What's Happened To Our Defence?

  • Thread starter Thread starter jrb
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Defense has been bad but we have absolutely no control in the midfield right now.

We are allowing ourselves to let our game be dictated to by the opposition and that didn't happen last year.

Losing Gundogan, whom for me was the best midfielder in the world last year at controlling games and basically saying to the opposition "you are playing at my pace", I think we realize now how good he was. One of our all time top 10.players ever, maybe top 5.
 
We’re third with the best goal difference and 3 points off the top. Chelsea was a game we’ve not been part of for years, a freak game but thoroughly enjoyable amongst processions. Today they had 3 chances. We slept. I’m assuming you mean our defensive play, not just the defenders. I’m not scratching my head wondering what’s happened having lost Gunders and Mahrez’s control and Kev’s control, work rate and danger, John Stones’ dominance. It’s a new cycle, it’ll take a bit of time and if you ask any fan in the PL who they think will win the league from the current standing, the majority will say us. Let’s enjoy some unpredictability and it will make it even sweeter when we win when it really counts.
 
We usually defend from the front.

Teams are beating the press by playing quick accurate passes across the back line and into midfield.

losing more 50/50 duels.

Short in midfield control leaving us easy to play through.

New players are not consistent and maybe not as good as the players they replaced.

No Kev or Stones. Especially the latter in keeping the middle tight and a big help to Rodri.

You can’t ignore last seasons achievements and the impact it seems to be having.

Pep is also going easy on the players that achieved so much. We can’t start attacking them now after what they have given us. Hopefully the down turn won’t last too long.

Expectations need to be reevaluated.

Suck it up and onto Villa we go.
 
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come-on-barney said:
Can we change the title to ‘What has happened to our midfield’ which then impacts the defence.
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We could. I thought of that. But at the end of the day the defence (and the keeper ) stop the goals being conceded. Or should do.
 
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.
 
Rodri is knackered and the club didnt bring in a good enough player to rotate with him.

Midfield also overrun as Stones is made of glass and his absence is huge.

Akanji isn't good enough for that role.

Inclusion of Alvarez means one less body in midfield.

Intensity has dropped off and some are playing like they've completed football.
 
alexmcity said:
We play with 4 forwards, that's a big part of the reason why we concede more goals. Pep's experimenting a bit, our high pressing is a bit risky.

Plus we are a bit unlucky right now that we concede from low-percentage situations.
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……and we’re not converting our chances. Should have had another 5 today
 
meltonblue said:
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.
Click to expand...
Marhez defensive work?

He used to bottle challenges time and time again. His defensive work was shite. Foden is certainly far superior in that aspect.
 
We're obviously missing Stones, not only for his play, but also because other players are having to play every game.
Under normal circumstances, Walker and Akanji wouldn't have been playing this many games so far and it looks like they're tired and need a rest.

I think we've missed Laporte and Cancelo also.
Gvardiol will, eventually, be a more than adequate replacement for Laporte, but we haven't replaced what Cancelo gave us and in both areas it's become more noticeable as the season has gone on.

We need to buy a proper left back.
 
Damien10 said:
Marhez defensive work?

He used to bottle challenges time and time again. His defensive work was shite. Foden is certainly far superior in that aspect.
Click to expand...

He really isn’t and that’s why Pep still doesn’t like to play him in the middle. It’s not about the challenges, it’s that he used to cut off the forward ball far better.
 
Lavinda Past said:
Headless chickens.

Akanji out of position in midfield, Gvardiol out of position at left back, Dias not as good as people seem to think he is. Ederson not controlling his back four, Walker not a leader.

No Stones, no quality.
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The form of Dias is a major concern no balance, control or leadship from him at all currently.
 
Doku, Fonden and Alvarez. Can't afford more than one of them alongside Haarland if you don't want total chaos with the opposition getting chances out of nothing. Grealish & Bernardo out wide was what allowed us to play with no full backs and a centre back roaming around.
 
midfield recruitment has been shocking and its costing us more. we have no control in these matches and puts a lot of pressure on the defence to bail us out, with that said i think the defence has to do far better still.

letting gundo go but bending over backwards for walker was shocking to me, not finding a good replacement even more so.
 
It's a similar story to last season. Wasteful in front of goal at times and a real lack of balance that is leading to us being carved open far too easily. We are essentially playing two centre forwards and with Bernie and the wide men pushing, it is leading to Rodri and a scrambling back line trying to stop the counter.

When we are more organised, again there's a real lack of defensive discipline.

Stones makes a monumental difference, as would having an extra more typical midfielder in the side instead of Alvarez. We should have won today but yet again absolutely woeful defending and goalkeeping.

We are in a tough run but 2pts from games at Arsenal and home to Liverpool and Spurs is poor. 3pts off top, it needs to change soo . Villa is going to be another big challenge but we have to go and win that game now.
 
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