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| Emmanuel Dieseruvwe grabbed a brace at Boreham Wood. |
Three straight wins have offered encouragement at Spotland, with fringe players seizing their chance and Jim McNulty’s favoured 3-4-2-1 beginning to show both its rewards and its risks.
Through the first week of the campaign, Rochdale’s
early form has been steady, if not always sparkling, and instructive in how Jim
McNulty’s methods are bedding in. Three wins in succession – at Boreham Wood (2-0),
at home to Burnley’s under-21s in the National League Cup (2-1), and then against
Altrincham (2-1) – have not only provided momentum but also framed the story of a
team learning to impose itself in McNulty’s favoured 3-4-2-1.
At Boreham Wood, the first half was laboured: too many
balls went long, bypassing the width and technical quality offered by Tobi Adebayo-Rowling and Joe Pritchard. The home side sensed their chance down the
channels, stretching Dale’s back three, but rarely troubled debutant keeper Oliver
Whatmuff. The improvement after the break was tangible. Possession was used
with greater variety, attacking play became more purposeful, and the
introduction of substitutes, most notably Tarryn Allarakhia, injected an energy
that tipped the contest. With Emmanuel Dieseruvwe leading the line and showing
he is an instinctive finisher, there was a focal point to build around – a
theme that caused consternation last season.
That next outing, against Burnley U21, underlined the
secondary benefits of this National League Cup competition. Scheduled on a
free-admission weekday afternoon, it doubled as a community exercise, offering
children and families a taste of Spotland on their summer break. On the pitch,
the first half meandered in stifling heat, punctuated only by the odd scare
from Rochdale’s attempts to play out from the back. Yet the second half brought
greater clarity: Ian Henderson poaching typically, Levi Amantchi powering home
a superb David Tutonda delivery, and a defence that, while guilty of lapses,
did enough to see out a 2-1 win. Depth, rotation, minutes in legs – all
achieved without disrupting rhythm.
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| Levi Amantchi led the line and found the net against Burnley U21. |
Altrincham’s visit was sterner, offering a clearer
picture of both strengths and vulnerabilities in McNulty’s scheme. The visitors
identified Rochdale’s left flank as fertile ground, and duly scored from there.
For long spells, midfield once again looked too homogenous, too short on
contrast, though as the match progressed Harvey Gilmour and Ryan East found a
foothold. The emphasis on forcing corners was telling: this is a team acutely
aware of its set-piece threat. More encouraging still was the impact of the
substitutes, with Tutonda impressing again and Pritchard hinting he may emerge
as Rochdale’s new Jimmy Keohane – versatile, committed, effective wherever
deployed. A later Altrincham surge was repelled by grit, positioning and
Whatmuff’s safe hands.
On the limited evidence so far, what has shone through
is the desire of players who had slipped towards the fringes to seize their
chance when handed it. Each has displayed a grit and determination that speaks
to the collective buy-in McNulty has demanded, ensuring competition for places
feels fierce and genuine.
Threaded through these performances is the 3-4-2-1
that McNulty insists upon. The shape isn’t mere pragmatism; it reflects an
ambition to dominate, to compress and then break through the lines with two No. 10s drifting in search of spaces. It has produced moments of slick incision,
especially when the wingbacks recover and drive into open grass. But it is also a
structure of fine margins. As Altrincham showed, a single positional error or
wingback caught high can expose the back three. And, as at Boreham Wood in the
first half, there are times when the lone striker risks isolation if his
support is suffocated.
The midfield puzzle remains the most pressing issue.
Depth there has yet to translate into true balance – too often the duo clogs
rather than complements, especially when pressed or forced wide. Smart
opponents will continue to probe those fault lines. But when it clicks, as it
did in the second half at Boreham Wood and in the key spells against
Altrincham, the benefits are clear: fluidity, unpredictability and a spine that
is difficult to dislodge.
McNulty himself frames it plainly. “People would think that I’m obsessed with controlling a game and they’d be right,” he admitted in pre-season. "I want to take control of a game and dominate − that’s ultimately what I want.” The first week of this season suggests Rochdale are still learning the nuances of how to deliver that dominance for 90 minutes rather than in bursts. The promise is evident, though, and with three wins already banked, the foundations for something more sustained feel sturdier than they have in years.
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| Tarryn Allarakhia gave the Altrincham defence a torrid time. |
Photos courtesy of The Voice of Spotland/Daniel Youngs/Rochdale AFC
