Ccfcisparks
Well-Known Member
With all respect that is not true
Match Thread Coventry City - Millwall FC Match Thread - Tuesday 20th Jan (7 Viewers)
- Thread starter Nick
- Start date
mmttww
Well-Known Member
Both of them have been almost ever presents in the team that's top of the Championship so can you show your working on this one?
Mucca Mad Boys
Well-Known Member
No, the point is actually our defence isn’t that bad in the first instance and that you over fixating on what other teams defences are doing is irrelevant because we’re the top scorers in this league by a massive margin.
Oxford and Pompey actually have top half defensive records so using them as an example was misleading.
Shannerz
Well-Known Member
I think the point is that this is the manager's general preference, and not a reflection on the quality of our defensive players.
This squad is capable of playing defensively.
David O'Day
Well-Known Member
I'd like to see it to as what he has said is mostly bollocks.
Yes correct I got it wrong
Nuskyblue
Well-Known Member
I think our defence is generally fine individually, it's the openness in the middle of the park and our lack of pressure on the ball in certain situations that has been causing us problems.
For a large portion of the game (the middle 60 odd minutes where we looked particularly shit) on Tuesday our "midfield" consisted of only Josh Eccles.
Keep playing like that and we will get carved to bits.
For a large portion of the game (the middle 60 odd minutes where we looked particularly shit) on Tuesday our "midfield" consisted of only Josh Eccles.
Keep playing like that and we will get carved to bits.
fernandopartridge
Well-Known Member
Yet somehow we are top of the league and actually went five games without conceding earlier this season. And in the league 6 of the goals we've conceded have come in the games JDS missed or wasn't on the pitch. He has only missed 3 matches and 74 minutes. It's quite evident that both are good enough and that's why the team is top of the league with an exceptional goal difference.
Mucca Mad Boys
Well-Known Member
It’s clearly tactical and like any system, there’s trade offs. We can’t lockdown the defence without compromising the chance creation.
We really should have scored 2 more goals than we actually did against Millwall and arguably Leicester too.
We’ve conceded 5 goals v Ipswich and 3 v Birmingham in December. People are letting one bad month alter their entire perception of the defensive unit as a whole.
COVKIDSNEVERQUIT
Well-Known Member
Watch ITV highlights this morning I couldn't believe my eyes they actually watered the pitch before the game, do they not check the weather forecast, because I could have told them it would have pissed down all through the game.
And I watched the Under 18s play the night before, pissing down with rain again all through the game, the pitch is fucked.
And I watched the Under 18s play the night before, pissing down with rain again all through the game, the pitch is fucked.
Nuskyblue
Well-Known Member
I get all that butI think we're probably good enough to create dangerous situations without leaving ourselves wide open. We lack the pace and physicality to pull it of.
Mucca Mad Boys
Well-Known Member
Do we lack though? We're top of the league. If we get promoted, we'll definitely need more physicality because that's what the step up in quality demands. We've played the same way all season albeit minor tweaks here and there.
When we lose the ball in those situations, we give up lots of space out wide and our defensive players all retreat to narrow shape to protect the box. Fans don't really like that but the 'meta' in football atm is to pack the central areas. A goal like Millwall's on Tuesday was a high level cross and finish, defensive systems can't stop individual brilliance 100% of the time.
All the talk about how 'open we were' in the last two games is fixating on the perceived negatives. Overall, both performances were high quality and we deserved to win both games.
shmmeee
Well-Known Member
Ben Wilson won the golden glove you know.
mmttww
Well-Known Member
if Ben Wilson won the Golden Glove but doesn't remind us all about it by wearing actual golden gloves to future Legends Days, did it even happen?
Brighton Sky Blue
Well-Known Member
Just letting Femi Azeez cut inside at will seemed suicidal to me but you’re right about these trends which catch on whether they make intuitive sense or not.
Shannerz
Well-Known Member
We also have a nasty habit of giving it away cheaply.
shmmeee
Well-Known Member
Apparently crosses are pretty low % chances so the old “stop the cross” instruction is less important than blocking off space in the area.
However our entire attacking game plan is “get crosses in” make it make sense.
Brighton Sky Blue
Well-Known Member
It's just players like Azeez, Jack Clarke etc their whole MO is to cut inside and shoot or cross, and they're rather good at it. So quite why you'd want to just let them have at it, I'm not sure.
Traditional wingers getting out wide and whipping crosses in is a bit different but again, you are just inviting players to run in the box unopposed. Like a lot of these 'meta' tactics, I think the further down from world class/the less superior to the opposition you are the less you should be playing around with them.
Mcbean
Well-Known Member
This is what exactly Mason Clarke and Saka can do - always rated Clarke and can’t understand why Scumberland sold him
Cally Fedora
Well-Known Member
Personally I think the don’t stop crosses narrative is just disguising the fact that our full backs can’t and won’t defend. But if we’re being honest our forwards are good enough to compensate so we’ll take it.
Nuskyblue
Well-Known Member
Letting him cut inside was not a major concern, players wandering unmarked into the box unmarked in very dangerous positions more so...
Since December we seem to have been found out a bit, no harm in tinkering to readdress the balance IMO
Nuskyblue
Well-Known Member
I think this goes back last the last two games tbh, possibly back to December. I think fatigue may be a part of it possibly, we seem less busy off the ball and slow to get back when possession is lost. You really need to run hard in a system like this (or foul before the attack begins).
And I'm not saying throw the baby out with the bathwater, a twerk here and there is all we need. BTA coming back in for Rudi may actually improve our defence and attack, I can see him staying more central than Rudi, also he works like a bastard!
Shannerz
Well-Known Member
That's quite a
So Emc's reluctance to take a pop is down to confidence?
Unless it's around 10metres out Max?
shmmeee
Well-Known Member
You think several top level managers have made it up to protect Jay Dasilva?
I mean it’s a take.
Cally Fedora
Well-Known Member
No, I mean the fans have made it up as a thing.
shmmeee
Well-Known Member
What asking defenders to defend narrow?
Cally Fedora
Well-Known Member
It’s not defending narrow. Usually it’s ineffectually hanging a leg as cross after cross is put in. You are determined to have the CH’s as the issue. They’re not. They’re exposed on a regular basis.
shmmeee
Well-Known Member
What are you on about?