Rewatch last night's game, for the first 35 we pressed high up the pitch, it i. What lead to both our goals, shelvey panicking in possession!!
In the second half we pressed only in our own half, if you are looking for it it's easy to see, I spotted it in the villa match, confirmed it during the United match and expected it last night
The only debatable thing is the reason for it! I'm hoping it just intensive drilling of the defensive side, after which we will let the shackles off like last season but during the transition to defence we will concede less on the counter.
I don't believe it's a long term tactical choice from Brendan.
As a side, I accept Gerrard tired last night and that's the last thing you want in the engine room, but he did play for England twice in the last week I believe? (did not watch the matches)
What's wrong with Allen.?
He would have been the ideal player to bring on in the second half yesterday.
===================================================
He’s a decent enough player, but the idea of relying on him to “control the midfield” fills me with dread.
The pattern that seems to emerge, when we’re sitting deep in the second half, is that we try to play our way of out it with short passes. These moves either end up as dead-ends, with three opposition players around the player receiving the ball (often on the touchline), or as throw-ins to the opposition, or as back-passes to Mignolet (almost intercepted, on a few occasions this season).
It’s been nervy enough watching the second-halves this season, and my heart’s not going to be able to take it if we decide that the remedy is to do more of it, using Joe Allen.
Swansea actually targetted him, the last time he played against them, because they knew our tactics would end up with him in tight spaces in the middle of the pitch.
Dunno how that reposted!!!
Kemlyn, Allen would have given us more control than we had. He's not going to control the midfield completely but in the second half we were over run in midfield. Allen keeps the ball, simple but effective and time after time, we gave the ball away in the second half. Allen and Henderson would have given us that energy too, as Gerrard and Lucas tired in that second half. For their second goal, Shelvey ran straight past Gerrard and he didn't move. He should have been tracking that run, and if he had Shelvey wouldn't have got the assist.
Its all a moot point anyway as Allen is injured.
Aspas coming on was the wrong choice yesterday. Alberto would have been a better option, or Sterling instead, pushed to the right and Henderson into the middle.
time after time, we gave the ball away in the second half.
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Yes, I agree....by playing short balls into dead-ends, and I don't believe Allen would have remedied that.
I was actually relieved whenever Gerrard got the ball, because he’s the one player who seems to have license to switch the play and look for spaces.
He normally does this superbly, and it gets us out of trouble a lot, but even though he didn’t do it very well last night (I don’t think he had a good game), I was still relieved that at least we were going to lose the ball higher up the pitch, instead of in tight spaces right in front of our penalty area, which is where everybody else was losing it.
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Gerrard and Lucas tired in that second half.
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I’m not convinced that tiredness is the cause of our second-half performances. It happens too consistently, and I think it’s tactical. (Did Lucas play for Brazil last week, or did he heave 2 weels off?).
Of course, you are going to end up looking tired if you sit deep and keep giving the ball to the opposition, so that you’re chasing shadows all the time, but I don’t believe tiredness is the root cause. Did we not have more possession in the first half? So it should be them who tire in the second.
We consistently seem to 'tire' after about 35 minutes, and to me it looks like a tactical decision to sit deeper.
==================================================
Shelvey ran straight past Gerrard and he didn't move. He should have been tracking that run,
========================================================================================
I don’t believe we use a man-marking system. Shelvey is a central-midfield player, and if he runs into the centre-forward position, there’s nothing wrong with passing him on to the centre-backs, otherwise our shape would get pulled all over the place.
Swansea are very good at making ‘dummy runs’ in order to pull people out of position. Then they play the ball into the position that’s just been vacated. Shelvey was doing it all night.
On this occasion it wasn’t a ‘dummy run’, but there were two centre-backs marking space in the area that Shelvey ran into, and Michu ran in from the left to join him, (with Wisdom trailing in his wake)
==================================================
Aspas coming on was the wrong choice yesterday
==================================================
I agree with that. I quite like Aspas, he’s a selfless player, but I thought he was the wrong remedy for that situation.
The more I see of Aspas the more I think he needs to play up top, he can drift a bit but he has a knack of turning up in goal scoring positions so I think he should concentrate on that.
IMO people are just overanalysing.
There is no one thing causing us to retreat, it's a combination of factors.
Early season fitness
Players carrying injuries, or getting injured in game
BR focusing on being a bit tighter
New players not yet accustomed to how we want to play
A bit of coincidence
Over time this 2nd half malaise will subside.
The important thing is that we are still picking up results.
43 points in 22 league games in 2013. That is top 4 form and we have nowhere near peaked yet as a team.
Mignolet is fantastic signing. With Reina in goal I bet we would only have 5 or less points right now.
Another factor last night was the half time sub by Swansea of Dyer for De Guzman.
Basically a winger for a centre mid, so obviously they would have more of the ball second half.
BR was limited in what he could do to react because of our injuries mounting up.
He could have brought on Alberto, or Sterling on the right and Henderson into the middle. Aspas was the wrong choice.
They made a good tactical subsitution, we didn't react to it, and it was 3 v 2 in the middle.
Another factor last night was the half time sub by Swansea of Dyer for De Guzman.
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good call. That negated our first half advantage in midfield.
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good start to the year
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posted on 17/9/13
Rewatch last night's game, for the first 35 we pressed high up the pitch, it i. What lead to both our goals, shelvey panicking in possession!!
