The January Transfer Admission from Charlton Boss.

The January Transfer Admission from Charlton Boss.

Following two straight losses, Michael Appleton, the manager of Charlton, has officially finished his honeymoon time. As a result, he is already planning for January by focusing on a particular region of the field.

Despite grabbing an early lead through Alfie May, the former Lincoln manager’s unbeaten streak was ended last week at the LNER Stadium as they lost 3-1. This Saturday, the suffering persisted as promotion-chasing Bolton triumphed 2-0 at the Valley. Appleton acknowledged that his club does appear a little front-heavy after giving up five goals in a single week, and he is thinking about this as January draws near.

“Before our trip to Wigan tomorrow, we need to be resolute and our first objective has to be to try and keep a clean sheet,” he stated to the club’s official media. “it’s what we did at Shrewsbury, which was nice, and it has to be our first thought.

It is important to use caution, though, as the group currently tends to lean heavily toward the front lines. We can fix that in January, but in the interim, we must make sure that we play to our strengths.

Alfie May leads the Addicks in scoring with nine goals, while Corey Taylor (four) and Miles Leaburn (3) have also been productive in the opposition box. With just two clean sheets in nine games since Appleton took over, their defense has appeared a touch less stable.

On Tuesday night, they play Wigan, who have the highest predicted xG against in the division. As a result, goals should not be an issue, particularly if the manager continues to play to the team’s strengths as he suggests.

Though Appleton’s team is vulnerable to conceding due to their defensive woes, it seems he is determined to address this during the transfer market in a few months.

Writer’s Point

Charlton has little trouble finding the net; in just nine games under Appleton’s leadership, they have scored 19 goals. This past weekend was only their second blank. They do appear thin at the back, but that’s only half the fight.

A tight three-man front line can lead to overloads that expose the Addicks, something that Lloyd Jones and Michael Hector have had trouble stopping. It’s not a major issue; a change of scenery and some adaptability from Appleton in response to the opposition’s lineup would also be helpful.

But supporters of Lincoln and Blackpool are aware that the latter rarely occurs, and Appleton’s offensive statistics this season demonstrate why staying true to his values is a wise decision. I believe that in order to undertake a promotion drive, Addicks’ supporters will have to wait until January to see if the newcomers can help them tighten up.