Well I think you know my opinions on the way we set up over the last couple of years and the demands that puts on the defenders. Just my opinion but when we were doing better with the pressing high up the pitch early this season it seemed to me that we were winning the ball back quickly (and regularly) or at the very least that pressing was seriously hindering opposition counter attacks. At that point there was nothing like the same demands on the defenders. Now that we aren't pressing as effectively up the pitch we are right back to the same demands on the defenders as we had last season so no surprise to see the likes of Otamendi and Kolarov floundering again. I have no doubt that we will buy new defenders and if they are better players they will cope with any demands put on them better but the real solution IMO is to get the pressing sorted again so that our defenders aren't facing those one on ones with the same regularity. Otamendi may be able to deal with being exposed very occasionally and make good decisions but the more it happens the greater the stress and the more he's going to dive in and fuck things up. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe we are still pressing high up with the same intensity but personally I just don't see it and I don't think it is a coincidence that our defending is unravelling in correlation with that.
Most of the media I have noticed seem to have the same view as myself. We were the better team for an hour failed to take our chances then our suspect defence was "torn apart" and then in anger borne out of frustration we imploded at the end. Not sure Willy would have saved those shots but you would fancy that Joe might have got to one or two. Can't really blame the keeper for crap defending in front of him. With all the excitement after the break it has largely been over looked that schoolboy errors in the first half at the back almost gifted them 2 goals that would have undid all our hard work to get our noses in front.Still fucking livid.
By far the better team yet still the media lauding Chelsea as 'dominant' and 'City torn apart'. Simply not true.
What is true though, is that Bravo is in no way good enough, Willy has shown to be a better keeper in the games he's played; and Kolorov is getting worse every game after starting the season so well.
Settled starting 11, settled formation. Easy
For who - the opposition?
Our strength isn't defending, it's attacking. Which is probably why we play such a high line and our defenders are in the centre circle most games. If they were to drop 20 yards deeper the midfield would have to do the same and before you know it we'll be a Mourinho team and not a Pep one.
Also, it's important that over the medium/long term the squad of players understand what it is that's required of them. If Pep simply gives up his own philosophy to make things easier for certain player when will the players learn how to play his way?
The very least Pep can do with substandard players is play to our strengths which he simply isn't doing- the main one playing a settled formation week in week out, if he couldn't sign the players he wanted then surely that just makes the case stronger to play a system that suits the players we have, we have no pace at the back everyone on here agrees with that, don't have Otimendi and Kolorov/Stones occupying the centre circle when we have possession in the opponents penalty box-we have conceded goals to championship style football-hump it over our defenders heads, or pass it down the byline only to watch Otimendi sliding around on his arse or Kolorov trying to run backwards chasing Willian.
So yes Pep has to shoulder some of the blame-hes not exempt from criticism just because of his past glory.
At what stage do we see if Maffeo and Angelino are good enough?
Just because missing chances is also a problem (and I concede that it is probably the biggest problem) it doesn't mean that the press isn't a problem. For me the whole thing defensively depends on us pressing effectively high up the pitch. Missing chances or taking chances, if we press effectively we will be a much better team. If we don't sort the press, we will buy a whole new defence and I am convinced that people on here will be saying we need a new load of defenders a year later. As always, it's only my opinion and I don't profess to be an expert on tactics like some on here, I just say what I see as it were.The press wasn't the problem against Chelsea nor against Everton nor against Southampton - maybe against Boro a little bit. Ultimately you can try and dress it up however you want to fit whatever narrative you want, but we miss too many chances to be a top team right now. Defending is second to that, and will remain second to that while Pep is in charge.
Exactly the reason why it's madness for people to be judging him already, he hasn't even finished the foundation yet and some are expecting the roof to be on already?Our strength isn't defending, it's attacking. Which is probably why we play such a high line and our defenders are in the centre circle most games. If they were to drop 20 yards deeper the midfield would have to do the same and before you know it we'll be a Mourinho team and not a Pep one.
Also, it's important that over the medium/long term the squad of players understand what it is that's required of them. If Pep simply gives up his own philosophy to make things easier for certain player when will the players learn how to play his way?