It’s been a challenging season for Plymouth Argyle, as they currently sit in 24th place – three points adrift from safety in the Championship. Due to the Pilgrims underwhelming start to the season, Wayne Rooney was sacked just before the turn of the year, escalating to Kevin Nancekivell & Joe Edwards taking temporary charge.
Despite all the turmoil, Plymouth has a fantastic opportunity to accumulate some points on the board, as their next three league games are all at home, with two of those sides in the bottom half of the table.
The other home game against Burnley will be a monumental challenge, as the Clarets possess the best away record in the league, only conceding five goals on the road.
Oxford & QPR challenges
Plymouth’s next two home opponents are Oxford United & Queens Park Rangers, with those two games on paper, an opportunity to pick up points. However, both of these teams are enduring a positive spell of form, as according to Transfermarkt, they occupy a top seven place in the form guide, accumulating ten points from five games.
Oxford United are reaping the rewards of changing their manager, as Gary Rowett has come into the club and made an immediate impact from a results perspective. Essentially, the ex-Birmingham manager has collected one-fifth of the required points tally to stay in the division, accumulating ten points from four matches. Stereotypically, 50 points is the ideal frequency to ensure safety within the Championship, meaning Oxford is on a positive trajectory to achieve that.
Furthermore, QPR also relished a productive festive period, picking up victories against Luton Town, Preston & Watford at home, whilst drawing against Norwich in a low-quality encounter.
Although these sides boast considerably better form than Plymouth in the Championship, they won’t arrive to Home Park playing expansively, with the two sides likely to edge on the side of caution.
Cifuentes and Rowett have displayed conservative tactical structures on the road, making it difficult for opposition teams to play through them. Although that brand of football isn’t pleasing to the eye, it guaranteed a stronger likelihood of collecting results, as it aligned to the profile of players amongst the squad. For example, QPR played defensively against Norwich and accumulated a point – despite having zero efforts on target.
Plymouth’s management staff reverted to a defensive style of play against Stoke City last week, attempting to go back to basics and making the side more competitive. They earned a 0-0 draw, making it two games unbeaten – despite drawing both of those matches.
Albeit, the momentum from those games isn’t massive, it would have given the team a mental boost, and the belief they needed that they can compete at this level.
Due to their opponents likely to place a huge emphasis on defending, Plymouth will have the licence to play in an attacking style, bringing the game to the opposition – resembling the identity of the club strongly. Although the quality may be limited, the Pilgrims will attempt to create multiple chances, hoping they can gain a positive response from the crowd.
Manager search
Despite Edwards & Nancekivell doing an amicable job temporarily, Plymouth Argyle is still looking for a permanent manager to replace Wayne Rooney, with multiple intriguing candidates being linked.
The potential reunion with Steven Schumacher has been rumoured, with a selection of the fanbase wanting that connection to reunite. However, the links haven’t been concrete, despite speculation evident on social media.
One aspect of the manager search that’s almost certain, is that the process is likely to culminate before Plymouth’s next league game, meaning an announcement could occur in the very near future, as confirmed by the chairman’s statement, via Plymouth Argyle.
David Wagner is another candidate who’s been heavily linked with the job, after his conflicting tenure at Norwich City. The manager was often criticised by Norwich supporters for failing to deliver a consistent style of play, instead building a unique structure that maximised the potential of Gabriel Sara, Jonathan Rowe & Josh Sargent.
Given Plymouth’s lack of the appropriate resources to play conservatively and rely on individual brilliance, this appointment could be underwhelming—despite the potential of Ibrahim Cissoko and Morgan Whittaker.
Moreover, a wildcard candidate has emerged in the last 24 hours, with Austrian manager, Miron Muslic linked with the post, as per Sky Sports News. Music made a dramatic impact with former club Cercle Brugge, guiding them towards a fourth-place finish, in a sixteen-team league. Despite finishing in a European place last season, and experiencing a positive start in Europe during this campaign, Muslic got sacked in December, after losing to bottom of the league, Beerschot.
Whoever receives this opportunity from the Plymouth hierarchy will have a difficult job on their hands. However, it’s an exciting project nonetheless, given their ideas around transfer recruitment, and the loyalty of their fanbase.
Key players returning
One issue that Rooney had to contend with across the campaign, was injuries to key players. Morgan Whittaker, Ryan Hardie, Ibrahim Cissoko, Connor Hazard and club captain Joe Edwards were a few examples that were unavailable, making Rooney’s job incredibly difficult, as those individuals brought tremendous consistency over a weekly period.
However, numerous players have returned from injury, bolstering the depth across the squad massively. The standard of Argyle’s performances has subsequently increased, with those returning players delivering man-of-the-match cameos. For example, Hazard accumulated the highest match rating against Stoke (8.3), as per FotMob.
Ibrahim Cissoko and Morgan Whittaker being back available is huge news for the Pilgrims, as they provide fantastic dynamism and eccentricity in the attacking third – making them difficult prospects to defend for the opposition.
However, the pair will have to increase their goal contribution tallies if Argyle is going to survive this season, as they only accumulated eight goals/assists across the campaign – amplifying the pressure amongst other individuals to step up.
Conclusion
The priority for Plymouth is to address hiring a new manager, as that’ll eliminate the uncertainty internally.
The new manager must create an exciting tactical framework that excites the fanbase whilst addressing the evident defensive fragilities. Although that’s difficult to construct immediately, it’s about the fans noticing signs of progression, that this project can work sustainably in the short and long term.
It’ll be an uphill battle for Plymouth Argyle to survive, but a challenge that is definitely achievable. Considering their willingness to spend ambitiously in the January transfer window, and their upcoming fixtures being favourable, their destiny is in their own hands.