Match Thread Coventry City - Millwall FC Match Thread - Tuesday 20th Jan (5 Viewers)

[Gibbo]

Christ the whingeing is pretty tiresome. We can sit in all games, but I can guarantee we probably wouldn't be top if we did that.

It's nothing to do with Lampard's strategy, high blocks, low blocks. Or any of that. That is just excuses.

It's just that JDS and Kitching are emphatically not good enough defenders for a team at our level and with our pretensions. And any amount of good passing or nifty footwork does not change that. Thomas has made himself good enough this season and MVE always has his speed to bale himself out.

Only a blind partisan can not see that neither is good enough for a top of the Championship team

I used to like KItching, but how can you when he makes so many errors and lacks the speed to get himself out of trouble

 

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[Ccfcisparks]

It's nothing to do with Lampard's strategy, high blocks, low blocks. Or any of that. That is just excuses.

It's just that JDS and Kitching are emphatically not good enough defenders for a team at our level and with our pretensions. And any amount of good passing or nifty footwork does not change that. Thomas has made himself good enough this season and MVE always has his speed to bale himself out.

Only a blind partisan can not see that neither is good enough for a top of the Championship team

I used to like KItching, but how can you when he makes so many errors and lacks the speed to get himself out of trouble

With all respect that is not true

 

[mmttww]

Only a blind partisan can not see that neither is good enough for a top of the Championship team

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]

You are about the fourth person to repeat back to me the idea that we are prioritising attack over defence and to you I say: yes?

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]

You are about the fourth person to repeat back to me the idea that we are prioritising attack over defence and to you I say: yes?

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]

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?

I'd like to see it to as what he has said is mostly bollocks.

 

[coop]

Didn't it come from Rudi's terrible attempt at a dive?

Yes correct I got it wrong

 

[Nuskyblue]

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.

 

[fernandopartridge]

Only a blind partisan can not see that neither is good enough for a top of the Championship team

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]

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.

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]

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.

 

[Nuskyblue]

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.

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]

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.

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]

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?

Ben Wilson won the golden glove you know.

 

[mmttww]

Ben Wilson won the golden glove you know.

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]

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.

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]

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.

We also have a nasty habit of giving it away cheaply.

 

[shmmeee]

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.

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]

View attachment 48548

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.

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]

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.

This is what exactly Mason Clarke and Saka can do - always rated Clarke and can’t understand why Scumberland sold him

 

[Cally Fedora]

View attachment 48548

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.

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]

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.

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]

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.

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]

a twerk here and there is all we need.

 

[wingy]

I'd be happy to give him the assist too, that was a top save from Haji.

It's still 2 assists all season (and one from JDS, was it zero last year or one maybe) but that's what EMC needs to do to improve his game, Giles for example has 8, I think. Granted though he does score and his strength in the box is an asset too.

That's quite a

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.

So Emc's reluctance to take a pop is down to confidence?
Unless it's around 10metres out Max?

 

[shmmeee]

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.

You think several top level managers have made it up to protect Jay Dasilva?

I mean it’s a take.