrated that he oozes quality at League One level. Untrusted by Steve Evans for large parts of last season he has re-payed the faith shown in him by Darren Ferguson with confident and high quality performances, despite suggestions from the Posh hierarchy that he is only 70% match fit. On Tuesday he provided his 4^th and 5^th assists of the season, an incredible tally so early on made even better if the fitness reports are to be believed, in what was unmistakably the best performance by a Posh player so far this season.

It may well be that the number 10 role in the diamond perfectly suits Maddison’s talents. Having three hard working midfielders behind him, as well as Toney’s willingness to track back, removes the necessity for Maddison to do so while he demonstrated on Tuesday he is more than happy to press quickly in bursts. It is a role which allows him to find space in between the lines, of which there was ample, while also drifting wide to utilise his premier skillset, crossing.

Maddison’s ability to successfully drift into wide areas may well hold the key to the success of the diamond formation. Previous iterations of the system under both McCann and Ferguson came unstuck too frequently due to a lack of natural width and threat out wide. Maddison, being a natural winger, was able to drift onto both flanks, link play with the fullbacks, provide an outlet for Reed in the deep lying role, and most crucially, provide two assists and plenty of quality balls for the Posh strike force. I have never been fully convinced of Maddison in the right wing role he has featured most prominently in for the past season, however the number 10 role may be perfect for unlocking his undoubted potential.

3.       Mo Eisa is better as a 9 than 10

Mo Eisa made a shaky start to life at London Road, presumably because he was being asked to fulfil an unfamiliar role as second striker rather than up top in a front two. Clearly buoyed by the confidence of scoring his first Posh goal at the weekend in this match he looked far sharper than in previous matches showing an ability to link play, take up dangerous positions in and around the box, and a fearlessness to shoot. With the Eisa as number 10 experiment now surely consigned to the annuals of history, there were promising signs on Tuesday that he may be able to form a fearsome partnership with Ivan Toney and live up to his hefty price tag.

4.       FBT must be #1 left back but the right back role might be up for grabs

The full back positions have been a problem for some time now and the initial signs were that neither Niall Mason nor Dan Buttler were the men to solve those problems. Well step forward Frazer Blake-Tracy who is surely in the process of making himself a guaranteed starter at left back. On Tuesday FBT demonstrated great energy and strong running going forwards, similar to that expected of, but so far not delivered by, Buttler upon his arrival, whilst also showing he is a capable and game defender at this level. Not since Tommy Rowe have Posh had a left-back who has looked this promising.

Meanwhile on the other side of the defence Mason might well be looking nervously over his shoulder following the arrival of Nathan Thompson. While Mason’s performances have been steadily improving, especially going forwards, he has yet to do enough to make the position his own. Too many rash tackles and an over eagerness to lunge in which has left him exposed 1v1 and consequently he has yet to fully convince defensively. While Thompson is presumably not yet match fit, thus affording Mason time to impress, he may well face a fight to keep his place in the near future.

5.       Posh have players to suit diamond, but it will occasionally leave them exposed out wide

Darren Ferguson’s decision to apparently start the season in a 4-2-3-1 formation, although many saw it as 4-4-2, shows he must have been unsure as to whether he had the personnel at his disposal to execute his preferred 4-1-2-1-2 formation. While the formation may not be a natural fit for important players such as Dembele, and to a lesser extent Joe Ward, Tuesday night showed Posh may well have the players at the club to suit Fergie’s go-to strategy.

The biggest grumble you will hear from Posh fans about the formation is the lack of width and ponderous passing it has encouraged Posh to play in the past. On Tuesday night however Posh found a solution to both these problems. Both full backs showed a willingness to get forward while Maddison drifted into wide positions with excellent effect. Posh’s passing was crisp and quick, although this was admittedly aided by Southend’s expansive approach to the game, while Louis Reed showed an envious ability to transfer the ball from back to front both quickly and with pin point accuracy. On either side of the midfield Boyd and Knight worked incredibly hard and tackled well, whilst looking accomplished on the ball. In all the midfield looked as well balanced as it could be given the lack of natural width. Out of possession having Maddison, Toney and Eisa all in advanced positions allowed Posh to press high in numbers frequently winning the ball in dangerous areas of the pitch.

Perhaps the biggest downside of the performance was that at times Southend managed to find space and overloads in wide midfield areas. Although they failed to capitalise on a series of dangerous positions due to some wayward crossing and a lack of penetration in the final third, one must assume that a better side would have been able to take advantage of such space. Moving forward a great emphasis will be placed on the fullbacks ability to defend 1v1 and both Boyd and Knight being able to quickly track into wide areas to provide defensive support. It is a big ask on the right and left midfielders to cover so much ground, and while both Boyd and Knight largely accomplished this, the fullbacks, especially Mason, were occasionally left exposed.

Both Darren Ferguson and Grant McCann got Doncaster ticking with a midfield diamond, arguably to a larger extent than they ever managed at Posh, so are clearly capable of successfully coaching the formation should they have the appropriate players available. Early signs are that Posh may finally have just that.