Stats say Swindon Town struggle in attack, Ian Holloway sees quick fix

Four away games into the season, Swindon are yet to find the back of the net, but even if they have performed better at home, the stats would suggest that this is far from an anomaly.

According to Opta, Town have generated the fourth-lowest xG in League Two, had the second-fewest shots, the third-fewest shots on target, and second-fewest touches in the opposition box. None of that indicates a team that is thriving in attack.

The general tactical plan for Town this season has been to attack with pace and width, utilising the use of natural wingers like Joseph Hungbo and flying wing-backs like Mitch Clark by playing diagonal passes into space out wide. This has been effective at times, but especially in away games, teams have managed to have a rest defence capable of denying Swindon the space that they like.

But Holloway believes the fix to be a simple one: “Full-backs, where are they? I haven't got one. Who crosses the balls for me? We're not doubling up in wide areas. We're going to work on it. And I am not blaming anyone. Let's get out there. They look good today. Let's see what we can do.”

This is borne out in the stats, as Swindon have attempted the joint-fewest crosses in League Two and have the second-worst cross accuracy, so his team have not been able to create those positions often enough and have not made the most of them when they can.

The personnel issue has been apparent, with Hungbo having not started in the same team as Mitch Clark, and the two were signed to be the natural width for this team. Not having players who are comfortable attacking the flanks shrinks the pitch, as teams do not need to defend as much space.

Joseph Hungbo watched by three Salford City defenders (Image: Focus Images)

Few would argue that Port Vale at home was Town’s best performance of the season, and that saw the team complete four crosses with 27 per cent accuracy, with the Northampton Town away game the only match so far where Swindon have managed to be above 50 per cent of either of those numbers.

With Joel McGregor injured and Clark suspended, James Ball is set to continue at right-back for at least the next two games, which will continue the releative imbalance of the attack, as he is a primarily defensive player.

Dan Butler and Billy Kirkman both like to get forward and cross from the left, but Hungbo and Paul Glatzel are more likely to cut inside when playing on the right. Joe Snowdon is also missing, who would be a more natural right-sided player who likes to put the ball in.

Holloway hinted at using Danny Butterworth as a full-back to provide more width, but he is not in a position to start a league game, yet; whilst Lucas Griffiths-Brown is not thought to be in contention to start a league game.

This creates the problem that Holloway mentioned with not having his preferred full-backs, as he has to find a different way of creating width on the right.

The solution is most likely to see Hungbo play on the right, and he is happy to hold width and put crosses in, although this would mostly see him cutting inside onto his preferred left foot. To unlock this, Ball and the midfielders are going to have to make overlapping runs to help create the room for the sort of regular crossing that Holloway thinks will solve these issues, inventing the overloads Holloway mentioned.