Solid start, but squad frailties highlighted

There are some things in life that are nigh on guaranteed, and Charlton limping out of the League Cup to a Division Four team is certainly one of them. The defeat sadly came as no surprise to seasoned Addicks, particularly given the weakened nature of our starting eleven.

However, unless you were one of the 323 foolhardy souls who made the trip, there is little to get overly despondent about. There is no disputing that a win would have done wonders for our fragile confidence, but the League Cup is well down on our priority list this season. With half our first team ruled out by injury, the risks of completely decimating our squad at such an early stage were too great. League games come every few days over the next six weeks, and we need all our resources to be able to give us a platform.

Saturday’s opener against Wycombe offered some cautious optimism for the season ahead, before a frantic final period equally highlighted the frailties that dogged us last season. In some instances, the parallels to the tail end of last season of an efficient, effective midfield sandwiched by a goal-shy strikeforce and an uncohesive defence susceptible to pace, were unnervingly uncanny. Fortunately on this occasion, lower quality opposition were unable to fully unwind our earlier dominance.

Hopefully the tense finale was largely a result of the knocks three-quarters of our backline suffered, but the lack of a confident, reliable goalscorer is likely to be an ongoing element that will negatively infringe on our season unless addressed before the end of the transfer window.

It is a fair assumption that Wycombe Wanderers are unlikely to be challenging for the title this season. Whether Charlton will is still very much to be seen, but the opening two games have shown that weaknesses still require urgent attention.  Phil Parkinson’s next moves in the transfer market will certainly be his most important.

This weekend’s trip to Hartlepool is likely to prove a far sterner test than the too-respectful opposition Wycombe provided. Controlled, tempo-dictating football at a sun-kissed Valley is enjoyable to watch, but unrealistic to expect on our travels. The ability to react to more abrasive elements, both on the football and weather front, have been a noticeable Achilles heel in recent times, and are instances where we have to show not just the right physical approach, but mentally as well.  Its yet to be seen whether we have those qualities.

AFKA’s articles can also be found on the Evening Standard website http://londonfootball.standard.co.uk/charlton/

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Published:
8.13.09 / 12pm
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