AFC Wimbledon: FA Cup embarrassment must prompt Johnnie Jackson action | OneFootball

The Dons' exit from the FA Cup was embarrassing, and now in the fallout, an action that Jackson must make has become clear

The festive period is not letting up and being kind just yet to Johnnie Jackson, with his AFC Wimbledon side having now suffered the ignominy of exiting the FA Cup via an upset.

However, while the cup upset has certainly shown the fact the busy schedule is starting to take its toll, with energy levels somewhat lacking throughout the match, it has also shown the fact that Jackson really should start thinking about a system change.

From changing how he utilises the team's width, to strengthening the midfield, the cup upset has perhaps come at a needed time, as the challenge of competing well in the league awaits.

What Dagenham did to stop AFC Wimbledon

It has to go without saying, that the gap between the National League and League Two is certainly shortening, with Wimbledon's fellow League Two London neighbours Bromley equally having a competitive game against National League Solihull Moors.

But the fact that Dagenham and Redbridge managed to nullify the Dons to barely a sniff at a true goalscoring opportunity shows either the level of preparation they went to in order to beat Wimbledon on their home turf, or just how readable Johnnie Jackson's system is.

The area the Daggers managed to nullify most down the wings, which is the first change that is needed.

Ever since pre-season, it seems that Jackson's team has had the run of the wings against any opponent, with the newly implemented wing-backs of Josh Neufville, James Furlong and James Tilley all able to use their blistering pace or silky dribbling to ease past opponents. However, all that Dagenham did was double up their marking on the wing-backs on the night, Neufville and Furlong, and despite one or two breakaways, they kept them quiet.

There were times when the double marking of the widemen did not always work out, with space being left elsewhere that was occasionally exploited, with the goal, for example, but taking the wing-backs completely out of the game forced Jackson a huge issue, that he did not really fix all game.

Dagenham's second success, which some Wimbledon fans may argue was not entirely their doing, was the forcing of the Dons to bypass their own midfield and not keep the ball on the floor.

While playing out from the back has become a lot more of a frequent sight under Jackson this season, possibly due to a more fluid formational shape, the defensive work and pressing of the Daggers meant that anytime Wimbledon attempted to do it, they were instead forced to play it over the top, and down the line in attempt to break into an attack on the Dagenham box, and there not many meaningful ones to come from doing that.

There, again, were times when the Dons were able to keep it on the floor and moved the ball quickly to form an attack, but at the other end of that was a mighty defensive effort from the National League side to stop them.

What Johnnie Jackson must now change following the struggles against Dagenham

While every fan on X (formerly Twitter) is probably going to have a slightly differing opinion, the consensus is that Jackson and his Wimbledon team need to have something up their sleeves to ensure they aren't always as predictable.

As was even evident in the recent draw to Newport County at home too, once the opposition has got your number, there is little that can be done to get past them. Which is why the first of the changes that must be made is to do with the formation.

The Dons have looked good with the back three formation this season, with 3-5-2 being the most common choice, but a bit of variation would do no harm.

Jackson did trial a 3-4-1-2 formation with Omar Bugiel playing behind a combination of Josh Kelly and Matty Stevens up front against Newport, and that did do well, especially with maintaining a press, but once the players got tired, the team sat deeper and deeper and even saw a change to a back four in the dying moments, which did not end well.

So, while the Dons do have the ability to play that 3-4-1-2 now, perhaps with the quality of wide men and midfielders that the club currently have, there could be a trialing of a 3-4-3 when chasing a game, or 5-4-1 when defending a lead to rotate around the team and play to the strengths of the squad, and the flow of the game.

The second, and arguably more crucial, change to make is to force the team to keep the ball on the floor.

There have been so many goals scored from free-flowing football that has been kept on the ground this season by the Dons, so it is a bit perplexing that the team decide that the best course of action is to hit it long and hope that somebody runs onto it.

The Dons have such a stacked midfield with the likes of Alistair Smith, James Ball, Callum Maycock and Jake Reeves, only to not utilise their passing and visionary abilities and instead pump it long down the field. But when there are tired legs on the field and a target man that has been bruised and battered by the opposition defence, like Bugiel so often is, hitting it long is just wasting possession.

Jackson should really be teaching his squad to be calmer and more confident in possession, when in training, and if that begins to work its way into match play, then that could possibly be the beginning of Jackson's sides seeing out leads, creating a lot more presentable goalscoring chances and looking like a comfortable team against all opposition, not just those that are a little more easily beatable.

In all, something must be done in order to improve the form of the side currently, as with the Dons slowly working their way through the tough winter period, form must pick up if they are to come out the other side still as promotion contenders.