What's Happened To Our Defence?

[Keeper!]

Our defence has plenty of options...

 

[supercity88]

No control in midfield has lead to our defence being put under the sort of pressure they just can not cope with.

But all three Spurs goals were nothing to do with that as it happened.

• 1st - No Walker on the half way line to stop any fast break after our corner (did get back eventually).
• 2nd - Shocking pass from Foden that put Spurs on the attack, Ederson positioning not good.
• 3rd - Wishy washy defending against Spurs tallest player and Ederson transfixed.

The headline is right but the summary of the goals I see quite differently.

1st - Doku has to deal with Son and Ederson has to be saving it. Walker was in position but was with the runner who Son would have played in otherwise.

2nd - Alvarez tries to flick the ball round to Haaland rather than controlling it and passing to feet. One header and it's straight to Lo Celso and Dias allowed him too much space to get the shot away.

3rd - Walker should stop the cross coming in. He had Bernie as backup but trots over to Johnson rather than getting tight and forcing him backwards.

The whole team needs to be smarter in possession and defensively. It's a collective effort. With the soft underbelly we have at the moment we need to be taking our chances too. We're conceding far too easily, as we did last season, and like last season it's because the side isn't playing with the right balance.

 

[Manchester33]

It’s more to do with the midfield. We’ve lost Gundogan and KDB who played the majority of games last season.

We’re missing stones stepping in too.

 

[theres only one carlito]

Akanji has a mistake in him every game. Ederson needs to be saving us points by making crucial saves at crucial times. Dias is at sixes and sevens. Gvardiol struggles at left back. Rodri is overrun. We arnt finishing teams off upfront. All these little details cost us points. But we arnt losing which is a saving grace. We need to iron out some things and become difficult to play through and win second balls. We also need ederson to start making some saves that fill the back four and team with confidence.

 

[wolviedinho]

It’s very simple.

The forwards/midfield press is not quite working. Teams can then run free past the midfield and onto the defenders who will be playing a high line. Individual mistakes will then happen.

Lose that extra 5% closing down and it is noticeable. Lose 50/50 and it’s noticeable.

As a team we either need a shift in mentality or we have tired legs or both. It will resolve itself soon enough. Small margins and all that.

So until we effectively press and win the ball higher up the pitch our problems will continue.

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

We score those shots after the first goal and we win. Spurs would lose belief and fight, they dont attack as much, the defence doesnt become a problem. It really is as simple as that. We need to score more and put them to death. Its the pyshological battle we're not winning. Exactly as it was in previous years.

I also wonder how much more emboldened our opposition are becuase of the CONSTANT references to the charges. We need to use that shit like last season.

 

[eastmanc]

Gvardiol at left back, not getting the midfield balance and Doku and Foden offering a lot less than Grealish and Mahrez defensively.

We aren’t set up well enough to contain counters at the mo. That’s fine if we score more but the other issue is we aren’t taking our chances and so leaving ourselves more vulnerable as we’re not killing the game off and reverting to countering ourselves.

Mahrez?

 

[meltonblue]

Mahrez?

Yes. People are just basing his defensive performance on his inability to tackle. It wasn’t about that, it was his positioning. He was brilliant at getting back into the right place and then retaining the shape.

 

[Nour]

Start stones alongside Dias and Ake on the left and Bench Akanji that's my opinion .whenever Akanji plays that stones role it's chaos in the mid and our defence gets destroyed

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

We are missing Stones and still need a left back. We need a proper defensive midfielder to help Rodri.