Why we struggle to break down compact defences [VIDEO]

[Jumanji]

Adam Johnson doesnt cross the ball. He dribbles and cuts in time and time again.

We need a rapid winger for either side that can just pump the ball past a full back and swing one accross the center.

E.G Valencia.

Not true. We don't lack crosses. What we lack is width because we don't have good wide players. There is a difference between width and crosses as I'm sure you know.
I'd rather we left speculative, 1 out of 15 scoring chance crosses to the fullbacks.

In my opinion, Adam Johnson is the absolutely best type of winger. The modern winger. They're simply far, far more versatile.

Why?

Wingers will provide width without even touching the ball. They'll be marked because the opposition would be foolish not to keep an eye on one.

But the wingers that like to attack players like AJ, can stretch out defences EVEN MORE than the natural width they provide by virtue of hugging the touchline.

Let me explain (assuming AJ was a great player):
There are 4 defenders in position. AJ attacks the box and beats 1 (the fullback). Suddenly he draws the central defender out of position because someone has to meet AJ and stop him. Now there are 3 defenders, and they become even MORE stretched.

-------

Him cutting inside and attacking the box is NOT problem. The problem is that he's just not very good at it and often loses the ball.

Replace AJ with a winger that is good at attacking players and I think we'll be able to further impose our class.

 

[BoundedCascade]

Fantastic analysis and spot on, we need wide players as we have all known for a while.

 

[bluenova]

It all comes down to belief?

Really, you can't make this shit up. Gary Neville, as much as he is hated, has played football at the very highest level, won it all, seen it all, etc. So to dismiss his analysis of a certain situation, whilst the best alternative you come up with is the facile "it's down to belief" or "the players must solve their own problems on the pitch" is absolutely hilarious.

I think I'd argue that 'belief' is more complex - (eg the belief of the manager affects how he tactically sets up his team, the belief of the players can be the difference between accepting defeat at 1-0 and trying for an equaliser etc) - and of course the belief of both teams comes into play.


If it's not the case, can you explain why teams almost always have better home records than away records?

 

[Anonymous]

I think I'd argue that 'belief' is more complex - (eg the belief of the manager affects how he tactically sets up his team, the belief of the players can be the difference between accepting defeat at 1-0 and trying for an equaliser etc) - and of course the belief of both teams comes into play.


If it's not the case, can you explain why teams almost always have better home records than away records?

Oh believe me, I "get" why belief is important. However Neville spoke about a very particular part of our style of play, which he is absolutely 100% correct about. It's idiotic in the extreme to use analogies about going out the back door whilst your house is burgled from the front door, or how width loses control of the midfield. The bottom line is that we have for the most part looked a one dimensional and tentative team away from home since back in November. That's not down to belief. That's down a system which isn't working being played over and over again in the vain hope that it'll somehow turn itself round. The only way it's gonna work is if we have Dani Alves at RB and his left footed equivalent at left back. Without supreme creativity from the full backs it's just as Neville says it is. As much as it pains me to say that.

 

[Tevez City]

Re: Why we struggle to break down compact defences

embarrassing really, him showing bobby where hes going wrong

Every body knows the problem except Mancini.

The team was lacking Wolrd class wingers last season but Mancini decided to spend 24 M on Nasri !

And I think Italians don't believe in wingers.

 

[given_is_ironman]

I totally agree with ol' ratface only problem is we don't have any wingers. Johnson is let's face it, turd. I don't know if we've got any decent wingers in our youth teams but in our first team we've got none. So we can't play a formation that's got a lot of width. I'm not even sure Johnson would improve our 1998 team.

 

[pauljv92]

Re: Why we struggle to break down compact defences

embarrassing really, him showing bobby where hes going wrong

Every body knows the problem except Mancini.

The team was lacking Wolrd class wingers last season but Mancini decided to spend 24 M on Nasri !

And I think Italians don't believe in wingers.

I disagree. Nasri was second choice. We didn't even really hear about Nasri until the Sanchez deal, clearly broke down. And he was trying to coerce Cerci away from Fiorentina as well but the price quoted was too high and Samir has premier league experience. After all, he played predominantly as a winger for Arsenal, just that their fullbacks attack more. Sagna has a fucking brilliant cross on him.

 

[Jumanji]

Re: Why we struggle to break down compact defences

embarrassing really, him showing bobby where hes going wrong

Every body knows the problem except Mancini.

The team was lacking Wolrd class wingers last season but Mancini decided to spend 24 M on Nasri !

And I think Italians don't believe in wingers.

I disagree. Nasri was second choice. We didn't even really hear about Nasri until the Sanchez deal, clearly broke down. And he was trying to coerce Cerci away from Fiorentina as well but the price quoted was too high and Samir has premier league experience. After all, he played predominantly as a winger for Arsenal, just that their fullbacks attack more. Sagna has a fucking brilliant cross on him.

Nasri said in his initial interview that at the beginning of the summer he told Wenger that he wanted to sign for us.

The one time I've been impressed with a Sagna cross was the one for Van Persie against Liverpool. He's not that great a crosser of the ball. Most of his crosses tend to be poor actually.

 

[pauljv92]

Re: Why we struggle to break down compact defences

Every body knows the problem except Mancini.

The team was lacking Wolrd class wingers last season but Mancini decided to spend 24 M on Nasri !

And I think Italians don't believe in wingers.

I disagree. Nasri was second choice. We didn't even really hear about Nasri until the Sanchez deal, clearly broke down. And he was trying to coerce Cerci away from Fiorentina as well but the price quoted was too high and Samir has premier league experience. After all, he played predominantly as a winger for Arsenal, just that their fullbacks attack more. Sagna has a fucking brilliant cross on him.

Nasri said in his initial interview that at the beginning of the summer he told Wenger that he wanted to sign for us.

The one time I've been impressed with a Sagna cross was the one for Van Persie against Liverpool. He's not that great a crosser of the ball. Most of his crosses tend to be poor actually.

Might it be that he wanted to sign for us because he would get a better pay packet but we were looking for a better quality winger i.e. sanchez?

Sagna has a good cross on him mate, I was surprise at the quality of a number of his crosses since his return. Haven't watched him closely before, so I didn't really know he was a pretty good crosser of the ball.

 

[bluenova]

Oh believe me, I "get" why belief is important. However Neville spoke about a very particular part of our style of play, which he is absolutely 100% correct about. It's idiotic in the extreme to use analogies about going out the back door whilst your house is burgled from the front door, or how width loses control of the midfield. The bottom line is that we have for the most part looked a one dimensional and tentative team away from home since back in November. That's not down to belief. That's down a system which isn't working being played over and over again in the vain hope that it'll somehow turn itself round. The only way it's gonna work is if we have Dani Alves at RB and his left footed equivalent at left back. Without supreme creativity from the full backs it's just as Neville says it is. As much as it pains me to say that.

I can see the point Neville is making, and my first post was about Clichy's stats, which suggest he has a lot of the ball without as much end product as Micah on the right.

What confuses me is that it would appear to be simple to fix. We have quite a few players who seem intelligent, and tactically disciplined - surely Nasri can be told to hug the touchline and pull players wide. Whilst there are players who are better suited to certain positions, really good players should revel in any space that's being created by the home teams tactics. If a full back has so much space he doesn't even need to be that creative. Neville picked examples where Clichy was effectively being ignored. If he has space in front of him he should be attacking the box and playing simple cut backs, but I suspect he's not getting quite as much space all the time as the video suggests.