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Five Things We Learned: Swindon's EFL Trophy win vs Oxford
Following Swindon Town’s dramatic 3-1 penalty shoot-out victory against local rivals Oxford United, Total Sport’s Ryan Walker gives his analysis on five things we learnt from the hotly-contested encounter.
1) Raphael Rossi-Branco should be captain
With captain Nathan Thompson being given a rest on the substitutes bench for the cup encounter, manager Luke Williams decided to put his trust in Raphael Rossi-Branco to lead out the Swindon side, and he didn’t disappoint.
A clear lack of leadership has been one of the largest contributing factors to Town’s poor form this season, however Tuesday night saw Branco command his team around the pitch, communicate with the referee, and be the solid rock at the back that Swindon have missed so much this season.
Williams was full of praise for the defender following the victory and it would be no surprise should the Brazilian be given the captain's armband for the remainder of the season.
2) Youth could be the answer
Different partnerships, different tactics, and different players are all things that Williams has tried to get Swindon winning again, however the key for the Robins could be to look no further than their youth players, and in particular Tom Smith.
The 18-year-old Blunsdon-born midfielder made his second start in Swindon’s colours in Tuesday night’s victory, and he was by far the brightest Town outfield player on the pitch.
He brought energy, confidence, and the willingness to take his man on and shoot, which is something many Town players are too afraid to do. He has tried everything else so far this season so if Williams wants to turn Swindon’s fortunes around then youth might be his only option.
3) The team does not have chemistry
Whilst they may be friends off the pitch, Swindon Town certainly lack chemistry on the pitch.
A team full of individuals will never be as strong as a side working together, singing off the same hymn sheet and this is no truer than when you look at the way the Town players perform on the field.
Stray passes, lack of link-up play, and poor communication are all strong indicators of a lack of chemistry, and unfortunately Swindon suffer all three of these. While it may not be entirely down to the Williams and his backroom staff, this will certainly be an area the manager will look to rapidly improve.
4) Play is too slow
Pass left, pass right, and pass back to goal. This is the footballing pattern that has emerged at the County Ground for Swindon Town so far this season.
Once a direct, energetic, and quick thinking side, Williams has instilled a possession-based philosophy that creates slow and boring football.
After going down to ten men in the first half, Oxford were happy to let Swindon have the ball because the slowness of Town’s play rarely threatened to create any goal-scoring opportunities. Quick play creates chances and Williams needs to change his tactics pronto.
5) A natural winger is needed
With the transfer window closed until January, it is hard to criticise what positions need improving, but one area Williams should be looking at is bringing in natural wingers.
Swindon love to play down the wing in the hope to create chances, but without truly recognised wingers this is something that is hard to achieve.
While the wingbacks of Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill, James Brophy, Brad Barry and Darnell Furlong, might produce good overlapping play, their ability to put in a good cross or take their man on is poor.
With time to plan this should certainly be a position that Williams looks to strengthen come January. But the question is, will Lee Power let him?
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