Notts County boss Luke Williams said his promoted side still need to adapt to League Two after seeing them “fall off the edge of a cliff” during the second half of their 4-2 home win over Bradford.
County looked to be cruising to victory after a superb first-half display saw them score four unanswered goals through a brace from Macaulay Langstaff in between efforts from David McGoldrick and Dan Crowley.
However, the Magpies were unable to replicate that performance after the break and Bradford halved the deficit through Richard Brindley’s own goal and Jamie Walker’s strike with 15 minutes left.
The visitors could not get any closer as the hosts held on for a 4-2 win that keeps them up amongst the leaders in the division, but Williams was left with plenty of food for thought.
He said: “It was a game of two halves, exactly that.
“The first half as good as we were, we were equally poor in the second at times. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half and I think that was us playing football how I want us to play and the vision that I have for the team – they were breathtaking at times.
“In the end, on the balance of things we are worthy of the win, but only just.
“The first action (in second half) is ridiculous; we gave the ball away on the halfway line which sets up the counter-attack which sets the tone and then we’re sloppy. We’re missing intensity and the awareness is not there anymore – people were getting the ball pinched off them.
“They caused us so many problems for a side that were 4-0 down. We should have been able to cope with that better, but we didn’t.
“Too many times we’ve been 3-0 up at half-time and we know we deserve to be because we played well, so then to fall off the edge of a cliff in that way is something we are continuing to work on.
“I believe that we need a period of time to adapt to the level and we haven’t. It might look like we have with the way we play in the first half, but 45 minutes is not a game of football.”
Bradford boss Graham Alexander bemoaned his side’s display in the opening 45 minutes, accepting some of the blame falls on him for his tactical approach to the game.
“We were nowhere near good enough in the first half and the scoreline suggests that. We were too passive so I will take a share of the blame in that first-half performance,” he said.
“I was thinking to try and set up to be more compact but that wasn’t the case, Notts County were able to cut us open several times, but we had opportunities to score in the first half.
“That would have given us some encouragement to be aggressive and change the momentum in the first half if we took those opportunities.
“We understood that coming back from 4-0 down was going to be a huge task, we had to go out and win the second half. We took risks, were on the front foot, the players responded in the way I thought they would. We showed that we have the right mentality but it’s about showing that game plan from minute one.
“I just thought those two goals in the first half put doubt in our players minds, and instead of taking one step forward, we took one step back in nearly every action.
“You can’t play like that against any team, let alone Notts County. But in the second half we had less respect and backed ourselves more and we had the opportunity to get something out of the game.”
USWNT goalkeeper Naeher to retire from international football
United States goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is to retire from international football next month.
Naeher has won 113 caps for the USWNT and was a regular between the sticks during their most recent World Cup-winning campaign in 2019, also starting for Emma Hayes' Olympic Gold medallists in Paris earlier this year.
The 36-year-old, who has represented the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL since 2016, will link up with Hayes' side for their upcoming friendlies against England and the Netherlands, but that will be the final camp she attends.
Naeher said in a statement posted to her Instagram account: "With immense gratitude and very thoughtful consideration, I have decided to retire from the international game.
"Having the opportunity to be a part of the USWNT for the past 15 years has been the greatest honour.
"This has been a special team to be a part of and I am beyond proud of what we have achieved both on and off the field. The memories I have made over the years will last me a lifetime.
"I know one chapter is ending, but I am so excited to continue to see the growth of this team going forward and what more they can accomplish."
Hope Solo (202) and Briana Scurry (175) are the only goalkeepers to make more appearances for the team than Naeher, who made her debut versus Argentina in December 2014.
Mbappe position switch works wonders for Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti was satisfied his tactical decision to switch Kylian Mbappe's position in attack paid off in Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Leganes.
Mbappe scored his seventh goal of the season to help Madrid to a comfortable victory in LaLiga on Sunday.
However, his position in Madrid's front line has been a topic of debate since he joined the Spanish champions, with Mbappe having often played out wide while at Paris Saint-Germain.
And Ancelotti elected to switch Mbappe out to the left flank against Leganes, with Vinicius Junior spearheading Los Blancos' attack.
"Mbappe played on the left side, where he did well, and Vinicius on the inside," Ancelotti told reporters.
"We have to highlight their play to open the scoring. They did very, very well. Mbappe scored, after a fantastic assist from Vinicius. Little by little, they're both improving.
"Kylian is more used to playing there and today, for the team and for him, it was the best thing.
"Because playing on the outside brings more effort and Vinicius was back on Thursday. Meanwhile, Kylian had been training here for a week and a half, he was fresher."
Mbappe was not called up by France coach Didier Deschamps for this month's Nations League games, despite being Les Bleus' captain.
With an injury crisis at the back and a trip to Anfield to face Premier League and Champions League leaders Liverpool coming up, Ancelotti added he was hopeful of Lucas Vazquez, who has a hamstring strain, and Aurelien Tchouameni, who is recovering from a sprained left ankle, returning to action.
He was also upbeat about the contribution of Federico Valverde, who scored from a free-kick while filling in at right-back.
"The truth is that Fede, at the back, has done very well," said Ancelotti of the Uruguayan, who also wore the captain's armband.
"He's a fantastic fullback. After Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez, the best right-back in the world. His problem is that he can play at this level in many positions and is the coach's problem to choose the best position for the team.
"Let's see if Lucas and Tchouameni can recover. If not, we will make decisions."
Jude Bellingham netted Madrid's other goal as Ancelotti's team closed to within four points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona, who drew 2-2 with Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Madrid also have a game in hand on Hansi Flick's side.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
