[Albion] Knockhaert

Seemed strange to me that after seeing March change game on Saturday with full full back on booking and having beating of him all time when Knockhaert came on March went to left. They are both better on right but surely this was a case of March staying put. Was it Hughtons instructions or Knockhaerts

For the record I believe you mean Knockaert?

I thought the same at the time to be fair. Knocky is also fair more comfortable cutting inside so it would've made more sense for him to play down the left.

I'd say 99% of the time Knockaert and March are on the pitch at the same time they play that way round. Knockaert always favours playing on the right and has such a great understanding with Bruno that it made sense. The only thing that annoyed me Saturday was late in the game Knocky drifting to far infield and the play being very congested down the left was we had no width on the right.

Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo said:

I'd say 99% of the time Knockaert and March are on the pitch at the same time they play that way round. Knockaert always favours playing on the right and has such a great understanding with Bruno that it made sense. The only thing that annoyed me Saturday was late in the game Knocky drifting to far infield and the play being very congested down the left was we had no width on the right.

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Totally agree

Knockaert on the right nearly won it for us. Excellent cross from which Murray should've scored.

Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo said:

I'd say 99% of the time Knockaert and March are on the pitch at the same time they play that way round. Knockaert always favours playing on the right and has such a great understanding with Bruno that it made sense. The only thing that annoyed me Saturday was late in the game Knocky drifting to far infield and the play being very congested down the left was we had no width on the right.

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It's a good observation. The most surprising thing to me really was that Izquierdo made it to 66mins. I guess having made 2 substitutions before 50mins, it was a lot to ask Chris to make the 3rd shortly after.

I'm still backing Hughton into next season, but I don't know what he was seeing that thought Izqueirdo would be the right player to take us into such a major game with a fresh change to 4-4-2 when clearly the risk would be getting overrun in midfield, especially with the Gross on the right experiment. It just seemed a remarkable selection decision.

Once March and Knocky got up a head of steam on either flank, it felt like a Hughton team at home of previous years, going full tilt at the opposition and looking dangerous from so many positions. Gross from being so poor first half looking almost crushed by the enormity of the game, came to life in the second. I know he doesn't have pace, but his movement, vision and ability to drift into space is such high quality that you'd be hard to argue his absences haven't been a major contribution to our malaise this season.

I don't know where that 2nd half performance has been hiding in 2019? Thank goodness it arrived, and with just a bit more belief, we probably would have nicked it.