Reds unravel at Raval

ALL good runs come to an end and CD Montesinos were unbeaten since December last year. So it came as something of a shock when a lacklustre display in the sunshine saw them stumble to their opponents, mid-table CFE Il-Licitana Raval, losing 2-0, in a game that looked like, on paper, it should have been a stroll in the park.

The Reds kicked off in a somewhat strange formation, with a back five and four in midfield and almost straight from the off, some players looked distinctly uncomfortable with the set up. While individuals were adjusting to their new tasks, on seven minutes a long hopeful channel ball from Raval saw a comical mix-up between Oussama and Sergio and the deflected ball dribble into the net for the opposition's opener. All very avoidable and questions have to asked at why the ball wasn't simply put into the stereotypical ‘row Z’ by someone.

Five minutes of haphazard football from Monte later, a yawning gap on the right (where Carrasco should have been) was ruthlessly exploited by the Raval number 11, who slid the ball across the six yard box for the overlapping number 10 to poke home the second.

An unmitigated disaster of a start for Monte, who looked jaded and confused before the game had seriously got underway. Raval, to be honest, looked as if they couldn't believe their luck.

So, barely a dozen minutes on the clock and Monte were already facing something of an uphill struggle. Disappointingly, the remainder of the half was a dull mostly middle-of-the-park affair, with neither side making any real inroads or genuine scoring chances. Something had to change.

At the start of the second ‘Los Hermanos’ shuffled the pack in an attempt to provide some width and an attacking threat, but despite an almost total domination of possession, the Reds were still unable to carve out any chances of note.

Even when Raval went down to 10 men on 70 minutes, after a blatant elbow by their number eight saw him take the walk of shame, there was very little change to the tempo and flow of the game. Monte pushed for the goal that might have opened the door for them, but all too often a misplaced pass or a poorly controlled ball saw faint chances snuffed out or come to nothing. Far too many players were playing well below their capabilities and, being honest, some looked like they didn't want to be there.

The game, as a spectacle, never really took off, and it was certainly not one for the purists. Too many long and hopeful balls by both teams and very little quality ball played on the deck.

I can't help but think that a tactical misjudgement at the outset, cost the team some momentum, but tactics are not wholly to blame for this dire result and performance, a lot of players should be looking at their own individual performances. Raval will be obviously ecstatic with their three points and to some extent, their own performance, but make no mistake, this Monte team looked a shadow of what we know they can be and they should look to put this ‘bad day at the office’ behind them, as quickly as possible.

Vamos Monte.

Due to the St Joseph fiesta (Father’s Day) this weekend, there are no games.

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