Back-to-back defeats have firmly ended the honeymoon period for Charlton boss Michael Appleton, and as a result, he is already looking towards January with a specific area of the pitch in mind.
The former Lincoln boss saw his unbeaten run come to an end last week against his former employers, going down 3-1 at the LNER Stadium despite taking an early lead through Alfie May. The misery continued this weekend as promotion hopefuls Bolton registered a 2-0 win at the Valley. With five goals conceded in a week, Appleton admitted that his team does look a little front-heavy, something on his mind as January approaches.
“First and foremost, we need to be resolute, and our first target has to be to try and keep a clean sheet,” he told the club’s official media ahead of their trip to Wigan tomorrow. “We did that on the road at Shrewsbury, which was pleasing, and that has to be our initial mindset.
“But you’ve got to be careful because the reality is that the group, as it stands at the minute, sort of weighs heavy towards the frontline. That’s something that we can address in January, but until then, we’ve got to make sure that we work to our strengths.”
The Addicks’ leading scorer is Alfie May, with nine goals, but Miles Leaburn (3) and Corey Taylor (4) have both been active in the opposition box. At the back, they’ve looked a little less solid, having kept just two clean sheets in nine matches since Appleton took charge.
They face a Wigan side on Tuesday night with the highest expected xG against in the division, meaning goals should not be a problem, especially if the manager keeps working to the team’s strengths, as he alludes to.
However, the struggles at the back do mean Appleton’s side are susceptible to conceding, something it appears he is set on remedying during the transfer window in a couple of months’ time.
Writer’s View
Charlton don’t have a problem scoring goals – this weekend was only their second blank under Appleton, a period which has seen them rattle in 19 goals from just nine games. That’s half the battle, but they do look thin at the back.
Lloyd Jones and Michael Hector have struggled to deal with pacey forwards, and teams that play a tight three up front can cause overloads, which leave the Addicks exposed. It isn’t a fundamental problem – a new face or two will help, and if Appleton shows a little flexibility depending on the opposition lineup, that could help as well.
However, Lincoln and Blackpool fans know the latter doesn’t usually happen – and Appleton’s attacking numbers this season underline why sticking to his principles works. It does me Addicks’ supporters may have to wait for January to see if the new arrivals can help them tighten up, something they need to do to mount a promotion push.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief at The Real EFL, Gary is a passionate Lincoln City fan with extensive content creation across the Championship and EFL. He also shares expert football betting tips.
