“My team struggles in winter when the ground gets heavy as we prefer to pass the ball around. What can we do?”
Lee Burnett, via email
Neil Warnock says:
“You have to play the system to suit the players and pitches. Sometimes you turn up and the pitch is cut up really badly, so you can’t use a passing game. You must vary tactics.
If it’s in really bad condition, you have to avoid going down the middle. You can play more in the air up to a point, but you’ve got to use the flanks and your full-backs as much as you can.
The ball has to be played at varying angles: diagonals, rather than down the middle. You should also get your goalkeeper to kick sideways, not down the middle.
And if you’ve got a target man or someone strong in the air, they can play the ball out to players occupying the wide positions.
I’ve changed a line-up due to the playing conditions before. I changed my team once in the FA Cup when we played a non-league team by leaving out one of my quick forwards.
I didn’t think he could run with the ball on that surface, so I favoured a more physical centre-forward. It worked.”
For more football tips see:
Show your pitch some TLC
How to combat the heat
How to face a frosty fixture
