Yep, i think Laporte makes Dias second guess him all game & his game suffers for it.IMO this is a problem with the CB partnership. Laporte is slow and easily turned, we’ve seen that for a couple of years now, and the more Dias plays with him the more he seems to be trying to nip things in the bud like Otamendi used to.
Stones is much faster and more comfortable covering back and mopping up if that ball in behind is played, which is why he and Dias fit so well together as a pair.
Im only suggesting these tactics against Spurs, I reckon we’d win both fixtures 1 nil.Most teams we play would happily settle for a 0-0 game though
Totally agree and he’s not the only one.Possibly mate, although I do think he is being hung out to dry in the false nine.
We’re up there this season though for most set piece goals, yesterday was shit I agree.Chelsea caused them all sorts of problems with set pieces too though nearly every goal they scored against them was a set piece. Our set piece deliveries yesterday were absolutely shocking.
The plan would involve not just the paper, board or iPad it's on, but some semblance of a plan that had a measure of practical deliverance. We were caught four times with our shorts by our ankles, and got stuffed on three of 'em! That's not much of a plan - I think Baldrick was doing the half time team talk! Being caught once in such circumstances yer can say hey ho, eez football, but three fuckin' times, and lastly on the last fuckin' minute is just crass and ramshackle.
Remember yesterday Romero got booked yesterday for holding onto Dias (before the corner was taken). What did we do then...Play it fucking short!! Why not put it in the box seen as the ref had eyes on Romero and could of got a penalty for Romero still not letting Dias go.We’re up there this season though for most set piece goals, yesterday was shit I agree.
Agree with all you said.Yeah, I don't mean it as a swipe at him. He's been one of our most consistent players this season, and if win silverware, which I think we will do, he will have played a major role.
It's such a complicated position in this team, so much goes through him that if he does have a bad day and/or the team isolate his passes he's going to struggle. That isn't his fault per se, though I do think yesterday was a mixture of both. But every team that has got at us this season has done so by targeting him.
Totally agree and he’s not the only one.
Always a tough game but recent results have been good.The place will be an absolute bear pit on Saturday night. Tough game.
Yes, and what is making it worse is that Dias is now doing the same thing, getting easily turned on the halfway line and making wrong offside decisions. Dias has been booked twice in our last 4/5 games early doors for getting too close to the attacker on the halfway line, getting beaten easily and having to foul their player.IMO this is a problem with the CB partnership. Laporte is slow and easily turned, we’ve seen that for a couple of years now, and the more Dias plays with him the more he seems to be trying to nip things in the bud like Otamendi used to.
Stones is much faster and more comfortable covering back and mopping up if that ball in behind is played, which is why he and Dias fit so well together as a pair.
The place will be an absolute bear pit on Saturday night. Tough game.
We even did it in the Sporting game.no planning or tactics can compensate for a professional footballer passing the ball to an opposing player . we did that all day long .
MASSIVEInfuriating to lose that game. A lifeline getting the penalty and then giving a goal away is just horrendous.
Doesn't help that defensively we played the worst we've ever played under Pep. Nobody played well and Rodri couldn't make simple passes.
Next two games suddenly very big.
Ha ha, bet you will be finding those all over the show for weeks now!As it happens, i got up to make tea soon as the final whistle went.
I can tell you now that pulling a large, open, bag of frozen peas out of the freezer upside down can soon take your mind off a shit result..
Indeed. The result and performance were disappointing but in terms of levels of disappointment getting back to 2-2 and faffing it up in injury time tops the lot.Yeah! It was a game that after five minutes I didn't think we'd win, but getting back to 2-2 on 92mins we should have copied exactly the tactics Spurs adopted throughout the game - five at the back, timewasting, feigning injury, et al, and we end up with a point. Every time Spurs got into our half it was invariably 2 or 3 versus 2 and we defended like headless chickens. Do that, and I suppose that's what you deserve. Fuck all!