Del_Bosque
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 27 Aug 2008
- Messages
- 2,778
Anyone else think a lot of our problems come from the move to inverted wingers?
Most of our best football under Pep was based on moving the ball quickly behind the defence for Sane and Sterling to get behind the full back, Silva and De Bruyne regularly having space to find the right pass.
Opposition teams were constantly stretched as the wingers hugged the touch line, it gave far more room in the middle of the park for our midfielders to pick passes.
The chances we created were so much easier to finish, cut backs across the goal for Sane, Sterling Jesus or Aguero to tap in.
Now we seem to rely on players cutting in from out wide or crosses, when it doesn’t work we just try and force more and more through the middle overcrowding the space. Opposition defences can set up knowing they don't have to worry about us regularly trying to get to the byline.
The CM’s get pulled further up the pitch trying to break teams down, then get caught out with the counter attack leaving the defence exposed. Pep alluded to this in his post match interview, over committing and getting caught.
All seemed to start with bringing in Mahrez and side lining Sane, not that he’s not a good player but it changed our system for the worse and nudged Sane towards Bayern. Even if Sane ended up leaving the replacement should have been like for like.
We can run riot when the oppositions heads drop, but it's made us a much slower side and easier to defend against and I think caused issues further back on the pitch as well.
Most of our best football under Pep was based on moving the ball quickly behind the defence for Sane and Sterling to get behind the full back, Silva and De Bruyne regularly having space to find the right pass.
Opposition teams were constantly stretched as the wingers hugged the touch line, it gave far more room in the middle of the park for our midfielders to pick passes.
The chances we created were so much easier to finish, cut backs across the goal for Sane, Sterling Jesus or Aguero to tap in.
Now we seem to rely on players cutting in from out wide or crosses, when it doesn’t work we just try and force more and more through the middle overcrowding the space. Opposition defences can set up knowing they don't have to worry about us regularly trying to get to the byline.
The CM’s get pulled further up the pitch trying to break teams down, then get caught out with the counter attack leaving the defence exposed. Pep alluded to this in his post match interview, over committing and getting caught.
All seemed to start with bringing in Mahrez and side lining Sane, not that he’s not a good player but it changed our system for the worse and nudged Sane towards Bayern. Even if Sane ended up leaving the replacement should have been like for like.
We can run riot when the oppositions heads drop, but it's made us a much slower side and easier to defend against and I think caused issues further back on the pitch as well.