In the second half we pressed only in our own half, if you are looking for it it's easy to see, I spotted it in the villa match, confirmed it during the United match and expected it last night
The only debatable thing is the reason for it! I'm hoping it just intensive drilling of the defensive side, after which we will let the shackles off like last season but during the transition to defence we will concede less on the counter.
I don't believe it's a long term tactical choice from Brendan.
As a side, I accept Gerrard tired last night and that's the last thing you want in the engine room, but he did play for England twice in the last week I believe? (did not watch the matches)
posted on 17/9/13
What's wrong with Allen.?
He would have been the ideal player to bring on in the second half yesterday.
===================================================
He’s a decent enough player, but the idea of relying on him to “control the midfield” fills me with dread.
The pattern that seems to emerge, when we’re sitting deep in the second half, is that we try to play our way of out it with short passes. These moves either end up as dead-ends, with three opposition players around the player receiving the ball (often on the touchline), or as throw-ins to the opposition, or as back-passes to Mignolet (almost intercepted, on a few occasions this season).
It’s been nervy enough watching the second-halves this season, and my heart’s not going to be able to take it if we decide that the remedy is to do more of it, using Joe Allen.
Swansea actually targetted him, the last time he played against them, because they knew our tactics would end up with him in tight spaces in the middle of the pitch.
posted on 17/9/13
Dunno how that reposted!!!
posted on 17/9/13
Kemlyn, Allen would have given us more control than we had. He's not going to control the midfield completely but in the second half we were over run in midfield. Allen keeps the ball, simple but effective and time after time, we gave the ball away in the second half. Allen and Henderson would have given us that energy too, as Gerrard and Lucas tired in that second half. For their second goal, Shelvey ran straight past Gerrard and he didn't move. He should have been tracking that run, and if he had Shelvey wouldn't have got the assist.
Its all a moot point anyway as Allen is injured.
Aspas coming on was the wrong choice yesterday. Alberto would have been a better option, or Sterling instead, pushed to the right and Henderson into the middle.
posted on 17/9/13
time after time, we gave the ball away in the second half.
==================================================
Yes, I agree....by playing short balls into dead-ends, and I don't believe Allen would have remedied that.
I was actually relieved whenever Gerrard got the ball, because he’s the one player who seems to have license to switch the play and look for spaces.
He normally does this superbly, and it gets us out of trouble a lot, but even though he didn’t do it very well last night (I don’t think he had a good game), I was still relieved that at least we were going to lose the ball higher up the pitch, instead of in tight spaces right in front of our penalty area, which is where everybody else was losing it.
==================================================
Gerrard and Lucas tired in that second half.
==================================================
I’m not convinced that tiredness is the cause of our second-half performances. It happens too consistently, and I think it’s tactical. (Did Lucas play for Brazil last week, or did he heave 2 weels off?).
Of course, you are going to end up looking tired if you sit deep and keep giving the ball to the opposition, so that you’re chasing shadows all the time, but I don’t believe tiredness is the root cause. Did we not have more possession in the first half? So it should be them who tire in the second.
We consistently seem to 'tire' after about 35 minutes, and to me it looks like a tactical decision to sit deeper.
==================================================
Shelvey ran straight past Gerrard and he didn't move. He should have been tracking that run,
========================================================================================
I don’t believe we use a man-marking system. Shelvey is a central-midfield player, and if he runs into the centre-forward position, there’s nothing wrong with passing him on to the centre-backs, otherwise our shape would get pulled all over the place.
Swansea are very good at making ‘dummy runs’ in order to pull people out of position. Then they play the ball into the position that’s just been vacated. Shelvey was doing it all night.
On this occasion it wasn’t a ‘dummy run’, but there were two centre-backs marking space in the area that Shelvey ran into, and Michu ran in from the left to join him, (with Wisdom trailing in his wake)
==================================================
Aspas coming on was the wrong choice yesterday
==================================================
I agree with that. I quite like Aspas, he’s a selfless player, but I thought he was the wrong remedy for that situation.
posted on 17/9/13
The more I see of Aspas the more I think he needs to play up top, he can drift a bit but he has a knack of turning up in goal scoring positions so I think he should concentrate on that.
posted on 17/9/13
IMO people are just overanalysing.
There is no one thing causing us to retreat, it's a combination of factors.
Early season fitness
Players carrying injuries, or getting injured in game
BR focusing on being a bit tighter
New players not yet accustomed to how we want to play
A bit of coincidence
Over time this 2nd half malaise will subside.
The important thing is that we are still picking up results.
43 points in 22 league games in 2013. That is top 4 form and we have nowhere near peaked yet as a team.
Mignolet is fantastic signing. With Reina in goal I bet we would only have 5 or less points right now.
posted on 17/9/13
Another factor last night was the half time sub by Swansea of Dyer for De Guzman.
Basically a winger for a centre mid, so obviously they would have more of the ball second half.
BR was limited in what he could do to react because of our injuries mounting up.
posted on 17/9/13
He could have brought on Alberto, or Sterling on the right and Henderson into the middle. Aspas was the wrong choice.
They made a good tactical subsitution, we didn't react to it, and it was 3 v 2 in the middle.
posted on 17/9/13
Another factor last night was the half time sub by Swansea of Dyer for De Guzman.
-----
good call. That negated our first half advantage in midfield.
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