Our Defence

[Champions2012!]

What defence

 

[Scaring Europe to Death]

I fear for City, every time we play a team with energy, resulting in opponents running from deep, and bypassing our high defensive line. In fact, Swansea’s equalizer wasn’t that different to their first attack.

I wouldn’t mind, but it’s virtually the same set of defenders who kept so many clean sheets in 2011-12. Of course, in those days, if City were winning with ten minutes to go, we just defended sensibly, and ran the clock down in the opposition half.

Yesterday, even in the last minute, when Yaya should have taken the ball wide, and won a free kick or throw in, he elected to wait for everybody to charge forward before promptly losing possession.

Yes, we got away with it, but for how long? we can’t keep relying on the Rags to lose.

 

[Sean85]

The way one of our centre backs always runs out to press the ball annoys me. Surely this is the holding midfielders job. It doesn't seem to matter if its on the edge of the box or the halfway line, it looks like they are told to close down but this leaves a huge gap behind when it doesn't work properly causing the other cb to run across and cover. This is probably why our left sided cb ends up on the right so often and vice versa

 

[citymad]

Delph playing as a forward yesterday in the second half .
He was more forward than anybody .
Another weird move by Pellergrini .
That midfield was too easy to bypass in the second half[/QUOTE]

Arsenal will have field day next week. We will get humiliated if Vinny and Sergio are not back for this game.

 

[cleavers]

I think at the moment we have the worst organised defence of all the PL teams it is truly awful.

I don't think they are worse than Villa ;o)

 

[Keepingthefaithsince1976]

One improvement i have noticed is some of the direct passing from the central defensive areas. Its wonderful to see. 30 yard balls played on the ground straight to an attacking players feet. Great stuff.

 

[fatbloke]

It got no better when Delph came on though. In the second half Swnasea scored, had a goal disallowed and Hart had to make two great saves. It the whole team failing to defend. De Bruyne is the worst culprit

Delph was stuck out on the left.

There's another one with Sigurdsson in the second half as well, just watch it and keep your eye on Yaya. Then look at the effect it had on Delph's decision and subsequently Mangala having to launch himself at the pass to try and intercept it.

If Yaya drops 4-5 yard back into position to cut off the angle of the ball which could have been played into the strikers feet when Fernandinho loses possession that chance doesn't happen, it's that simple because Delph drops in and Mangala doesn't need to dive in. Watch it and tell me I'm wrong.

 

[Kinkladze 1]

Zabba, clichy, sagna, Kolarov, mango, MDM and Kompany are either in decline or not good enough - scary how it's got to this without being addressed.

 

[uwe rosler 28]

To be fare our back 4 sat deep with 2 good holding players in front would have the best defensive record in the league but as we don't set up like that it's the reason we look so poor at the back!

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Delph was stuck out on the left.

There's another one with Sigurdsson in the second half as well, just watch it and keep your eye on Yaya. Then look at the effect it had on Delph's decision and subsequently Mangala having to launch himself at the pass to try and intercept it.

If Yaya drops 4-5 yard back into position to cut off the angle of the ball which could have been played into the strikers feet when Fernandinho loses possession that chance doesn't happen, it's that simple because Delph drops in and Mangala doesn't need to dive in. Watch it and tell me I'm wrong.

I'm not having a go at Delph. Just saying that at the moment we are a shambles defensively whoever is on the pitch. Toure didn't play last week and we were awful. It doesn't seem to matter who plays. It's a team thing and the team as a whole doesn't defend well enough unless Kompany is on the pitch.