Mike Williamson took charge of his first Carlisle United game at the weekend against Swindon Town and came away with a 2-0 victory. There were a lot of positives but also some of the same old mistakes arising for the Cumbrians.
What needs fixing at Brunton Park?
The first thing that the new Carlisle manager should address is defensive errors. There were still a couple of errors at the back on Saturday but they have been a regular occurrence so far this season for the Cumbrians especially away from home.
The second issue that needs putting right by the new manager and his coaching staff is defensive solidity. We saw this against Swindon at the weekend, fewer mistakes at the back, keeping the ball well in defence and midfield and if Carlisle can stop leaking goals at the back they will become very tough to beat.
Another problem on Williamson’s agenda will be the quality in midfield. Carlisle has been lacking a real playmaker and someone with the ability to get on that ball and pick the right passes at the right time. Callum Guy and Ethan Robson coming back from injury will help this issue no end.
Mike Williamson seemed to address this at the weekend after two days in charge so this looks like it’s a top priority but it’s another issue that needs to be fixed in the long term and that’s set pieces. In Carlisle’s promotion campaign in 22/23, they were top of the league for goals from set pieces but they lost that threat last season in League One and even early this season there has been a real lack of threat from set pieces from Carlisle. This however improved drastically against Swindon with both goals coming from set pieces, this was a true sign of immediate progress under the new regime.
Lastly, another issue that needs fixing is the service to the strikers. Last season and early on this season Carlisle have not been able to provide much service at all for their strikers. Carlisle have big target men in Charlie Wyke and Luke Armstrong playing up front who are both proven goal scorers at this level and Carlisle need to play to their strengths. Again there were signs this has been addressed with Armstrong getting his goal on Saturday and alot more balls in to the box for both strikers to attack.
When will these be fixed?
With any new manager, things will take time and could potentially get worse before it gets better but even after one game, there were a lot of positive signs to see Carlisle getting back to basics. The basics are keeping it tight at the back, keeping the ball well in parts and taking their chances. That all may sound very simplistic but they are all parts of the game the Cumbrians have been struggling with for the best part of 12 months.
Who’s up next for Mike Williamson’s side?
Carlisle United host Grimsby Town on Saturday in what will be the new manager’s first home game in charge. Williamson will want to build on the positives from the 2-0 victory at Swindon in his first game.
This game will be intriguing to see what else has been worked on with the team once Williamson has had a full week of training sessions with the team.