Another Bolton Wanderers crisis incoming? The Steven Schumacher decisions turning fans | OneFootball

Steven Schumacher is creating his own problems through too much tinkering at Bolton Wanderers.

Bolton Wanderers are in danger of once again slipping into mid-table mediocrity in League One, and perhaps the biggest issue for the Whites is being created by the manager, Steven Schumacher.

Bolton have started the season well in terms of their performance level, and they have shown what their potential could be with a 4-1 demolition of local rivals Wigan Athletic last month up there with being the performance of the season from any team in the division so far.

They have an abundance of attacking talent that consists of the likes of Amario Cozier-Duberry and Marcus Forss, in particular, who have shown a level that is seemingly just too high for League One.

A brace for Mason Burstow against Peterborough United at the start of October took him to the top of the scoring charts in the third-tier, with internationals splashed through the squad and underlying data that has Bolton marked out as one of the primary title favourites with the vast majority of the bookmakers.

It should therefore be the case that having a manager that won the League One title in the 2022/23 campaign with over 100 points only enhances Bolton’s promotion prospects; but there is a good argument to suggest his tinkering and overthinking is causing issues.

Steven Schumacher guilty of changing when he doesn’t need to at Bolton

For the opening month or so of the campaign, Bolton were putting in performances befitting that of a title challenger, without quite getting the results that they deserved.

After multiple weeks of making slight tweaks here and there, Schumacher opted to shift from a 4-2-3-1 to something more resembling a 4-4-1-1 with Forss brought in to play in the so-called ‘number ten’ position ahead of Joel Randall and John McAtee.

On his full league debut, Forss notched a brace as Bolton ran riot in that 4-1 hammering of Wigan, with a statement performance suggesting Schumacher had found his eleven.

A core had developed, and the ideas were evident, but it was time for players to make their own statement and ensure that the shirt was theirs to keep, and the likes of Forss, Thierry Gale and Ethan Erhahon had surely done that.

However, a week later, Schumacher opted to bring the excellent Erhahon out of the side for Wales international Josh Sheehan and Bolton faltered to a 2-0 loss to Northampton Town with a lack of dynamism and aggression in possession, falling into similar traps from last year.

Having edged past Peterborough United with Erhahon back in the eleven, both he and Gale had to miss the recent trip to Burton Albion due to injury – no fault of Schumacher’s.

However, rather than keep things ticking along and trust Forss alongside Burstow, Schumacher opted to try and play Burton at their own long ball and direct game with Sam Dalby brought in to partner Burstow.

That led to Burstow, one of the stories of the season in League One so far, having to adjust his own game to accommodate a similar profile of striker in a flat 4-4-2 that saw two high-flying wingers and two immobile defensive midfielders in Aaron Morley and Xavier Simons.

The outcome was almost inevitable from when the baffling team sheet when in and the odd selection decisions were made, with Wanderers succumbing to a humiliating 3-0 loss at the Pirelli Stadium.

Bolton cannot afford to be a case of ‘what if’ for much longer

Steven Schumacher’s next two matches see Bolton head to the John Smith’s Stadium to face Huddersfield Town before the Trotters take on Cardiff City at the Cardiff City Stadium.

His overall dismal record since being appointed in January has led to a lot of supporters already calling for his head, despite the fact performance have suggested Wanderers can be serious in terms of title ambitions this season.

Bolton have managed just four victories in 12 matches so far this season, with an inefficiency in attack and a lack of effectiveness at the back severely undermining their goals.

The issue of defence has not been fixed from last year, with other areas of the squad prioritised over the summer and, bizarrely, other areas of the pitch now the focus of his relentlessly unnecessary tinkering – despite leakiness costing them.

If you always concede, then you need to be clinical in the final third and, despite the chances they create and some of the talent that they have, Bolton are, again, repeating old habits of profligacy.

Bolton have a strong squad and their performance level had been consistently good throughout the campaign, and the rest of League One should hardly be a daunting prospect based on the opening couple of months of the season.

A case of being caught between being overly positive in his style but then needlessly cautious in his selection has created self-imposed problems for Schumacher, and they must be fixed extremely quickly.