2020/21 Carlo Ancelotti

[hktoffee]

Jesus mate when we had the four CB's we were grinding out results but the football was absolutely turgid. Digne is the best LB at the club and must play and the club must work towards implemented an identity and style of play.

Love this. We won 5 and draw 1. Now Digne is back we have to keep Godfrey, Mina and and Keane in the side week in week out.

 

[Lanolin]

The thing is, we should embrace where we are currently. An average team, who can get excellent results by being very solid. There's absolutely nothing wrong with relying on set pieces for goals either, and the odd moment magic in games, then relying on mistakes. If you are conceding 2/3/4 goals a game though, you will have no chance.

Well there is, clearly. Otherwise we wouldn't have gone 6 home games against PL opposition without winning.

 

[Jim Hopper]

We played well in attack on Wednesday

We were appalling in attack yesterday

We are enormously inconsistent more than anything. And a lot of it comes back to us not playing anywhere near our strongest team yesterday. We are not good enough to take our eye off the ball and prioritise a future match.

It’s not about the level of opposition as such it’s being unable to tactically out do the opposition when they play with a high pressing tactic and ruffle our feathers. Newcastle got aggressive and in our faces and we just couldn’t deal with it. Couple of rough challenges on James and that was him done for the game he wanted none of it. Team full of fannies and a manager who doesn’t know how to set us up or at least try to implement a style of football to deal with the high pressing game.

 

[Nymzee]

7 defeats in 22 games.

Teams we've been beaten by:

Newcastle (2)
Southampton
Leeds
West Ham
Fulham
United

Some weird arse mentality issue going on here.

 

[catcherintherye]

Well there is, clearly. Otherwise we wouldn't have gone 6 home games against PL opposition without winning.

I don't think that what we've done though. We seemed to adopt this approach for the tough run of games, then moved away from 4 cb's (and what that entails). I am a big Ancelotti fan, but I don't understand it. We are posing no more offensive threat with "attacking" fullbacks (no idea how Coleman now fits that criteria) but are just a lot more open defensively.

 

[MikeH72]

It’s not about the level of opposition as such it’s being unable to tactically out do the opposition when they play with a high pressing tactic and ruffle our feathers. Newcastle got aggressive and in our faces and we just couldn’t deal with it. Couple of rough challenges on James and that was him done for the game he wanted none of it. Team full of fannies and a manager who doesn’t know how to set us up or at least try to implement a style of football to deal with the high pressing game.

The reason pressing football is so in fashion right now is because managers have worked out that most teams and players in this league are not very good, and if you run really fast at them when they have the ball, they’ll drop their arse and make a mistake. The slow tempo half asleep football we play is an absolute dream to play against for any pressing team.

Watch the game back. Every time Gomes got the ball yesterday that Harrison Reed just sprinted at him which forced him into attempting a pass which he can’t do. Same with Holgate, they worked out that he’s garbage on the ball and activated the press as soon as he received it. We just played into their hands by continuing to give those two the ball.

 

[Little Ralphy]

I don't think that what we've done though. We seemed to adopt this approach for the tough run of games, then moved away from 4 cb's (and what that entails). I am a big Ancelotti fan, but I don't understand it. We are posing no more offensive threat with "attacking" fullbacks (no idea how Coleman now fits that criteria) but are just a lot more open defensively.

I totally agree and I've said before, I prefer the 4 centre backs solid base, and build on that.

I honestly don't think he can find a balance to put a side out to win a game with these players. We get out worked all the time.

Looking back at yesterday's shambles, I wonder if he thought that having two attacking wing backs, meant he needed to have two more mobile centre halves. He was perhaps hoping for the wingbacks to give us width and he was completely packing the midfield with players who prefer to move more central, in the hope the lack of pace wouldn't be as much of an issue.

He seems able to put together a side that's fairly difficult to beat for teams who like having possession of the ball, but he's miles away from something capable of going out and beating a team with a high work-rate off the ball.

Also what became so obvious in yesterday's game especially was just how much we rely on DCL to hold the ball up. We punt aimless balls up towards the forward in the hope he can get something on it. DCL is often able to hold the ball up himself or nod it back in the path of the midfield. Without him, we lose every single long ball and it just comes straight back. It's amateur hour.

