EFL League Two 2023/24: Grimsby exploit Notts County’s defensive woes in 10-goal thriller – tactical analysis

We are now in the second half of the EFL season, with clubs from League Two, One, and the Championship nearing the 30-game mark for the 2023/24 campaign. As always, we’ve seen plenty of surprise packages, teams underperforming, and excelling expectations – we’ve also seen a high number of managerial changes. One club that was forced to bring in a new manager was Notts County after Luke Williams was appointed as Swansea City’s new boss earlier this month.

Williams did an extraordinary job at County, guiding the club back to the football league for the first time since 2018/19, and the club enjoyed an excellent first half of the season as they established themselves as playoff contenders. At the time of writing, the Magpies are still on the hunt for a new permanent manager, with midfielder Jim O’Brien and coaches Tom Weal and Joao Alves taking temporary charge of the first team. Despite playing National League football just last season, many EFL fans had cited County as promotion contenders this season as well – a credit to Luke Williams’ work prior to his exit. And, while the club are living up to that expectation, currently sixth in the league, their defensive record could be the one thing that holds them back – they conceded five goals in their last match away at struggling Grimsby Town.

Grimsby finished 11^th last season – a very respectable first campaign back in League Two after a spell in non-league, but find themselves unable to replicate that formula, with the club currently sitting in 20^th place. They deserve credit for their performance against County in their recent 5-5 draw, taking advantage of their opponent’s defensive woes while their own struggles at the back were also exploited.

This tactical analysis will discuss some of the key tactical elements of the 10-goal thriller between Grimsby and Notts County, with the analysis looking at why the game was so incredibly open despite the away side (Notts County) having a large share of possession. Additionally, we will look at Notts County’s defensive inconsistency this season, as this is not the first time they’ve shipped a high number of goals in a game. While this tactical analysis will feature a discussion on Grimsby’s attacking tactics in this fixture, the focus is largely on County and their defensive troubles.

Before we go ahead with this analysis, everyone at Total Football Analysis would like to express our sincere condolences to the family, loved ones, friends, and teammates of Grimsby Town academy player Cameron Walsh and his father, Dave, who both tragically passed recently.

Lineups

Despite shipping six goals in their previous league fixture in a 6-1 defeat at home to Walsall, Grimsby manager David Artell opted against changing formation and again shaped up in a 4-2-3-1, with the midfield unit showing real cohesion and fluidity in possession and high energy off the ball. He only made two personnel changes, too, with central defender Luke Waterfall being replaced by Harvey Rodgers. Central midfielder Kieran Green also lost his place; Chris Vernam was the incoming body, starting on the right flank, with Harry Clifton moving into the advanced central position.

Possession-based Notts County are currently trying to continue Luke Williams’ tactics while the search for their new manager remains ongoing, with the Magpies lining up in their expected 3-4-1-2. The wide players – Jodi Jones and Aaron Nemane, played an essential role in possession, but their attacking nature raises questions about the contributions to their defensive roles. Dan Crowley had a crucial game in the advanced central midfielder area, as we will discuss later in this tactical analysis.