Rovers must dare to break the mould
Champions League Comment
JJ Devaney
OLE Gunnar Solksjaer arrived for the postmatch press conference after his Molde FK side had beaten Sligo Rovers 1-0 and all I could think about was his stellar performance for Manchester United against Newcastle at Old Trafford in the 2002-03 season. Molde FK didn’t distract me.
This Molde collection doesn’t bear any of the assassin qualities that their manager possessed as a player.
For a Scandinavian side they didn’t bring huge physicality or power. Not that they should resemble their Viking forefathers and score three thunderous goals, set fire to The Showgrounds and rampage a trail through the Ox Mountains via Ballisodare.
SUPPORT: Natasha Carty, Lauren Feeney and Stacey Carty were at The Showgrounds for Wednesday’s game.
No, not these fjord-loving Norsemen. They were really quite ordinary.
Unfortunately, Rovers manager Ian Baraclough picked a team for an imagined foe and not the opposition that presented itself underneath the hot July sun at the splendid Sligo venue.
Despite his assertion that it was ‘very much the right decision’ not to start Alan Keane and Djilali, one could argue that Baraclough missed out on a golden opportunity to bring a goal into next week’s away leg in Norway.
Such was the impact of the wide pairing of Keane and Djilali when introduced that one wonders what may have happened if Baraclough had started the duo.
The manager believed Djilali and Keane may not have had the space to exploit a fresh Molde defence and that, indeed, may have been the case but the real question is what was to be gained by holding them back?
Molde’s goal came not from incisive, flowing football but from a Rovers mistake. Ditto the volley by Chukwu that was so expertly saved by Rodgers.
Even when Berget inexplicably smashed the ball off the outside of the post it was from Rovers needlessly surrendering possession.
Tactical conservatism meant sacrificing a marauding full-back in Keane for a centre-half out of position (Henderson) and loading the midfield with busy grafters like Conneely but no creative penetration.
As The Showgrounds watched Djilali twist the Molde full-back into knots with 10 minutes left, the gaping, gnawing feeling was of an opportunity missed. What if we had a REAL go at them?
Baraclough’s selections screamed not of the ability of his own team but rather of what the opposition might offer.
In his postmatch comments Barclough said: “With a little more belief and positivity in our play – the lads know they can go and play at that level against this side – in the second leg you may see a different belief in ourselves.”
For the next leg the belief must come from the manager and it must be reflected in his team selection.
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