What will work against us?

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Haven't read the thread so sorry if I'm repeating others points.

Howe got it right today and had done his research. They didn't come pressing our defenders because when you do you open up the middle of the park to get the ball to our playmakers. They also left our widest men alone and concentrated all their defensive bodies in the number 10/back of their midfield areas. These two tactics were designed to stop us doing what we have been doing, and pulling teams al over the park and opening the pitch up.

It's one of the reasons why today was so impressive, because we took them to pieces anyway,regularly from those very wide areas that Howe deemed to be our least dangerous.

Get used to that kind of performance against us: everyone will be doing that from now on.

I thought that too. He was tactically ok today. We were just too good.

Good to see you back posting!

 

[bluegonads]

Tiredness is not affecting us yet. Can we keep this intensity up week after week through Winter and beyond? That is the ask

yes, thats a question i have been asking myself.
i have noticed Pep leaves players on the pitch longer than you would normally expect.
Silva playing 90 minutes, Aguero (even after taking some nasty knocks, and at one point the other night looked like he needed bringing off as a precaution)
90 minutes for a lot of players that have run their socks off when there were adequate replacements on the bench and the game/s already won.
i was surprised yesterday at 4-0 up in the latter stages that Kompany didn't get at least a 20 minute run-out, give Ottamende, Kolorov, or even Fernandinho a little rest, get a few minutes game-time into vinny when the game is safe.
in what situation would you think Vinny might have been introduced yesterday?
look at the mileage our players are putting into these first 8 games, i'm sure sometimes it would be prudent to try to be a little more economical with the hard-running players, especially when we have able replacements on the bench who might need a run-out, and the game is looking pretty much won.
saving legs will pay dividends later in the season, running players into the ground will be detrimental....that much i'm sure.

still, enjoying the ride so far, long may it continue.

 

[Sir peace frog]

I think the media is our worst enemy.

If you read carefully, all the sudden praises they are bestowing now are dishonest and toxic.

They want to delude us and fall prey to outselves. But people lie to themselves so I cant blame them.

To be honest, people hate us now even more than the rags. Because Pep and city oozes class and make them look petit.

no they don't,not even close.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

I reckon high pressing/swift counter attacking teams will cause us problems, got away with a few instances of poor defending and over committing better sides might punish us with. spurs AWAY will be a good test IMO.

Swift counters with at least two to three oppo players might cause the biggest problems. Yesterday the Bournemouth counter didn't have the manpower. The guy who gave Otters a bit of a chasing in the first half didn't get any support.

 

[gkmcfc]

Barca and Bayern managed quite well....he will have a plan...

yes, thats a question i have been asking myself.
i have noticed Pep leaves players on the pitch longer than you would normally expect.
Silva playing 90 minutes, Aguero (even after taking some nasty knocks, and at one point the other night looked like he needed bringing off as a precaution)
90 minutes for a lot of players that have run their socks off when there were adequate replacements on the bench and the game/s already won.
i was surprised yesterday at 4-0 up in the latter stages that Kompany didn't get at least a 20 minute run-out, give Ottamende, Kolorov, or even Fernandinho a little rest, get a few minutes game-time into vinny when the game is safe.
in what situation would you think Vinny might have been introduced yesterday?
look at the mileage our players are putting into these first 8 games, i'm sure sometimes it would be prudent to try to be a little more economical with the hard-running players, especially when we have able replacements on the bench who might need a run-out, and the game is looking pretty much won.
saving legs will pay dividends later in the season, running players into the ground will be detrimental....that much i'm sure.

still, enjoying the ride so far, long may it continue.

Don't think Vinnie coming on was ever on the cards. He never once came out to warm up.

 

[Citizen in Pakistan]

A 451 in defense with relatively high line n fast pressing changing into 4 3 3 in counter attack might work

 

[Bayblue]

This is a great question - -and one that I've been thinking about for a while.

I think as we get further on in the season teams will wise up to our play - it has to start by denying us any opportunity to play out from the back. In all this week's 3 games we have been able to control the play from the keeper out - with the exception being part of last Saturdays game where they did an ok job.

Having done this then teams will look to nick a goal. This will either be by getting a diagonal ball behind our CBs or via pumping high balls into the box.

Over a season you'd expect this approach to pay off a handful of times.

However - at the same time as teams are wising up to us will will no doubt keep improving. One area I think we will be practising time and again is the break from defence to attack. We've been good at this so far but even then I'm sure Pep will be practising this incessantly so we go from being good to brilliant. Once we do this then I honestly can't see too many teams even being able to nick a win as we will be too good over 90 minutes.

Of the domestic teams we face I'm intrigued to see how we do against Liverpool (pressing), Leicester (ability on break) and Chelsea (miserable bastards).

In reality our progress is already such that the two Madrid teams, Bayern and Barca have now become the benchmark against which we should judge ourselves.

 

[BlueAnorak]

Well pushing 6 players up to press our defence seems to have the best chance of working. When we get the ball up field to a City player they are in two minds as to whether they should keep possession or go for the killer pass and generally lose possession as a result. Every team we have played against has eventually gone for this tactic in the second half of games and it has generally been successful in stemming the flow. It will be interesting to see what happens when a team trys this from the off. Liverpool will certainly try this.

 

[Cityfan]

I haven't seen a lot of the other premier league teams this season but based on last season both Klopp's Liverpool and Spurs operate an effective high press and have been doing it for a while so are well practiced. Liverpool have the added advantage of being able to keep players rested midweek because of no European football and will not have to rotate much so the key players will be used to playing with each other and fresh. I think we have more quality but they may have the advantage of more practice with the team.
Although it is fashionable to blame all last seasons woes on the manager a major contributor was injuries, a bad run could work against us again, we look a little light in back up in Central midfield where Yaya lacks intensity and neither Delph nor Fernando are best at taking the ball in a tight situation which could easily be exploited by the teams that press well.

 

[Cityfan]

i was surprised yesterday at 4-0 up in the latter stages that Kompany didn't get at least a 20 minute run-out, give Ottamende, Kolorov, or even Fernandinho a little rest, get a few minutes game-time into vinny when the game is safe.

Stones replaced Ottamendi and De Bruyne and Gundogan were both replaced. I think Pep was giving some of our high intensity players a rest, particularly Gundogan who is just back from injury and De Bruyne who was flagging at the end last week.