RB Leipzig (A) | Post Match Thread

[JCB001]

A delivery guy who comes into my work is the unofficial head of the RB Leipzig supporters club ,some of you on here may have seen him at the Etihad last year .Last week he did a tour of City centre pubs looking for and organising places for the 3k ,who are coming over for 2nd leg to have a booze pre game .So he aint just a red/white tinted fan and even he was saying that that we were so dominant in the 1st half that the game should have been done n dusted .He could not believe that they got away with the (non) penalty at the end ,tbf he still thinks that their goal was a legit goal but could have understood it if it had been ruled by VAR. Some/No hope of that occurring .

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

I don't think many of our players don't look for him, they just can't see him.

It's what makes Kev and Dave the players they are.

If we don't have that creativity, you find someone like Haaland by using raw pace and crossing.

I thought there was a bit of both last night. Last night in the first half particularly with Walker we made it to the byline or past last defender and when he looked up there was no run from Haaland to get in front off the defender.
He needed to go to the near post but it wasn’t happening.

There wasn’t enough of it and it evaporated completely second half.
We didn’t find him at all apart from the one pass from Jack where he left Gvardiol for dead starting behind him but scuffed the shot.

We don’t play quick enough ball without Kev. Gundogan can do it but is usually knackered after an hour and goes missing. Jack holds the ball too long as does Bernie. For all their qualities the quick forward pass generally escapes them.

My comment before the game was that without Kev, Eddie is probably the only one going to pass to Erling.

But as you keenly observe, teams have stopped pressing on Eddie. Without a high press there generally isn’t a long ball on for a lone striker.

 

[bulldogblue]

Teams seem to have worked out a strategy in that they allow possession in the first half and try to restrict our scoring opportunities ( Erling ) by stopping the supply. If it goes wrong then so be it. If not they press more in the second half and look for those quick turnovers knowing that we may have a sticky patch for about 20 minutes.
We need to change our tactics or our inconsistency will prevail.

 

[Grassland Blue]

No, it wasn't a dream mate.
I don't think any other club has been allowed to take a pen, free kick, corner or throw in AFTER the FINAL whistle has been blown.
Q.) When is the FINAL whistle not actually the FINAL whistle?
A.) When it's the scum being catered for!

 

[supercity88]

The problem is that we're not balancing being conservative and careful with taking our chances.

There were so many opportunities to play a low risk ball to put haaland 1v1 and even the neutral observers thought we could kill the tie and be 3 or 4 up at half time.

And when we don't take those chances it leaves us exposed if the opposition manager changes things drastically.

We're not taking our chances but that's on the players more than the system. Gundogan had a couple of chances to turn and play forwards but played a first time ball back to the defence when under no pressure. He's usually really positionally aware too. These are things that should improve in time, we tend to have a few games each season where the ball just doesn't go in but creating chances is the important thing.

Having said that, I'm still not convinced with this system. I don't think it works enough defensively or in attack to do what it's supposed to. Pep clearly doesn't feel De Bruyne/Bernie/Gundo/Rodri have the legs to play our usual style so this back three shape is there to protect the goal and force the opposition to go wide or slow them enough for us to get back. But Ake was exposed a couple of times due to Grealish being sucked out of position. And in attack we just look so lop-sided. Why not try Foden or Grealish central to address the lack of pace in the middle. They're far more equipped to get up and down the pitch.

We seem to be playing this strange system which is trying to support Haaland and also trying to stop us being carved open. But I don't think there's such a drastic need for an experimental team. We can play fairly safely the majority of the time and the ball in behind is not a high risk. It needs to be fairly accurate but it doesn't need to be as accurate as it did when we had Sterling running in behind because Haaland is quick enough and powerful enough to get there anyway.

Puzzling times at the moment, I just hope we find some sort of shape and rhythm soon but constant changes aren't helping.

 

[the-ecstacy-of-eight]

When do you see Erling flagged offside?

Is the answer, in the Pl when there's a chance that we have a penalty or a clear one -v- one with a keeper? ;)

 

[AliBobbyJ]

Pep thinks possession is nine-tenths of a goal! There's little pace left in the team and against a young early-twenties athlete who can race away and finish we are sitting ducks.

Vincius Jr. and the lad at Napoli are taking aim as we speak.
(And our boy Sane, too?)

 

[pavelsrnicek]

Disconcertingly damning - especially from you. But, at the risk of being "appalling", agree most of it.
Did I miss something with Walker? - I actually thought he was ok.

Walker had a really ropey 15 minutes or so, conceded an unnecessary corner which ultimately led to their goal and then gave away possession a couple of times.

The thing about Walker is he’s often very poorly positioned to receive the ball. He picks up the ball facing his own goal and he’s not comfortable turning in possession so he ends running or passing inside across or backwards.

 

[Sprayleej3]

Just as much as the killer pass, I think we are missing dribblers in midfield. One of the most effective ways to unlock teams and beat the high press is to have effective ball carriers and dribblers in the midfield areas. Last night we had centerbacks and fullbacks who aren't comfortable stepping into midfield, and our midfielders (especially Bernardo) don't make a man miss and drive forward. Cancelo was so effective in the buildup because he can make players miss and carry the ball forward at pace, like our wingers used to. Stones carries the ball into midfield and unbalances the defense because someone has to step up and stop his progression. In the absence of stones and cancelo, you just have to have phil in midfield. He's comfortable taking the ball off the centerbacks AND is a great progressive dribbler. He's a cheat code against the press. We have a younger, fitter version of KDB on the bench so i think its time he's given the reigns. You can keep the Retention of Mahrez and Grealish on the wings, but you need to have some dynamism somewhere on the field.

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

Hmmmmm. I am not so sure. Henry gives the perspective of Henry and how Henry used to play which was never in the style of a big strong centre forward.

For me, Haaland has done enough in his short but phenomenal career so far to justify we should be adapting to him and not the other way around. I don't want to turn him into Harry Kane, dropping deep and linking up play. I am more than happy for him to score 40 per season hanging around the 6 yard box.

I hear you Chippy but for me Henry is acknowledging that also. I think Henry shows why he was one of the best ever in the PL even through this punditry. The guy shows his intelligence. He not only took on board the instructions and advice from Wenger but was able to process that and incorporate that adaptively to whatever situation the team found itself in.

I don’t think either the team or Haaland himself have worked this out yet. This is a transitional year and both the team and certainly Haaland himself have a long way to go to adapt but we are still in the mix for everything despite our inconsistency.

I said in the Haaland thread that I think Pep will make quite a player out of the lad. That was before I heard Henry’s analysis but is exactly what I had in mind.

Last nights game was a perfect example. The team were not playing the quick ball into space, but Haaland himself was reluctant to make the near post run when the opportunities were there in the first half.