Home
The changing shape of Bolton Wanderers is proving to be good news for Ali Crawford.
The Scottish maestro has started to come into his own in the last couple of games, with Ian Evatt admitting he had finally found a way of getting him more possession.
Wanderers convinced the midfielder to stay in the summer after relegation from League One to be the main creative force behind a promotion push.
And though there were some teething problems as Bolton’s new-look squad wrestled with a new style of play, recent outings leave Evatt encouraged that the former Hamilton man has started to find his niche.
“Ali is a fantastic footballer and the reason we resigned him was because that I saw that he can produce something special and something that you don’t see at this level very often,” he told The Bolton News.
“He has been inconsistent, there’s no two ways about it, but that’s partly my fault because I have to find a way of getting him the ball and getting him the ball in the right areas so he can try things.
“The final third is the toughest area of the pitch to play in because it’s probably the most condensed in terms of there isn’t much space and you need someone who can unlock doors that see things that other people don’t and Ali does that, but I have to get him the ball in those areas and we struggled to get him on the ball earlier in the season.
“We’re now finding a way to do it, which is good, and the rotation in midfield’s better, the rotation between the forwards and midfielders is getting there because the relationships are building and that comes with time.
“He’s getting there and he’s getting the ball in the areas of the pitch where we want him to have it.”
Tonight’s opponents Bradford have already won at the UniBol in the Carabao Cup this season but will be smarting from a 3-0 defeat to Newport at the weekend which left them 15th in the table.
“Stuart changed to 4-3-3 on Saturday and was open and honest after the game and said they’d got it wrong, so they changed back to a three midway through the second half and had more success,” Evatt said.
“They beat us earlier in the season and have a blueprint I’d think will be similar.
“I think we have evolved as a team since then, I think we are better than we were then, and it’s about what we do.
“This isn’t about arrogance, it’s about my belief in the team. If they can produce consistent performances that they have shown in glimpses – and on Saturday they were excellent for long spells – then they will win more than they lose.”
Source
The Scottish maestro has started to come into his own in the last couple of games, with Ian Evatt admitting he had finally found a way of getting him more possession.
Wanderers convinced the midfielder to stay in the summer after relegation from League One to be the main creative force behind a promotion push.
And though there were some teething problems as Bolton’s new-look squad wrestled with a new style of play, recent outings leave Evatt encouraged that the former Hamilton man has started to find his niche.
“Ali is a fantastic footballer and the reason we resigned him was because that I saw that he can produce something special and something that you don’t see at this level very often,” he told The Bolton News.
“He has been inconsistent, there’s no two ways about it, but that’s partly my fault because I have to find a way of getting him the ball and getting him the ball in the right areas so he can try things.
“The final third is the toughest area of the pitch to play in because it’s probably the most condensed in terms of there isn’t much space and you need someone who can unlock doors that see things that other people don’t and Ali does that, but I have to get him the ball in those areas and we struggled to get him on the ball earlier in the season.
“We’re now finding a way to do it, which is good, and the rotation in midfield’s better, the rotation between the forwards and midfielders is getting there because the relationships are building and that comes with time.
“He’s getting there and he’s getting the ball in the areas of the pitch where we want him to have it.”
Tonight’s opponents Bradford have already won at the UniBol in the Carabao Cup this season but will be smarting from a 3-0 defeat to Newport at the weekend which left them 15th in the table.
“Stuart changed to 4-3-3 on Saturday and was open and honest after the game and said they’d got it wrong, so they changed back to a three midway through the second half and had more success,” Evatt said.
“They beat us earlier in the season and have a blueprint I’d think will be similar.
“I think we have evolved as a team since then, I think we are better than we were then, and it’s about what we do.
“This isn’t about arrogance, it’s about my belief in the team. If they can produce consistent performances that they have shown in glimpses – and on Saturday they were excellent for long spells – then they will win more than they lose.”
Source