I agree with you mate. With slow build up play, we can have possession deep in the opponents half, but with them set up to defend, it's almost impossible for us to score. And then when we inevitably lose the ball, we are NOT set up to defend, and we concede often. We see this happening nearly every week. This is (obviously) why we miss Rodri so much - not only did he protect our back 4 superbly, he actually found killer passes too. It's no coincidence our stats with and without him are like chalk and cheese.
What I find really frustrating is that we are so drilled in the importance of keeping the ball, when we do occasionally break at speed on our opponents, we invariably approach their penalty area, and then stop and pass it backwards. Does my head in!