It’s fair to say that Shrewsbury pulled off an Ainsworth masterclass in his first game, scoring 3 goals with 20% of the ball.
But Blues have got to be so much better than that, all over the pitch.
Conceding through defensive errors has been the theme of the season. Shrewsbury were 2-0 up by the 40th minute and deservedly so, but both goals will disappoint Davies and the back line. The first came from another set piece that we failed to deal with, as Allsop remained on his line, and nobody marked Bloxham on the touchline at the back post, nor Pierre who tucked away through a crowd of bodies in the six yard box.
Davies made an early change on the 34th minute, bringing off Keshi Anderson in a tactical switch for Lyndon Dykes, who took the number 9 role and Stansfield shifted across to the left hand side.
Shrewsbury caught us on the counter for the second, as a low ball into the box wasn’t dealt with and bobbled through to Marquis. Allsop committed and didn’t get to the ball, giving the Shrewsbury forward an easy finish into an empty net.
Iwata fired us back to 2-1 just before the break, latching onto a low ball across the box and catching the keeper out with a low drive to the near post. But the scoreline was more than fair, as Blues looked toothless in attack and didn’t create anything of note prior to Iwata’s 4th goal of the season.
Half time: Shrewsbury 2-1 Blues (Iwata)
Shrewsbury didn’t wait long to restore their 2 goal lead. A counter attack down the Blues left hand side lead by Marquis was cut back low to Bloxham, who beat Iwata to the ball and poked home past Allsop, who again came out and didn’t claim the ball.
Davies responded with 2 substitutes, bringing on Leonard for Laird (with Paik shifting to right back) and May replacing Harris in the number 10.
Blues continued to control the ball and sustain pressure without any meaningful impact, until Rossiter dived in to block a shot and did so with his arm, away from his body from close range. Stansfield stepped up and converted the penalty down the middle.
Stansfield, playing off the left hand side, worked himself some space just inside the area and got a shot off which Savin got down low to his left to keep out. Aside from the odd cross flicked on, and Leonard’s deflected shot hitting the side netting, this remained our last decent chance, in the 77th minute.
Davies gambled late on and brought Yokoyama on for Bielik, with Iwata dropping into centre back, but his impact was limited and aside from one cross that found Dykes’ head, Shrewsbury wound the clock down through 11 minutes of additional time to secure their 3 points, and just Blues’ second defeat of the League One campaign.
Shrewsbury certainly benefitted from the new manager bounce, but Davies will have to find answers to Blues’ woes and do so quickly. We now find ourselves having won just 2 of our last 5 in the league. Everyone will have an opinion on what needs to change, but I think the first priority for me would be starting Dykes every game. He hasn’t had a solid run yet, and he offers us a physical presence up top that neither May nor Stansfield do. Starting May up front would also be better than Stansfield, as although Stansfield is a better all-round player, it’s clear May is the superior number 9. His goal return prior to Stansfield’s arrival backs that up.
Davies needs to find a solution before our trip to Exeter on Tuesday, a side who I’m sure will employ similar tactics that have caused us problems in recent games, and a side that find themselves much higher up the table than our bottom of the table opponents today.
Full time: Shrewsbury 3-2 Blues (Iwata, Stansfield)
Ratings
Starting XI
Ryan Allsop: 4
This might be a harsh rating, but I think you can find fault in Allsop for all 3 goals. Although solid again with the ball at his feet, he has to be taking control of his area better and coming out earlier and braver to assist the back 4. I think he's done well since coming in for BPF, but today was his worst showing in a Blues shirt.
Ethan Laird: 5
Laird didn't have a meaningful impact on the game, rarely finding himself in space against his defender and giving away a couple of stupid fouls. He was hooked on the 58th minute.
Christoph Klarer: 5
I think Klarer did fine for the most part, but found himself part of a mostly poor back 4 that needs to take more collective responsibility for all 3 goals. He didn't offer much going forwards either as he so often likes to do.
Krystian Bielik: 5
Bielik, similar to Klarer, didn't do too much wrong individually although I think he found himself in a poor position for their 3rd goal. Iwata had to try and make up for it and wasn't able to reach the ball. The captain has to take more responsibility defensively to help cut out these poor mistakes at the back.
Alex Cochrane: 7 - Man of the Match
Man of the match was a tough call for the wrong reasons, and although Cochrane was another player in that back 4, he did put plenty of crosses in of varying quality. I don't think he could've done much himself about any of the goals. He had his standard, consistent game. A lack of quality across the park almost gives MOTM to Cochrane by default.
Paik Seung-Ho: 5
Paik did not have his normal impact. Did well to retain possession, but didn't offer enough quality in his final ball. He also played the last 30-40 mins from right back, but was unable to deliver any crosses of real quality. Could be time for a rest, as he did travel with South Korea over the international break and Leonard must be chomping at the bit for a start.
Tomoki Iwata: 6
Iwata had an okay game. Did retain the ball well, but often played a negative pass when we needed to play forwards with more tempo. Fine when we're winning - not when we need to score. Took his goal well, and I shan't blame him for trying to cut the ball out for Shrewsbury's third, but not his best game.
Willum Þór Willumsson: 6
Usually a player who has a massive impact, I thought Willum lacked his usual quality from a wide position. I would've liked to see him down the middle personally, but even when given a chance he frequently overhit passes and didn't create as often as he would normally.
Luke Harris: 6
Luke is one of Davies' favourites seemingly, as when he's fit he plays. I think we still haven't seen the best of him, and he didn't showcase that today either in a tough game for the side overall. He rarely got onto the ball, and didn't have the pace nor creativity when he did.
Keshi Anderson: 6
Keshi was hooked in the first half, but I think it was more a tactical decision than him having a poor game. Not much to go off - but didn't impact the game whilst on the pitch.
Jay Stansfield: 7
As we saw so often last season, and by his own admission, Stansfield is not a natural number 9. I believe his only touch prior to his positional change to the left wing was him tracking back defensively and putting in a tackle. He looked slightly better off the left, tucked his penalty away and fashioned a decent chance for a second not long after, but offered little else. Tough between and a 6 and a 7, but I'll give him the 7 for scoring his penalty and not being provided many other chances.
Subs
Lyndon Dykes: 6
Came on for Keshi in the first half, did offer us a physical presence and won a few headers, but lacked the quality to make the difference. I would be giving him a run of games, to see if more match sharpness allows him to make a greater impact against sides sitting deep in a low block.
Marc Leonard: 6
Leonard had a rare 30-40 minutes today, and looked sharp on the ball. His deflected shot in the second half went narrowly wide, but I think he's of a similar mould to Iwata in that he plays too negatively sometimes. Another player though that I would like to see given more minutes.
Alfie May: 6
Alfie came on and played as a number 10 again. I really do not think this is getting the best out of him, and he'd be better off playing up front either instead of or alongside Dykes, like he did at the start of the season with success. Linked play well, but from deeper positions, and didn't impact the game in the final third.
Ayumu Yokoyama: 5
Ayumu got the last 10 minutes (with the stoppage time) as a hail Mary from Davies in place of Bielik. He put one good ball in, but ran the ball out of play twice for a goal kick which completely killed our attacks and allowed their keeper Savin to waste more time and see the game out.
