Is Pep a defensive genius?

[Lancet Fluke]

The 2 chances for Spurs last night were down to individual mistakes by Mendy and Mahrez.

Virtually every chance we give away is of our own creation. Either giving the ball away outside our own box or a proper ridiculous fuck up like the one from mendy last night when he let the ball go under his foot then stood to admire his work. But the odd mistake and the odd misplaced pass is inevitable. Teams are hardly creating anything against us at all through their own great play.

 

[supercity88]

Keeping the ball means the opposition cannot have the ball or create chances to score. His whole tactical approach is to dominate possession and therefore concede very few goals. When we make mistakes with the ball it can lead to clear opportunities which is why he expects us to commit a foul to regroup. We have been much better with preventing chances this season through limiting mistakes and through Laporte being a rock.

Yesterday we were poor in possession due largely to the pitch and also through Spurs pressing with physicality high up the pitch to expose us. We got away with a few yesterday when we should have taken our chances. Shot conversion is still too low and Pep will want that to change. If it does and we keep our defensive solidarity we will be some side!

Mendy and Walker in particular were awful defensively. Walker trying to prove to Spurs he was the best player in the world and Mendy just being sloppy and lethargic.

 

[citizen_maine]

"Our defence can be got at..."

What the fuck does that mean?


JJ

My other favourite is

"On another day, a better team would have..."

 

[Thomas Hearns]

Yeah it's mentioned in the article. He's had the best defensive record in the league 8/9 seasons as a top tier manager.

So the only season he hasn’t had the best defensive record was the “Claudio season”.

Case proven, he’s a defensive genius

 

[Manchester_lalala]

Our defence can be exploited. Throw any stats you want out there but if you are playing in a possession based team then you are obviously going to concede less chances leading to less goals being conceded. We are far from bad at the back but we have seen whenever a team presses us we have mistakes in us.

You’re hard work aren’t you. Why can’t you ever be positive about City? It’s like you’re afraid of being bias. Our defence can be got at, but the stats show for the past year that our defence is the least likely to be got at in the league.

 

[Tom_mcfc]

You’re hard work aren’t you. Why can’t you ever be positive about City? It’s like you’re afraid of being bias. Our defence can be got at, but the stats show for the past year that our defence is the least likely to be got at in the league.

I have been positive, it has been good we have managed to grind games out. Not conceding at Arsenal, Liverpool or Spurs is brilliant. If you want to stick to numbers feel free, the proof is in the fact that when hurried our defenders panic. Look at the state of last night, we have walked away with a clean sheet with both our full backs having absolute nightmares. The ball bobbling before Lamella shooting or Kane taking a rare heavy touch isn't being defensively sound is it? That is luck. We will concede fewer goals as we have the ball more than the other team and unlike Bravo we have a fantastic keeper that even the rare times a team attacks us and get in we have a great last line of defence in him. We don't have to get all precious about it, long may it continue I say.

 

[Neville Kneville]

All teams who are 'good at defending' concede some chances, & occasionally it's down to shit mistakes, even in the 'best' defensive teams.

That was the case last night. We dropped some right bollocks.

The best defensive teams usually have a combination of luck & dogged determination, which covers said fuck ups. That was us last night.

We weren't that, v Celtic, Leicester etc, a couple of years ago, nor at Anfield last season, we were a bunch of clueless shithouses who helped the opponents to score, by compounding one mistake after another.

Imo, we have gradually evolved into a team which can be dogged, as well as pressing, wheras Pep's Barca were more reliant on shit or bust, in the pressing department.

It's no accident imo. Pep has learned stuff, from the Prem, as he does everywhere.

 

[Thomas Hearns]

with both our full backs having absolute nightmares

That’s just not true though is it. Defensively Walker played very well save for giving away one needless free kick. He showed a lack of quality on some of his attacking forays but we don’t pick him for that we pick him to defend well. Mendy had a very average game, gave the ball away far too often and made some careless errors but still he had the strength of character to keep trying to play the brave and difficult passes Pep demands and he made some good tackles and kept his shape well when we were under the cosh late on.

 

[TheThirdDeano]

Pep is a genius.

 

[Tom_mcfc]

That’s just not true though is it. Defensively Walker played very well save for giving away one needless free kick. He showed a lack of quality on some of his attacking forays but we don’t pick him for that we pick him to defend well. Mendy had a very average game, gave the ball away far too often and made some careless errors but still he had the strength of character to keep trying to play the brave and difficult passes Pep demands and he made some good tackles and kept his shape well when we were under the cosh late on.

Mendy is a fantastic footballer, he isn't getting credit from me for being "brave" by trying to carry on passing poorly. I like them both, they both by their own standards were awful last night.