 

[catcherintherye]

The reason pressing football is so in fashion right now is because managers have worked out that most teams and players in this league are not very good, and if you run really fast at them when they have the ball, they’ll drop their arse and make a mistake. The slow tempo half asleep football we play is an absolute dream to play against for any pressing team.

The high pressing teams seem to be the top teams. Ironically our approach to those teams does work, as it tires them out and we get counter opportunities.

Our problems come from when teams sit in, don't exert energy and wait for a mistake, which comes. When we have poor fullbacks (like Coleman) and a lack of height, we can't win the ball high or score off set peices. It's like the worst of every world.

 

[Jim Hopper]

The reason pressing football is so in fashion right now is because managers have worked out that most teams and players in this league are not very good, and if you run really fast at them when they have the ball, they’ll drop their arse and make a mistake. The slow tempo half asleep football we play is an absolute dream to play against for any pressing team.

Said it for a while. Our style of play at home is completely out dated feels like we are playing 10 years behind everyone else. Little movement off and on the ball. All stagnant slow paced backwards sideways stale crap. It’s not so bad against teams who come here and don’t care if we see more of the ball but for lesser teams who press high it’s not good enough and an alternative approach is needed and we haven’t seen any change in approach at all, it was a carbon repeat of the Newcastle game, like for like, no lessons learned, nothing.

 

[catcherintherye]

I totally agree and I've said before, I prefer the 4 centre backs solid base, and build on that.

I honestly don't think he can find a balance to put a side out to win a game with these players. We get out worked all the time.

Looking back at yesterday's shambles, I wonder if he thought that having two attacking wing backs, meant he needed to have two more mobile centre halves. He was perhaps hoping for the wingbacks to give us width and he was completely packing the midfield with players who prefer to move more central, in the hope the lack of pace wouldn't be as much of an issue.

He seems able to put together a side that's fairly difficult to beat for teams who like having possession of the ball, but he's miles away from something capable of going out and beating a team with a high work-rate off the ball.

There's a lot of good theory behind it. But the reality is the practice doesn't work.

 

[Little Ralphy]

There's a lot of good theory behind it. But the reality is the practice doesn't work.

Agreed, and yet a year in and he still hasn't figured it out.

 

[Papa Shango]

Bar man City all teams are having these results...

Good a time as any to make sure we don't get these type of results...

 

[kenada_blue]

The reason pressing football is so in fashion right now is because managers have worked out that most teams and players in this league are not very good, and if you run really fast at them when they have the ball, they’ll drop their arse and make a mistake. The slow tempo half asleep football we play is an absolute dream to play against for any pressing team.

Watch the game back. Every time Gomes got the ball yesterday that Harrison Reed just sprinted at him which forced him into attempting a pass which he can’t do. Same with Holgate, they worked out that he’s garbage on the ball and activated the press as soon as he received it. We just played into their hands by continuing to give them the ball.

Saints, Leeds, Fulham, Sheff United play that style of pressing game...look where they are in the table. Quality will always shine through.

I agree, pressing is a fundamental part of the game and we have no one that does that apart from Allan.

Last night and in previous games isn't about the press, it's about ball carriers. Again, sadly, we don't have any. Or at least any consistent ones.

 

[MikeH72]

The high pressing teams seem to be the top teams. Ironically our approach to those teams does work, as it tires them out and we get counter opportunities.

Our problems come from when teams sit in, don't exert energy and wait for a mistake, which comes. When we have poor fullbacks (like Coleman) and a lack of height, we can't win the ball high or score off set peices. It's like the worst of every world.

Not necessarily. Southampton, Villa, Fulham, Leeds and West Ham all play high pressing football.

 

[MikeH72]

Saints, Leeds, Fulham, Sheff United play that style of pressing game...look where they are in the table. Quality will always shine through.

I agree, pressing is a fundamental part of the game and we have no one that does that apart from Allan.

Last night and in previous games isn't about the press, it's about ball carriers. Again, sadly, we don't have any. Or at least any consistent ones.

And we’ve struggled badly against all of those teams. We’re coming up against two pressing sides who are actually good this week, so let’s see how that one turns out.