Oxford will need to Spread Wider to Break Blackpool's Narrow Midfield; Their Inexperience Shone through in the First Leg

Perhaps amid the whirlwind of emotions that was Tuesday night we had forgotten that Oxford have only won two of the 18 games they played against top ten sides in League One prior to this. Perhaps we also forgot Blackpool have won nine of their matches against the same set of sides. 

Perhaps we chose not to remember. 

The truth was when Oxford walked off the Kassam pitch on Tuesday night after a 3-0 defeat to Blackpool in the first leg of the playoff semi finals, they were beaten by the better, more mature side. 

It was not for a lack of effort, nor a lack of belief. Oxford simply could not break down a team who set up to stifle them. 

What will be of disappointment to Robinson was that Blackpool performed an equally accomplished 2-0 victory in this fixture back in March, playing in a remarkably similar way. 

That Oxford were unable to learn from their opposition was a sign that perhaps this side is not ready for the step up. 

Everything pointed towards Oxford having the upper hand; Blackpool had injuries, Oxford had form, and then the biggest of them all was the 4,000 strong cheering them on from the stands - the largest crowd since February last year. 

Yet in the face of adversity, Critchley's men stood up. 

They were brave. 

They switched from the five at the back which had won them their final four matches, and went instead for the 4-4-2 which frustrated Oxford when the sides met in March. 

The result was the pitch being extremely narrow, forcing Oxford to go out wide and stopping any passes into the middle of the pitch. 

This image, below, is taken from ten minutes into the game, and illustrates how tight the midfield and defence were. 

Notice how many Blackpool players occupy the shaded area, and how the midfield trio remain tight in order to stop any balls going through to Henry, Taylor or Lee.  

Oxford were forced to go wide around Blackpool, where they were then pressed aggressively, as they do when Hanson plays the ball wide in this move. 

Even before it has reached Lee, you can see two players converging on him, and a third ensuring there is no route back inside, forcing him to play the ball backwards and the momentum of the attack is gone. 

Oxford commanded 57% possession but could only muster a 63% forward pass rate, indicating that Blackpool repeatedly forced them to go sideways or backwards. 

Look at Oxford's pass directions against Blackpool... 

Direction of Oxford's passes vs Blackpool [Via Whoscored.com]

74% of all Oxford's passes were directed down the flanks, with most of the remaining 26% being played between Rob Atkinson and Elliot Moore on the edge of their own area. 

55% of Oxford's shots came from central positions, compared to 91% of Blackpool's attempts. 

Robinson was outthought by his opposite number, and Oxford were unable to deal with it. 

In fairness to Robinson, he made a tactical switch at half time to split the centre backs wider. 

This created more license for the full backs to push forward and occupy the Blackpool wide men, thus creating space in the middle of the pitch for the ball to go directly into the midfield from the centre backs. 

It worked at points, too, allowing Atkinson and Moore to carry the ball forward slightly before drilling it into midfielders. 

This ball from Atkinson into Sykes is a good example... 

which ends up with Oxford switching the play and having a good chance to get into Blackpool's area. 

United's best chance of the match also came from this, when Moore passed the ball directly into Henry, whose sharp turn and ball sent Sykes in on goal. 

The truth is, however, Oxford were not brave enough to play this ball on most occasions. 

Blackpool set up superbly to counter Oxford's chance creation, and the inexperience in the Oxford team shone through. 

Atkinson struggled with Simms, and he seemed less willing to create for Oxford as his confidence was slowly drained. 

Moore, who was consistent defensively, did not do enough to bring the team forward and looked tentative on the ball, whilst both Hanson and Ruffels struggled to influence play. 

Sykes was superb, and Brannagan can't be faulted for effort, but this Oxford performance showed that they are not the finished product - and neither is Robinson. 

They could not pass through Blackpool, and that meant they could not really lay a glove on them. 

Robinson will likely start with a wider set up with the full backs pushing higher in the Second Leg, possibly creating an opportunity for Forde to come in at Right Back, all in the knowledge that conceding again would not make much difference, and the evidence suggests this is a viable way for Oxford to break through Blackpool's narrow midfield. 

The season will still be viewed as a success, whatever happens on Friday, but this performance perhaps reminded Oxford fans that there is still some way to go before this team can battle with the very best.