Crewe Alex 3-3 Chesterfield 25-26 Review - Entertainment

I've felt for a while that Crewe Alex under Lee Bell haven't really been a Crewe team. Not in the traditional "pass the ball" sense and not in the "we'll play attack minded football" sense either. But let's be fair and call a spade a spade, the 25-26 Crewe Alex team are as much built in Dario Gradi's image as any team we've seen in the last few seasons. They attack teams and look pretty dangerous most weeks, but have issues at the back. And I am absolutely here for it. Here is my review of a thrilling draw against Chesterfield:

Here we go again

Let's be honest, when that first Chesterfield goal went in, I got flashbacks to when Berry scored a similar goal in the previous meeting 15 months ago. And then when the 2nd went in, I did fear a repeat of that 5-0 drubbing was on. The Alex were at 6s and 7s at the back in the first 20 minutes and in truth, didn't look comfortable for most of the game.

They definitely missed Mickey Demetriou and I worry for them defensively should he be out for more than a few weeks. These goals could be chalked up as a one off, but when they've conceded 19 goals in their last 12 league games and have just 1 clean sheet in that time, it's a worrying trend.

Character

That being said, I will praise them for not letting some missed early chances and the early deficit get them down. They responded superbly and dragged themselves back into the game not once, but twice. That's now 7 points gained across their last 7 league games from losing positions, which given they recovered just 2 points from their previous 33 league games before that is a sign of their growing character and resilience.

Good Team

Let's also acknowledge as well that the Alex were playing a good team. Markanday and Berry are excellent players and caused the Alex all sorts of problems today. The midfield trio of Darcy, Naylor and Fleck were also hard to contain. Yes, they were missing Grigg and Stirk, but the Alex were down Lankester, March and Bogle, all of whom make a difference. Chesterfield will be up there this season, no doubt about it. For the Alex to stick with them and earn a more than deserved point is to their credit.

Redemption

2 players who I think have been fortunate to keep their spots in the team have been James Connolly and Calum Agius. They struggled in the first half, with Connolly sleeping on Chesterfield's 2nd and Agius missing a huge chance at 0-1 when played through by Tezgel.

But to be fair to them, they responded with 2 well taken goals, both powering in headers to drag the Alex back into the game. I would have loved for Louis Moult to find the net, as that would have capped off a trio of maligned players redeeming themselves. The Alex need goals from all over the pitch and their last 6 goals have been scored by 6 different players. More of the same going forward please.

Unbeaten Run

This draw moves the Alex onto their longest unbeaten run since August and whilst 2 of the results have been draws, they can start to build some confidence ahead of a few winnable looking games between now and Christmas. We're also starting to see some consistency in the performances as well, with their attack looking dangerous every week and with them looking closer to winning games than losing them at the moment.

They are 4-2-2 in their last 8 league games, which is an 80.5 point pace across a full season. If they can replicate that form in their next 10 league games, where they play just 1 side currently above them in the table, then they'll really be in business.

Ref Watch

Awful first half, slightly better 2nd. It's the lack of consistency. Tezgel body checked on the counter, no yellow for Fleck. Sanders does the same on Darcy, yellow. Go figure. I had been lenient towards Mr Rock after a few solid Alex games from him, but he's right back on the naughty list.

Management Assessment

They were positive with their line up, got the tactics mostly correct and even went for it by throwing Moult on for a midfielder. My only gripe is about Rankine. Bell must have signed off on the 2 year deal for the lad. So what does it say when he would rather bring on a LB in Charlie Finney at RW in the final 10 minutes over him? And for me, it was telling that Cook made 2 subs at 2-2 and got his reward, plus made 3 changes before Bell made 1. They need to be more proactive when introducing subs.

Player Assessments

Tom Booth

His kicking remains a concern, but I don't think he could have done much for the 3 goals. The saves he made were routine, but well held on a greasy surface.

Lewis Billington

The deflection on Berry's goal is unlucky, but backing off and showing him onto his right foot is poor. That being said, he recovered well and was pretty faultless for the rest of the game.

James Connolly

He struggled at times against the tough to handle Bonis. I felt the 2nd goal was at least partially on him, but to be fair he rose well to power in his first goal in almost 2 years and grab the 2nd equaliser. So I'll let him off.

James Golding

Also had a tough game and the third Chesterfield goal came from a dreadful header by him, but he coped about as well as could be expected in his first league start for over a month.

Reece Hutchinson

He had a lot to deal with in Markanday and he struggled at times, but did well at others. Got forward well and tried to create chances down the left.

Max Sanders

Another excellent display capped with a superb corner assist for Connolly. Definitely the leader in the player of the season category at the moment.

Conor Thomas

Sorry, but 26 touches in 76 minutes of football. It's not enough and it's the norm for him.

Tommi O'Reilly

A quieter game from him, even though the stats say he created 3 chances. I was a little surprised to see him come off over Agius.

Owen Lunt

He might not have been active on the ball, but he won the crucial game swinging penalty with some smart play in the box.

Calum Agius

He was lucky to start after poor recent form and was lucky to get the 2nd half after his awful 1-on-1 miss, but he redeemed himself with a bullet header to bring things level. Hopefully that will do his confidence the world of good and he can kick on now.

Emre Tezgel MOTM

Another outstanding display, even if he did waste 2 good chances towards the end. Before that, he scored a penalty, should have had an assist on Agius's chance in the 1st half, got an assist for Agius in the 2nd and was a danger throughout. But that late break where he should have laid it off to 2 players on his right and then the final spoon over the ball were big "what if' moments. He's a great player and he was good in this game. But with a bit more end product, he could be outstanding. Bizarre to say about a player who got a goal and an assist and was my MOTM.

Subs:

Matus Holicek

A quick amend, as I did him dirty on the ball in the dying minutes across to Tezgel which deserved a finish. Excellent vision from him to spot Emre.

Louis Moult

A bit more lively than his usual cameos, but he still adds minimal value. I'm hoping for Bogle and March to come back soon.

Charlie Finney

Probably couldn't believe it when he was asked to come on at RW. Didn't have much of a chance to do anything.

Overall Verdict

2-0 and 3-2 down, to recover from that and get a point is definitely a positive. Not many teams will open you up like Chesterfield can. Now is the chance to go on a new season long unbeaten run by getting a result at Cambridge next week.