Swindon Town's attacking struggles this season stem from a lack of width and crossing, a problem manager Ian Holloway believes has a simple fix. The Robins sit 12th in League Two on 11 points but have the joint-fewest crosses and the second-fewest touches inside the opposition penalty area in the division.
Holloway pointed directly to his squad's composition as the root cause. He said he does not have a natural full-back to provide consistent width and deliveries into the box. The manager wants his players to work on doubling up in wide areas to create the overloads needed for effective crossing, a habit he says has been missing since February.
Personnel limits tactical plan
The issue is compounded by injuries and suspensions. With Joel McGregor injured and Mitch Clark suspended, primarily defensive midfielder James Ball is set to continue at right-back for the next two games. Natural right-sided player Joe Snowdon is also absent. This has meant winger Joseph Hungbo, signed to provide width, has not started a match alongside flying wing-back Mitch Clark this season. Holloway hinted at using Danny Butterworth in a full-back role for more width, but the player is not yet ready to start a league game.
Hungbo key to proposed solution
The planned solution centres on using Joseph Hungbo on the right flank. While Hungbo and striker Paul Glatzel often prefer to cut inside, Holloway stated the winger is happy to hold the width and put crosses in. To make this work, Ball and the midfielders will need to make overlapping runs to create space and crossing opportunities. On the left, Dan Butler and Billy Kirkman are more naturally inclined to get forward and deliver.
Swindon's need for improvement is urgent. They have failed to score in four away league games this season and their recent form shows just one draw and four defeats in the last five matches. Even in what many considered their best performance, a home game against Port Vale, they completed only four crosses with 27 percent accuracy. The only match this season where Swindon managed a cross-accuracy rate above 50 percent was away at Northampton Town.
The team's overall attacking metrics are among the lowest in League Two. They rank third-fewest for shots on target, second-fewest for total shots, and have the fourth-lowest expected goals (xG) according to Opta data.
Holloway's immediate task is to implement these ideas ahead of the next fixture, an away trip to face 16th-placed Rochdale on October 3. The match at the Crown Oil Arena presents a clear opportunity to test whether adjusting player roles and encouraging overlapping runs can end the Robins' goal drought on the road and improve their overall fixtures run. The manager has told his players to ditch the habits holding them back and focus on providing the width he believes will unlock their attack.
The original report is at swindonadvertiser.co.uk
