Zonal marking

[Azzurri]

Benitez is too dogmatic. He's took over a team who were very good last season at defending balls into the box and with tons of practice due to conceding pressure.

Why mess with it at least until you've signed your own defenders?

It’s an ego thing with managers a lot of the time I think. We’re going to win MY way not someone else’s.

 

[BigDuncTributeBand]

I’ve often wondered whether it’s the system getting unfair criticism. Plenty of teams concede loads of goals from set pieces that go man to man, and some of the best Real Madrid, Chelsea etc. teams went zonal and I assume could defend set pieces (maybe that was their weakness, not sure). Maybe a mix of both is sensible. Have your best header of the ball free to attack anything, have a first man doing that space, stick someone penalty spot ish and go big for big everywhere else.

However, I think you’ve got to have the players to do it if you’re zonal marking. Big difference between Ramos, Carvalho, Pepe etc. and our lot of absolute jokers. And maybe the top quality players saved a bad system.

In short, it’s obviously not working for us.

Was just going to post something similar re the personnel. Don’t think you can underestimate the loss of DCL to the team for defensive set pieces.

DCL normally attacks the ball in the air and clears away a lot. Also no Mina available.

Team yesterday only had Keane that can head a ball and attack it, that’s not enough. You’ve got to have those kind of players for zonal to work. Until we get DCL and Mina back to go with Keane we’ll continue to look like we might concede every time the other team has a set piece.

With such a bunch of short arses in the team not sure switching to man to man would make much of a difference either though.

 

[BigDuncTributeBand]

Benitez is too dogmatic. He's took over a team who were very good last season at defending balls into the box and with tons of practice due to conceding pressure.

Why mess with it at least until you've signed your own defenders?

He does have an air of self satisfied “I know best” smugness about him. Does for a lot of managers, too stubborn to accept their plan isn’t working and change.

 

[degsy]

Correct me if I'm wrong (don't) but isn't Z.M. just a method to stop players who are thick as 2 planks and take everything literally when told...stick with 'A N Other'...being drawn out of position? - stick to your zone son, if he goes walkabout, pass him over to your mate in the next zone.?

Whatever it is, its rubbish...and, iirc, I said Benitez would hang himself out to dry on Zonal Marking and if I did tear into him, then being an ex rs was waay down in the list of reasons.
It's marking space that's all and I've yet to see 'Space' entered as a name on the score sheet...'Beachball' has scored more than 'Space' !

 

[Ring master]

Zonal marking only gets mentioned when teams aren't very good at defending.

We are pretty bad at both, pretty much a lot of games - I can never trust our defending any game, even games we look ok in, but i have never been a fan of zonal marking ever, always man mark/watch your man were pos for me, plus have players on the post at corner's and so on

 

[billyblue80]

It's in insane it cost Martinez his job and helped do for Silva. RB needs to change it if he has a hope of being here long term.

 

[Drico]

I'm old-school: I love the man-to-man marking, myself, as it guarantees that everyone is accountable for his own man. Zonal marking is fine in a team that holds itself accountable, but do you really think the likes of Godfrey holds himself accountable when after blundering into Allan for the fourth goal yesterday he starts to berate the Brazilian?

 

[Itchycoopark]

Calvert Lewin, Doucoure and Mina are all 6ft plus. They're a huge miss at corners and free kicks, thought yesterday we looked really small apart from Keane, should just do man man marking until they are all back.

 

[Tel001]

Never, ever seen the advantage of it. Requires too much intelligence and communication for the average footballer to pull off.

my concern is that after a couple of set plays … the opposition can pick who they square up against . If digne is constantly on the back post for example … then they just put their best header of a ball, or their tallest player on him rather than Mina etc. it also give the opportunity to get a run on players . It held us back for years under Silva and cost us many points and was a massive reason why silva lost his job …

 

[Daveysgingerlovechild]

Any system is fallible, but it needs to be applied properly to get the most out of it.

As someone else has said, we're tighter under Ancelotti by and large.

A parallel, and very worrying, point is that we seem to just collapse in quick time. Villa had a few slices of luck, be helped them no end by just folding. Ditto yesterday. Could also argue similar about the city game last season, albeit I think literally everyone had given up and was mentally elsewhere (beach, new job, international tournament etc).

 

[Groucho]

Zonal marking only works when you have good enough players. We currently don’t.

 

[Terrarian]

Zonal marking only works when you have good enough players. We currently don’t.

Yep, it needs players who will attack the ball and take charge of the situation, ours just look clueless and nobody takes responsibility.

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

Zonal marking only gets mentioned when teams aren't very good at defending.

A cohesive defensive unit that knows what each and other are doing Have said many times this current back line is very poor in communication.

 

[Joey66]

In our case change it to no marking, that's the 7th dead ball goal we have conceded this season .... plus with a keeper who cannot command his area ......

 

[blulouie]

One of the very best things we got right last season.
With the very same players.
But a tactical genius says hey ho lets change it.

Genius.