Conceding Early - any answers?

S S

shemnel

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21 Dec 2013
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I think everyone has noticed by now that we like to give the opposition a sporting chance by gracefully allowing them an early lead in the Prem. We are, in fact, clear league leaders in goals conceded from 0 - 15 mins and 0 - 10 mins:

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So what's going on? Sluggish starts that are the fault of the players? or some failed tactic to try and implement control by dictating the pace from slow to fast as the game wears on?

be damned if i know. Interestingly, City are one of the stingier teams in giving away goals from 70 mins onwards, meaning we are getting something right at one end of the 90, probably cos we're hogging the ball, which may indicate there is a tactic to start slow and increase pace.....

Also, look at Arsenal's early goals conceded (0) and yet they are below us in the league.
 
I don't know the answer, but part of it maybe, the opponents know that we like to control possession and they know they have to press in packs which for teams that aren't pressing teams like Spurs and Liverpool, they come out high energy but can't keep it up beyond 15 / 20 minutes.
Rodgers Liverpool were all high energy but if you could keep them out for 20 minutes usually faded. Perhaps when we have players in defence and pivot more comfortable on the ball we will move it quicker through the press and we will avoid getting caught less.
 
It would be interesting to see a breakdown of which matches those goals were scored in, instinctively I would think most of them probably weren't in the first couple of months of the season. At the start of the season it was fantastic how strongly we were starting games, really coming out of the traps and getting games won, allowing us to ease off in the last 20 minutes (which is just as well as a lot of the time we looked pretty knackered by then). It is noticeable how in the last couple of months we start games with no tempo in possession, movement off the ball is poor and we are not really pressing like we should when out of possession. We often step it up in the second half to be fair but it is still incredibly frustrating. I have absolutely no idea why it is happening, could Pep possibly be telling them to go out and stroll the start of matches or are the players choosing to do so then coming out with a better attitude after a half-time bollocking? I'd love to know because it is absolutely baffling how often it is happening.
 
Could be the way opponents play against us. i.e. really up for it early on. Up their game, and then by the end they can't keep the same pace.

Leicester started really strong, and if the game had gone on 5 more minutes we would have levelled.

Perhaps it's also an absence of leaders like Kompany and hart. They were the ones who'd get the team up. We don't have a srong vocal captain now. At least I am not aware of that
 
What's not explained here is that we have the joint highest number of goals scored in this period, along with Arsenal and Burnley. Perhaps we're to keen to get on the front foot? Also in common with Arsenal, we do score a lot at the back end of games (13 from minute 76).
There is also a general perception that we cannot defend but, according to the league table, only 2 teams have conceded less goals than City. We have had more shots than Chelsea and conceded less shots than they have which suggests that there is not a huge amount between the teams.
 
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