West Ham (H) | PL | Post-Match Thread

[East Level 2]

Yep, everyone behind the ball AND kick fuck out of us

That's been done before.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

What's annoying me about our play at the moment is Dias. How many times last night, and the match before, did he stop moving and stand on the ball looking for a pass? That is what slows everything down. He doesn't have the ability to ping 70yard balls left and right or make a cutting through ball. So annoying...

I'm absolutely certain he's been told to do it. He can move forward fast if he wants, and he can ping forty and fifty yard passes right to the foot of his target player, and has done it many times before.
The problem is more that West Ham weren't biting. That's when you've got to change your tactics — and that's on Pep as well as the team. I'm not sure how much leeway the back four have to change a tactic in game if it's been set up by the boss in the first place. But it sure as hell wasn't working for the first forty-five minutes.
What's bothering me more about Días specifically is that normally the timing of his tackles is spot on. In the last two games it's been slightly off. In the box, that can mean a penalty.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Has KDB put on Haaland coat by mistake ?





Oh one more thing.........

Haha, very good allusion!

 

[bluenova]

I know that and have said the reason it doesn't work is because he cannot hit those gaps

During the Arsenal match he was getting dog's abuse from the crowd around me, because he hit a few wayward passes.

But there's a great article in The Athletic, where Michael Cox suggests it was key to City's win. Arsenal decided to let him have the ball, because he's probably City's least technical player, but this meant he had freedom to move everyone up the pitch, and compress their front players, so that simple passes bypassed 4-6 Arsenal players.

Sure - when everything was cut off, he didn't succeed with as many longer balls as perhaps Laporte or Stones would, but the analysis showed that he started many of our most dangerous moves in the match.

It's essentially Pep using what other teams perceived as a weakness, and turning it into a strength.

 

[M12Blue]

First half was a bit flat and drab, but some how we know that 9 times out of 10 the second half is always better, it’s like sometimes we need 45 minutes to suss out the weak points of the opposition, I guess that’s what all the back room staff are doing, it’s getting quite uncanny

I dont think sussing out weak points, just opposition teams unable, generally, to maintain energy and concentration levels.

 

[M12Blue]

What's annoying me about our play at the moment is Dias. How many times last night, and the match before, did he stop moving and stand on the ball looking for a pass? That is what slows everything down. He doesn't have the ability to ping 70yard balls left and right or make a cutting through ball. So annoying...

Completely agree, however I suddenly became less bothered once we scored. Park bus and no space is difficult, but hard to be patient as fans when we want that first goal.

 

[Ducado]

I dont think sussing out weak points, just opposition teams unable, generally, to maintain energy and concentration levels.

There is that, even though the fist half was a bit drab, we did apply a lot of pressure, we seem to wear opponents down

 

[dadnlad]

The goal was always coming but it just needed that breakthrough.

I thought we played well first half, a bit slow at times, and Mahrez didn’t attack at all he just either wasn’t in the game or just passed backwards. But we still played well and hit the post twice.

After the breakthrough we relaxed a bit and West Ham’s heads dropped.

Other than Mahrez in the first half, everyone played quite well. Aké was the man with the breakthrough though.

Foden looked proper lively when he came on. Hopefully he’s well/fit enough to start soon. I’d love to see an attack of Grealish Álvarez Haaland and Foden on the pitch together at some point.

mahrez was isolated with Alvares playing more central than Kev would play, the triangle was missing till jonny stones moved forward a bit move but left us vunrable to hoof n run
grelish had ake and bernard working the triangles

 

[dadnlad]

I love the way Rodri and Stones play together, their movement is wonderful, the way they cover one another so that one can go forward whilst the other drops back. It starts as Stones at Centre Back venturing into midfield pushing Rodri further forward, but then Rodri will drop back and Stones push forward. They take up such intelligent space always complementing one another - and everyone else works from them and the team just purrs along.

wait till bingo see us playing false centre backs

 

[The perfect fumble]

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And let's not forget....