AFC Wimbledon have big Matty Stevens problem - Johnnie Jackson simply has to find a solution | OneFootball

The Dons' form has been suffering of late - which could be down to an over-reliance on their top scorer, and now they must find a solution to succeed

While it may not be time to hit the panic button just yet, on the basis of the last few games for AFC Wimbledon, the run to try and have a shot at gaining promotion seems to be falling apart.

And while opinions may differ from fan to fan, the consensus is that top-scorer Matty Stevens has been relied upon too much this season, and now that goals have dried up, there is no one to step up to the plate and take on the mantle.

So now it comes down to Johnnie Jackson and his staff to roll up their sleeves, toss the dice and gamble before the wheels fall off the cart on what has been a strong journey for the Dons this season.

AFC Wimbledon's over-reliance on Matty Stevens

If nothing better comes from this season, the one true success for the Dons over this campaign will be getting Stevens back fit and firing in goals.

While nobody doubted the fact he could do it in League Two, there were question marks about whether crowds would see the former Forest Green Rovers striker back to his best following a rushed recovery back from an ACL injury.

But Jackson and his backroom team have managed to get the team playing in a way that means that Wimbledon have been able to get the best out of the former youth boxer. However, that is exactly where the problems start to arise.

Through all the success of getting Stevens to score goals this season for the Dons, the play-style to ensure he does it consistently enough has not really changed, and it is becoming increasingly clear that opposition sides have figured out Jackson's tactics.

The striker does possess good enough pace to spin in behind, but is not at the same level as a Josh Neufville or a Josh Kelly, and while he can jump, win headers and hold up play, he is nowhere near as effective at doing it as Omar Bugiel. Meaning all opposition defences have to do is force the Dons to play the ball to Stevens in one of those ways, and then just make sure they have a capable marker to nullify his threat.

Equally, teams have also started to double-up on Wimbledon's flying wing-backs, who were supplying Stevens with plenty of crosses to make the most of his fox-in-the-box nature, meaning the Dons are not getting the results from playing that way either, affecting ways in which they can score in games.

Now, it would be fair to think that Wimbledon should just switch up how they play their football and play in a way that suits another one of their strikers. However, that is where the over-reliance on Stevens once again rears its head.

Over the course of this campaign, including Tuesday's poor away performance at a struggling Morecambe where no goals were scored, Wimbledon's other strikers have scored a total of seven league goals this season, less than half of what Stevens has managed.

Then, looking elsewhere in the team, the next top scorers to Stevens are all at a quarter of what he has managed to notch this season, resulting in a very toothless team when Stevens is rested, or is playing a match when not at full fitness, which has been done multiple times so far this season.

For a team that are chasing promotion and certainly making a strong attempt at it, to be relying on one player who will naturally have dips in his form over the course of a season is exactly what will cause the wheels to fall off the wagon, so sooner rather than later, Jackson must find a change.

How Johnnie Jackson can save AFC Wimbledon's problem

It has to be said before going any further, that part of the problem of being too over-reliant all boils down to the fitness and injury issues that have plagued the Dons this season.

However, now that the majority of the squad is back, Wimbledon do not lack quality in many areas of the pitch, so need to start playing some slightly better football that befits the ability of the squad.

Excluding the defence, which is versatile and has a number of good ball-players within it, we can instead look at the midfield and beyond to help solve the issues up front.

Firstly, Jake Reeves and Alistair Smith, for all their brilliance this season, are way too alike in how they play and that prevents a different option of getting the ball forward. Neither are particularly good at making deep runs into the opposition defence, or find that extra yard of space to complete a killer pass.

Instead, they sit in the middle of the park and conduct play, which is by no means a bad thing to do, but when chasing a deficit or simply trying to break down the opposition, especially away from home, which is where Wimbledon struggle most. They are not able to do it, as their safe, sideways passing means that runs behind are rarely noticed and attacks break down quickly.

Therefore, Jackson needs to bring a more attack-minded midfielder back into that pairing, or revert to how he had the Dons lined up at the start of the season, with two more advanced midfielders sitting in front of Reeves or a Smith, who drops deeper to connect with the defence. The likes of Callum Maycock, Myles Hippolyte or even Marcus Browne could all fulfill this position, and would offer such a better way of getting the ball into more dangerous attacking situations.

Secondly, and perhaps more predominantly, the Dons need to play their football on the floor.

Too often now, the Dons are coming up against brick-wall defences that they stand no chance of beating in the air, such as Bromley more recently. However, in that game, when they did play football on the floor and flowed through the Bromley block, they looked dangerous and more likely to score.

So to perhaps make the most of getting Stevens and to help him get the ball in the most dangerous of settings, they need to draw teams out by keeping the ball down, making advancing and dangerous passes, and letting the football flow, instead of forcing the ball up the pitch and creating an extremely easy turnover.

Any change to style, formation or routine of play is far from likely to change overnight, but considering we now sit at the business end of the League Two season, Jackson really is getting near to a 'do or die' situation at Wimbledon, as having looked so great all throughout the season, with everything that has happened within it, to fail to achieve promotion from this point would be a colossal disappointment.