As I sit here watching Swansea score a comfortable 2nd goal I feel compelled to get some things off my chest. Barring a minor miracle, this will be another poor away performance and probably the worst performance I have seen so far from us after a great start to the season
Here are the problems as I see them
1. Decision making. I don't care what formation you play, at this level you have to make the right decision with the ball. We don't, particularly in the final third. This means that away from home in particular we end up giving the ball away far too often. This has cost us goals and we won't dominate possession in any game without it
2. Best 11. Nigel doesn't know his best team. Nugent or Vardy? Cambiasso or Drinkwater? James or Hammond. Changing the line up weekly won't help the players gel
3. Kasper. I've stuck up for this guy long enough. He's not premiership quality, he's been awful this season
4. Full backs. Really when you weigh up the amount of times DeLaet and Konch give the ball away against the times they do something with it, I'm not sure there's a net gain. For every surging run from DeLaet there's a loss of the ball to deal with. For every assist, there's a moment where he gets caught ball watching, appeals for offside and we lose a goal.
5. Nugent. Works hard, no quality drop him
6. Mahrez, how many times does this guy give the ball away, seriously!???
7. Tactics. Now is not the time to be playing with formations. Get something that works and stick with it. Ulloa needs support, preferably in a partnership with Vardy
It looks like a long season and at the moment it's looking like we don't have the quality needed. No point in signing Cambiasso and Man Utds hottest propery if you're not going to use them.
I still have faith in Nigel but am hacked off with what's happened since Man Utd
Garbage
posted on 26/10/14
Most of the comments on this have covered the vast majority of my thoughts on the game. one thing it's missing though is how good they were yesterday Swansea were technically fantastic so fluid and their passing was superb. Granted we partly let them play well but they were a class above us yesterday
posted on 26/10/14
Nev for the second goal RDL just stops. It's clear as daylight. He loses his man which leaves Moore on his own against two in the box.
Moore was also at fault for playing bony onside but it's ridiculous to absolve RDL of blame.
In my earlier post there was no comparison between RDL and Neville/Cole. I was using them as examples to disprove your argument that it's perfectly acceptable for the modern day full back to lose the ball regularly while attacking.
posted on 26/10/14
BS i'm not going to do battle with you but could you tell me when i have said it perfectaply exceptable for any full back to lose the ball regularly.
I have not absolved RDL of anything he made a mistake but he wasn't the last man.
As for goals against from crosses where the full back is beaten, thats where most goals in most games come from does that mean all full backs should be dropped when they concede a goal from a cross?
posted on 26/10/14
"BS i'm not going to do battle with you but could you tell me when i have said it perfectaply exceptable for any full back to lose the ball regularly."
comment by Nevsaysagoal2city (U5194)
posted 3 hours, 27 minutes ago
He gives the ball away in the opposition half.Well thats the risk of overlapiing full back and everyone knows that
This is the comment I'm referring to Nev. I'm not sure everyone accepts that it's expected the overlapping FB may lose the ball in the opposition half. Granted sometimes it happens but you make it sound like it's the done thing. It isn't when you have a quality FB. Kieren Trippier for Burnley doesn't do it!
I don't know what your goals from crosses comment is all about, I don't think we have conceded many goals from crosses. Attacks starting in the wide areas yes, full backs not tracking back, yes, being caught out of position yes
I firmly believe the FB areas must be addressed, either tactically or through personnel
posted on 26/10/14
De Laet got turned facing up to the ball, Morgan was also drawn to the ball and Hammond, the pass from the Swansea player just took all of them out of the game, Moore also went to the ball them the goal line playing them onside, and Drinkwater never attempted to get into the box even though they just took 3 of our players out with one pass. So how this can all be blamed on De Laet is looking for a scapegoat I think.
posted on 26/10/14
Somebody, the difference between Delaet, Morgan and Moore was that it was delaets job to mark and track the runner. This is rightly why on Sky he was pointed out as being at fault.
Moore should not have played bony onside but he was thinking that DeLaet would do his job and deal with the danger.
This isn't the first time RDLs defensive qualities have been exposed since we signed him.
For some reason it's absolutely fine to hammer Kasper for a mistake but RDL and Konch are completely blame free......!?
posted on 26/10/14
I not saying he is blameless just not solely to blame.
posted on 26/10/14
I think I've said all along that he isn't solely to blame. Read back through the thread
posted on 26/10/14
Kasper was not at fault for any of the goals and De laet wasn't to blame for us losing or was the worst performer yesterday.
BS as you know most goals are scored in football matches from crosses that what i meant unless you have a player that can dribble into the box at the moment we can do neither.
So the fact is all full backs are going get beaten or the winger will get hooked or moved. So beating up full backs is easy.
I still think Kaspers a problem but i have to except he's not going to be dropped
posted on 26/10/14
Let's just get some balance here, because no one is saying it was delaets fault we lost. No one is saying he was the worst performer. I haven't seen either of those statement here.
What me, Mersey and dunge are saying is that he takes the lions share of the blame for the second goal and it's not the first time he has been exposed defensively.
When you talk about crossing, that's just one way a full back can be beaten. He can also be beaten by ball watching, being out of position or losing possession. Looking at crosses is simplistic. I think Richie stops a lot of crosses, it's his positioning, awareness and losing the ball that concerns me