On Saturday, Oxford United suffered a sixth defeat in eight league games as the U’s lost 2-0 at Fleetwood. As a result, Karl Robinson’s side sit bottom of League One with just six points on the board.
We have highlighted before that, under Robinson’s stewardship, the club are prone to making a slow start to the season but this season has a more negative feel to it.
In Robinson’s first full season, Oxford recorded just one win from their opening 11 games, while last season the U’s managed the same number of wins in the opening seven matches.
Although the U’s have won twice this season, expectations were high following last seasons playoff finish. Is that the reason for the disappointment? Are the U’s still reeling from a hangover of their Wembley woes, or does it go deeper than that?
Following the Fleetwood loss, Robinson spoke to BBC Radio Oxford. In his post-match interview, he mentioned the number of key players out injured, he mentioned the players brought in, and he mentioned that his side are playing well, despite the poor results.
It’s a culmination of all of the above. Oxford have had a number of key injuries but before that, the recruitment hasn’t been good enough in the summer. After Rob Dickie was sold to QPR, the club probably needed to bring defensive reinforcements. That said, Elliott Moore would be partnered by the up and coming Rob Atkinson, with the experienced John Mousinho behind them. It would also leave Sam Long as a fourth option.
However, due to injuries to Josh Ruffels at left-back, and Atkinson and Mousinho in the middle, the U’s defence has been stretched. Long has played in every position across the back four to a variety of success while summer signing Sean Clare has struggled to make the right-back spot his own, having been caught out on numerous occasions.
With that in mind and the transfer window still open, Robinson should have brought in reinforcements. In hindsight, it’s easy to say yes but with Ruffels already back and Mousinho close to a return, they may have just got away with it. On the other hand, bringing in a player that could cover in the full-back positions in addition to a central position would tick boxes for the squad.
Oxford United have the third-worst defence in the league, conceding 16 goals in eight games. While the back four has been at fault, another area of concern is that in goal. There is no doubting Simon Eastwood’s ability between the sticks but the U’s number one has looked vulnerable all season. In fact, you can go as far back as the back end of last season. Talks of a move away have been ongoing for the former Blackburn and Huddersfield man, and it could be driving a distraction, but his performances haven’t been good enough in the opening exchanges of the new campaign.
Another cause for concern is the lack of leadership in the side. With Mousinho out and Jamie Mackie retired, the U’s don’t have that authoritative senior figure on the field. Even Eastwood at 31-years-old doesn’t seem too vocal behind an inexperienced back four. And it filters through the team. In midfield and attack, there isn’t a commanding presence to rally the team.
Tactically, Robinson is shaping the team up in the right way – when he the players at his disposal. When Ruffels was injured and there wasn’t another recognised left-back at the club, he should have changed formation to a back three. Similarly, when Alex Rodriguez Gorrin was injured, why not take that position out and play with two up top in a 4-4-2? Liam Kelly replacing Gorrin and Long replacing Ruffels just hasn’t worked out. It leaves two players playing out of position in a system that doesn’t suit Robinson’s performers at this disposal.
Going forward, with the imminent return to fitness for Mousinho, Atkinson and Sam Winnall, Robinson needs to alter his tactics for a run of games. Look at a 3-5-2. A back three of Atkinson, Moore and Mousinho, with Long as the alternative, would allow Ruffels and Clare to attack as the wing-backs – positions they are stronger in. If not Ruffels and Clare, Robinson could use his attacking wingers, such as Henry, Shodipo and Cooper, with a solid three-man central midfield. Winnall and Taylor could start up top together, with the likes of Henry, Forde, Sykes among others able to play there but sitting just behind.
Look at the game at Fleetwood. Robinson tweaked it slightly and played with Kelly and Gorrin together in the deeper role, but all that caused was a congested deep midfield with neither playing knowing which role to take. At Highbury, Robinson’s substitutes failed to make an impact. This was also something he touched on in his post-match interview. He made like for like changes, with Cooper replacing Shodipo on the left, and so on, but the formation wasn’t working against a well organised Fleetwood side.
We touched on Clare and Eastwood’s poor form, but another key player that has struggled is James Henry. Besides a sensational ball to find Matty Taylor in the win at Accrington, he has been a shadow of his former self. Is he one member of the squad that is struggling with the Wembley hangover? It appears he spending too much time trying to bail Clare out down the right-hand side and isn’t having as much of an attacking threat as a result. His penalty miss against Fleetwood can happen over the course of a season, but it won’t help his belittled confidence going forward.
All of this in mind, morale seems low both on and off the field. There’s talk of Robinson losing the dressing room and, although I don’t think that’s the case, it feels from the outside looking in that he is the only vocal member of the Oxford United staff. His message is getting across. It’s not like his side are getting battered in the games they lose, in fact, the opposite. If anything, they have been the better side but errors in both boxes are what’s causing them to struggle.
