Palace - Post match thread

[teddykgb]

We just don't have enough players playing one touch football. When teams press like that a teammate cones short and a small poke springs both of you. We keep getting pinned wide with too few options trying to hit long passes to feet and it really wasn't working. Couldn't get Sergio into the match at all and only slightly Nolito and Sterling. Everyone was just too slow with too many touches and starved for passing options.

 

[NorCalBlue]

Well if it does become a pattern, it will be a very pleasing development, because if there's one thing about the club that I have waited a long time for, its an improvement in our corner taking.

Wasn't there one season under Mancini when we scored about 16 goals from corners? I think we just switched to always hitting inswingers.

 

[stony]

The ref's body PGMOL hate us because we forced a few of their boys out.

Time to force a few more out then, or get that nice Mr Samuel to do a piece on the apparent "inconsistency".

 

[asahartford1]

Clearly kolorov has some strengths.
The sad thing is that unlike Zabaleta, Kolorov has not got inherent defensive values. Top defenders want to defend their goal at any cost. Kolorov has more forward thoughts as his priority.

 

[cleavers]

Wasn't there one season under Mancini when we scored about 16 goals from corners?

There was a stat like that, but from memory we rarely scored direct from the corner itself, it usually came in the follow up play. Lesser talented clubs/players use it as a tactic and can do it direct, because they target doing it, with the amount of corners we get through our play, I don't see why we can't use it better than we do.

 

[Dribble]

Sounds a tad conceited (i.e. the other lot), so I prefer to think of us still as 'a' big game, not 'the' big game. :-)
As for the rest, all very true, but I've often wondered why we seem so fragile at such places. In the modern stadia, I think we adapt quite comfortably, but in some of the old, 'hostile' grounds we always seem to look far less assured. Might just be me.

Mate, as explained to you, because of the money now available in the PL & the superior class of manager most teams possess, the days of one dominant team steam rollering most in front of them is now a thing of the past. The traditional top four has now been supplanted by a top 6 of teams who stand just a good a chance of winning the PL as the others in that group.

Guardiola has recognised this too which funnily enough is the reason I reckon he'll stay beyond his three year contract. The quality in our league has never been matched or seen before in ANY league in football history imo, & this is why we seem so fragile at some grounds. We spent the previous 3 seasons in reverse & I've always said that this season for me would always be about halting the slide, steadying the ship & turning us around which would also need a new squad to replace the old guard.

Whilst we've been in reverse, have stood still while turning around the rest have progressed & narrowed the gap. Once Pep has had a couple of seasons to do what he was bought here to do, only then will start to put clear sky blue water between us & the likes of Palace. Until then, I'm just grateful for any small mercies after what we've had to endure in our recent past.

 

[ancoats]

more so this season the media think we have pep you must win every game but its not that easy
manchester city are setting standards and the rule of thumb is look at what manchester city are doing we have a campus a youth setup 2nd to none the turn over is well over £300million each season we are top dogs. but the next level is on the field of play at european level the powers at uefa have done just about everything to stop us but we just come back stronger

we now manage each game around the champions league week and yesterday was palace away we rested players and got the result it was not easy on the eye but 3 points in the bag and move on. manchester city are getting there and we will see after christmas when to season start to kick in

 

[blueparrot]

There was a stat like that, but from memory we rarely scored direct from the corner itself, it usually came in the follow up play. Lesser talented clubs/players use it as a tactic and can do it direct, because they target doing it, with the amount of corners we get through our play, I don't see why we can't use it better than we do.

I agree to a point but we only really have the two centre backs to aim at trying to score direct from a set piece and other teams know that so we need to be a bit more imaginative like yesterdays corner maybe more low hit ones. I would imagine Barcelona have a similar problem from corners, but I dont know their stats to compare.

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

Clearly kolorov has some strengths.
The sad thing is that unlike Zabaleta, Kolorov has not got inherent defensive values. Top defenders want to defend their goal at any cost. Kolorov has more forward thoughts as his priority.

For a big, strong looking bloke, he's a fairy in most challenges. That one yesterday where he threw himself
to the floor when Zaha challenged him. It might have been a foul, but he's got to be stronger whether
he gets it or not.

 

[Abattoir Blue]

the whinging and moaning from the match thread wendys was hillarious

Every week :-)

Barca don't always play well, nor do Real or Bayern. Neither did Brazil in 1970. But what they all do/did is won many games whilst playing averagely. We are doing this too, whilst still very much being a work in progress. There are clear areas for improvement in the squad, I'm pretty sure Pep has them covered. If not he can always have a quick browse on here of course.

Also, sometimes underperformance is due to the opposition playing v.well. They are not duty bound to stand around like mannequins because you happen to want the other guys to win.

I do wonder whether some fans would rather we didn't win games like that so they can be proved 'right'.