COMMENT: Being pragmatic is fine but Curle must strike the right balance if Cobblers are to survive

It was a crushing way for Cobblers' valiant resistance to be broken but for anyone who watched this game unfold, very few, if any, would begrudge Crewe Alexandra their well-deserved victory at Gresty Road on Saturday.

Ricky Holmes' third-minute opener promised much but quickly became a distant memory as Owen Dale and Ryan Wintle, right at the very last, completed a second-half turnaround. Not even Joe Martin's highly-debatable red card could excuse Town's latest and most drastic attempt to take pragmatic, possession-free football to the absolute extreme.

If previous performances had mitigating factors, this one did not. It was a step too far, a game in which Keith Curle and his players got the balance all wrong. There are many ways to skin a cat in football and many ways to be successful but whatever approach you take, striking the right balance between defence and attack will always hold the key.

It was almost as if Holmes' early goal actually worked against Town on Saturday because they sat too deep too early and allowed Crewe to settle into the game and find their passing groove. For a short period after the goal, the home side looked rattled and fragile and that was the moment to seize the initiative. The visitors instead let it drift and paid the price.

This is not to say they should go out all guns blazing but there is that aforementioned balance to strike and recently Curle and his team are not finding it. When you defend for 87 minutes - even if you defend extremely well - all it takes is one deflected cross, one mistake, a scruffy finish or a moment of brilliance to completely undo all your good work and leave you empty-handed.

And when you cease to exist as an attacking force like Town did - they did not take a single shot after the 28th-minute - you are a sitting duck. It's hard to suddenly go from a defensive mindset to an attacking one. Martin's red card clearly did not help matters but that was no excuse for their total lack of threat in the opposition's half in the previous 67 minutes.

The performance and win at Burton last month should be seen as the template to follow. The Cobblers finished that game with a modest 36 per cent of the ball but it was by no means a defensive rearguard, at least not before the final 20 or so minutes when Burton applied late pressure.

Town weren't pushed too deep at the Pirelli Stadium and always carried an attacking threat during the game, exemplified by two second-half goals which took the sting out of Burton's play and made for a comfortable and deserved 3-1 victory.

Since then, they have gradually become more and more negative, dropping deeper almost with every game, going from 36 per cent possession at Burton to 29 against Rochdale, 27 against Fleetwood and just 25 at Crewe. It is possible to be in control of a game without having loads of the ball but not if you completely surrender the initiative and sacrifice any attacking threat, as Cobblers did at Gresty Road.

It is a myth that you need to dominate possession to play well and win football matches. Many teams have had success doing the opposite. Ultimately what counts is how you use the ball when you have it.

MK Dons, Fleetwood and Crewe all had lots of the ball in recent games against Northampton but whilst two of those teams painted some pretty pictures, they were toothless and created barely anything of note. The other, by contrast, played with purpose and tempo and dragged defenders around with clever, quick movement.

Had it been four or five at Crewe, Town couldn't have complained. Pragmatism is perfectly acceptable and sometimes necessary but they simply cannot afford to be so passive and reactive or relegation will come at them fast.

One area the Cobblers can hurt opposition teams is at set-pieces, something Curle prides himself on. Only in the build-up to Saturday's game did he speak about how he and his players work diligently on getting them right.

That is a perfectly fair approach and it can be very productive when done correctly but there's no point being good at set-pieces if you don't win any. Town did not have a single corner - supposedly Crewe's biggest weakness - throughout Saturday's game.

Northampton remain two points outside the bottom four but it is now very tight following wins for Shrewsbury and Wigan. A big game at Oxford awaits on Tuesday before a tough run over the festive period. The pressure will only intensify if results continue to go awry and the style remains negative.

The lure of a new manager with different and fresh ideas will become an enticing one but a sudden change in philosophy cannot be achieved overnight. It would take time, several transfer windows and a lot of patience, not to mention a likely return to League Two, before it succeeded. Maybe the opportunity for that debate will come in 2021, regardless of how this season ends, but as Town battle for their survival, now is not the time.

Ultimately, as Curle knows all too well, it is about results. No successful manager has ever been sacked for his style of play and no failing manager has ever kept his job because he plays attractive football. Pragmatic or expansive, dogged defending or sparkling attacking, if Curle keeps Cobblers up this season, he will be vindicated.

The problem for Curle is that crucial balance between style and results. Fans are likely to be more sympathetic and offer a little more leeway if the football is progressive and positive, even in defeat. But if negative football is coupled with negative results, any goodwill will quickly disappear. A crucial festive period awaits.