Ronald Koeman discussion

[rochdaleblue]

They're not. Nor do we play the football that is being made out, take our goal V Palace, it was measured, we took our time working it around the edge of the box (if you believed the tripe wrote on here we'd of just launched it into the box) the ball made its way to Holgate whose low driven cross wasn't too far from Lukaku, Then Davies picked the ball up and drove forward before finding our right back in the box who scored the goal.

Which English team plays beautiful football and wins stuff? I'm not saying their isn't one, just interested on the general consensus, for me it'd probably be Arsenal that are the benchmark, they haven't won the league playing that way for over a decade.

Look at Chelsea, they are the benchmark. They do have some exceptional players in their team, but are also adaptable on how they play. They can play short, intricate passing or go longer and more direct to Costa. In other words, they can grind out wins, 'winning ugly' as they say and have a solid foundation at the back. We too have a powerful forward, but nowhere near the creativity and pace in behind they have. This time next year I'm hopeful with the right signings 'we can mix up our style of football' but above all else have a consistent winning team.

 

[when i score we riot]

Look at Chelsea, they are the benchmark. They do have some exceptional players in their team, but are also adaptable on how they play. They can play short, intricate passing or go longer and more direct to Costa. In other words, they can grind out wins, 'winning ugly' as they say and have a solid foundation at the back. We too have a powerful forward, but nowhere near the creativity and pace in behind they have. This time next year I'm hopeful with the right signings 'we can mix up our style of football' but above all else have a consistent winning team.

Chelsea are a great case study. Here you have a team which in no way lack quality, or versatility or strength in depth. Their problems stemmed from team spirit, which was completely shot. Leicester were the total antithesis, a team winning entirely on team spirit.

Now, stability is back at chelsea, but they also have the joy of bringing about the big paradigm shift, the flavour of the month. Everyone saw what Conte was all about at the euros - of course, the passion and spirit are key, but he is IMO responsible for the tactical paradigm shift as well.

It's not only that he has brought tactical coherence and adaptablity to chelsea, he has done The Thing That Couldn't Be Done: He made them play like italians. In the Premier League! Blasphemy of the highest order! Not only did he do that, he made them play it so well that everyone else has started to emulate it - our Ronald included, to be frank.

As i wrote in my last post it's definetly not down to tactics alone, but this shift has brilliantly demonstrated what is important about the managers' job, and also what brilliant tactics one can create from the 3-4-3/3-5-2 as a starting point.

 

[when i score we riot]

Also, for some reason the way a team defends when changing a 3 at the back over to a 5 at the back in a heartbeat is so much more satisfying to watch than a dreary park-the-bus-esque 4-5-1. Which, by the way, was the big fad last time Chelsea won the league and Drogba was still around.

 

[Baines' left foot]

Joint 4th best defence in the league this season. That's a brilliant turnaround from last year.

 

[MikeH72]

Arsenal won things when Wenger still had the George Graham defence playing. Dixon, Adams, Bould and Winterburn. I know he added Keown to that but since that defence has gone they haven't won much

None of those defenders played in the invincibles side. Even Keown only played about 5 games.

 

[Tony Hibbert's 3rd leg]

Joint 4th best defence in the league this season. That's a brilliant turnaround from last year.

That legit? Very impressive. Probably higher than that if it weren't for the Chelsea game

 

[DerbyshireAndHarper]

That legit? Very impressive. Probably higher than that if it weren't for the Chelsea game

Least league goals conceded this season thus far:

1 Chelsea 15
2 Spurs 16
3 Man Utd 21
4 Everton & Arsenal 23

 

[Baines' left foot]

That legit? Very impressive. Probably higher than that if it weren't for the Chelsea game

Least league goals conceded this season thus far:

1 Chelsea 15
2 Spurs 16
3 Man Utd 21
4 Everton & Arsenal 23

Impressive indeed, especially considering how little money we've spent on defence in comparison to some of the top teams and the short time he's had here.

 

[1/4/2017 We Will Win]

Any fans of other clubs reading this thread lately would think we are an odd bunch.

 

[Saint Domingo]

Any fans of other clubs reading this thread lately would think we are an odd bunch.

Any fans of other clubs bothering to read this thread must be an odd bunch.

 

[ianefc]

Arsenal won things when Wenger still had the George Graham defence playing. Dixon, Adams, Bould and Winterburn. I know he added Keown to that but since that defence has gone they haven't won much

Sounds familiar.

 

[bcblue1878]

Man Utd under Ferguson generally played good attacking football. Good football is also about good defending. In my opinion it's a balance between the two. Barcelona under Pep generally had a great balance, Arsenal just don't defend particularly well. If they did they'd have won the league. This was my big problem with Martinez paid absolutely no attention to good defending.

And it took him five + years to sort it out - and he had nothing like the mess to sort out that Koeman has! Some (one) on here calling Koeman out for not having it sorted in five months, absolutely ridiculous!

 

[Han]

Also, whilst I agree on Ferguson and the standard of UTD's football, he had 6 years to get things going at UTD, I realise no one would get that in the modern game, but the criticism of Koeman after 6 months of undeniable progress is embarrassing. Really embarrassing.

Sadly, this is football today. Expectations are so high that I doubt we will see another story like Ferguson's. By today standard he already get sacked in 2nd or 3rd season.

 

[4737carlin]

Least league goals conceded this season thus far:

1 Chelsea 15
2 Spurs 16
3 Man Utd 21
4 Everton & Arsenal 23

Considering we did 5 in one game, and had Stek in goal earlier in the season, that is some stat

 

[ianefc]

Seems Koeman has got his timing with the kids spot on, Klopp forcing the issue and playing them before they're ready has cost them. Another feather in the cap.

Football is incredible at the moment, even when we're not playing it's great.