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If Ebbsfleet fans wanted proof their team is evolving under boss Dennis Kutrieb, they got an emphatic answer on the opening day of the new season.
Ebbsfleet produced a devastating half-hour to blow Tonbridge away on Saturday, scoring four goals in 28 minutes on their way to an impressive 5-1 win.
It was not just the scoreline that stood out. Fleet’s football was as good as anything they’ve produced in recent seasons at Stonebridge Road and a marked step up from the first campaign under Kutrieb.
There was too much passing for the sake of it last season, and too many risks on the edge of their own penalty area. It’s been replaced by a more progressive plan, sometimes direct, sometimes short, but seemingly always controlled.
“That’s what we need,” explained Kutrieb. “We need different dimensions during a season.
“Since it’s early days at the moment, an opponent may not be really prepared for you. But in a few weeks, everyone will know what we want to do and how we approach it.
“They will get more used to it and try to beat us on everything else. So, we need to be flexible and do it in different ways.
“Even against Tonbridge we tried to have some different approaches, sometimes we tried to go long in behind straight away, sometimes we played short.
“If I’m honest we struggled a bit second half but I can understand that as it is the first game and we were 4-0 up at half-time. I know how footballers are thinking but my wish is that we keep going for 90 minutes and don’t stop for 15 or 20 minutes. We gifted them a goal but that can happen when you switch off a little bit.
“If I have to criticise something, that will be it. If we’d scored another goal early in the second half, I don’t know how the game would have ended but perhaps it’s a good thing long-term. If I said there was nothing negative then it might be a problem because I can’t stand here and say we’re good enough and we can beat everyone.
“That’s not the case, it’s only one game. We need to show that we’re able to do it not just once but on a weekly basis.”
It’s quite a high bar that Fleet have set themselves.
Kutrieb, however, doesn’t see it as a one-off. This is the blueprint that he wants. He saw it at the end of last season in a behind closed doors friendly with Aldershot, but this was the first time his team have had the chance to repeat it in a league game.
“I was pleased that we won the game in such a style,” added the Fleet boss.
“The fans when they were here last time it was not nice to watch Ebbsfleet, they were struggling at the wrong end of the table in the National League. They’ve come back after such a long time and we got a great win so that’s what I love most.
“They were desperate to come back to the ground and see Ebbsfleet in another shape and style, see us hungry and humble, we kept going and didn’t stop playing football. We tried to knock on the door during the 90 minutes and never stop, and I think that’s one of the things that was most pleasing.
“I said to the boys in pre-season, they set the standards when we played here post-season against Aldershot. It was very similar to the first 30 minutes, it was high tempo and confidence. That’s the most important thing. It’s not only pace, it’s not only passing, it’s confidence.
“But as I’ve said before it’s a long season and you don’t know how we’ll react if we go one-nil down, how we’ll react when we get a red card or the referee makes a bad decision. All that kind of stuff in football."
Ebbsfleet's scheduled trip to Chippenham this Saturday has been postponed due to a Covid outbreak in the hosts' camp.
