Crewe Alex 0-0 Harrogate Town 23/24 Review - Park the Bus

It's been a long time since we saw a performance like that, where the Alex batter their opponent for pretty much the whole game but are unable to find that breakthrough. It's a sign of respect that teams are coming to Gresty Road and not taking the game to the Alex. It's just up to the management and players to find a way past these teams. Still, it's a point closer to their goal and gives them 1 defeat from their last 9 and keeps them in the top 3 hunt. Here is my review of the frustrating home draw with Harrogate:

Overcomplicated

Losing the anchor of your midfield and captain Luke Offord after 30 minutes was a big blow. But I cannot for the life of me work out why they decided to bring on RB Ryan Cooney as his replacement and completely alter the system for the final 15 minutes until half time. After starting brightly in the 4-1-3-2 formation, they switched to what looked like a 3-5-2. Huh? Why?

Thankfully at HT they switched it back to a 4-4-2 and looked way better for it, which to me says they knew they'd made a mistake and rectified it. I admire their willingness to change things to try and have a positive impact, but at the same time, I do feel they can overthink and overcomplicate things at times.

Came for a draw

Harrogate set their stall out very early on. They came for a 0-0 and that's what they ultimately got. They sat deep and only offered a sparse threat on the counter attack. They managed 1 shot in the whole game and it came from Matty Daly after 3 minutes. So they didn't manage another shot for the remaining 87. You can see why they get results and don't concede many, but this game followed a lot of their other games. Opposition dominant and through a mixture of good defending and good fortune, they get the point they came for.

Performance

I've been very critical of how the Alex have performed at home overall. Sure, the results have been fine, but the all round displays have been shaky or lacking. I don't think that was the case today for the most part. Yes, it's very disappointing to only manage 1 shot on target from 15 in total. It shows they struggled to get clear looks and when they did, the efforts were snatched.

Overall, they dominated. Every single stat measurement was in their favour, except for the one that matters of course. Bell has a challenge on his hands to combat opposition teams that set out for draws at Gresty Road. Morecambe, Sutton, FGR and Grimsby still have to visit and they'll do the same. Hopefully they can keep playing like this and find ways to crack these hard to break down opponents.

A point gained

Yes, it's 2 points dropped. But at the same time, we'd have all taken 4 points from Stockport and Harrogate this week. In fact, had it been the other way round, with them going to Edgeley Park, drawing 0-0 after limiting Stockport to one shot and then beating Harrogate 3-1 at home as they did on Tuesday, we'd be feeling much happier right now. It's nice to see disappointed at a strong display and another point closer to their target.

Defence

I can't praise this defence enough. They'll have a tough test next week, arguably their last truly difficult test of the season in terms of the oppositions attacking quality. But again, since Boxing Day, they've been superb, one Matt Smith/Salford blip aside. That was their 9th clean sheet of the season and their 5th since the turn of the year. For a side that has lost one of it's best CBs, signed a replacement and had to swap goalkeepers so far this year, the fact that they've been able to concede just 6 goals this year is outstanding.

Ref Watch - 4

He'd done the usual things both good and bad, but his mark massively dropped late in the game, where he failed to give a 2nd yellow to George Thomson for a blatant yellow card foul. Simon Weaver then hooked Thomson immediately after, which said it all. Then he hilariously only gave 3 minutes of added on time at the end when 5-6 would have been more accurate after Harrogate's time wasting. A poor performance from a typically poor ref.

Management Rating - 6

It sounds bizarre, but I don't think they've settled on a preferred system. It's been a weird blend of variations since moving Offord into midfield. This 4-1-3-2 leaves them lopsided and gives them no striker depth to bring off the bench, plus I don't think 2 upfront works either.

The Cooney sub as mentioned was bizarre, but they did redeem themselves by getting the changes at HT right. I have a question though: Do they not rate Lewis Leigh? Given they needed a CM to replace Offord and didn't bring him on, nor did they bring him on in the 2nd half when Holicek and Austerfield started to flag. Bizarre. Come back soon Offord, Thomas and especially Joel Tabiner.

Player Ratings

Harvey Davies - 6

Hard to rate him given he was a passenger for the entire game. He won't have it so easy next week that's for sure. But he was solid.

Lewis Billington - 6

Don't think he did an awful lot wrong, but Bell had to hook him at HT because he wanted to go to 4-4-2 and couldn't take off Cooney, so sacrificed Billo instead. He starts next week for sure.

Ed Turns - 7

A quiet afternoon for him in which he did well to keep a limited Harrogate attack at bay. Wasn't quite as dominant as he has been in his last few games, but then he didn't need to be.

Mickey Demetriou - 7

Carried the ball really well, especially in the 2nd half. Always looking for the outball option, his passing is actually an underrated part of his game.

Rio Adebisi - 6

Had an effort in the 2nd half and he linked up really well with Kirk down the left. Hopefully we can see more of that as Kirk builds up his fitness.

Luke Offord - 6

Looked really solid in the CDM role, it was a huge blow to lose him early in the 2nd half. The fact he was able to get up and even run on it hopefully suggests it's not too serious, but we'll have to wait with baited breath on him.

Aaron Rowe - 4

Woeful. He's not a very good footballer. I know he works hard and gets a few goals/assists every now and again, but he lacks footballing intelligence. Should not start, but due to Long's injury and Kirk lacking match fitness, he still does.

Josh Austerfield - 6

Was more involved in the game and was really trying to make things happen, but you can see he's not a natural creator. Might need to step into Luke Offord's CDM role if the captain is out for a while. He did flag towards the end of the game though.

Matus Holicek - 7 MOTM

Starting to get his legs under him. Showed some really nice touches in midfield to find space. A little naive at times, but overall he's starting to really grow. Rightly got the sponsors MOTM and he was mine too.

Elliott Nevitt - 5

Thought he was poor. Him and CBR shouldn't start. He looks to have some lost some of his confidence and I don't think he knows what to do with himself when CBR starts. Should have been on the bench and came on for me.

Courtney Baker-Richardson - 6

What puts him above Nevitt is he has chances. About 3 of them in fact, one of which came off the underside of the bar. A inch lower and he's the match winner.

Subs

Ryan Cooney - 6

Was bizarrely thrown in after 30 minutes, but did look more comfortable after moving back to RB at HT. I don't think I want to see him against Jodi Jones at Meadow Lane though.

Charlie Kirk - 7

Close to my MOTM. He was excellent when he came on, showing his class once again. His touches and movement were outstanding and he came so close to a fairytale winner at the end. Can he give them 60 minutes from the start next week, or does he remain on the bench?

Shilow Tracey - 6

Started brightly, but faded once Harrogate made alterations and man marked him out of the game. That being said, he did have their only shot on target. I think he starts next week.

Overall Verdict

It's a frustrating point, but a point nonetheless. It keeps them 11 above 8th(with a better GD), puts them 3 points off 1st and they have Thomas and Booth back for sure next week it seems, with Finney, Tabiner and Williams all closing in on returns. The squad is in a good place health wise(fingers crossed Offord isn't out for too long) and they are right in the middle of the top 3 as we approach the final 2 months of the season. 13 games to go, the tension is rising.