To be fair yes you do. I think it's dangerous to think just because we have conceded a few less goals recently that it's getting better. Our marking at set pieces is still shocking at times for example.
Agree the summer would be the time to change it but my concern is that Martinez doesn't see it as a concern. He has gone on record saying he is not concerned about conceding which I find baffling. Surely anyone would strive to be the best they can be and making some simple changes could help a great deal. Not sure if it's because he's a mate or if he really thinks that it will all come good in the end. It's a hell of a gamble hoping it's going to come good in the end with the way the game changes so quickly nowadays.
In regards to this mate I basically think RM was trying to say 'just keeping clean sheets doesn't guarantee wins' - or that's what he should have said anyway, IMO.
It's obviously a blatant lie anyway as since the Stoke game we've generally looked to defend deeper, though granted we can still be a bit cavalier at times (which is what makes us so good going forward).
He's right in that we shouldn't go into a game soley thinking about keeping a clean sheer.
I think it's a bit too early to say we have turned the corner defensively. It's barely a month since we shipped 8 goals in 3 games.
If you're referring to Chelsea-Swansea-City mate then I thought we'd agreed to leave the cups out of it?
City away was a game where they (the £500mil home side) needed to get 3 to go through. They got a goal from a deflection (fine it happens - sometimes for sometimes against) and then we held firm and looked fine for 50 minutes.
Yes they were bombarding us, but no more than we were doing to WBA last time out in the league.
The game changed on a ref decision and then we collapsed. A one-off game on a one-off occasion.
Chelsea we were again cost by a mad two minutes, but did superbly to recover and then get the late goal, which had all things been correct would have been the winner.
Now I'm trying to avoid if's and buts but I don't think it's fair to blame RM for two massive calls totally out of his control which changed the outcome of both games.
We may not have fully turned a corner, no, but how anybody can't see the improvements is beyond me? And again, a lot of the goals we concede are still down to player errors rather than tactics (McCarthy and Rom not tracking Rondon, Jagielka and Howard messing up for Costa's goal etc.) so once more why does the buck stop with Martinez and not the players?
Yes we still concede too much space at times, but we generally look so much more solid now than we did a month or two back.
hahaha
