Building from the back (2024)

milo said:

Would you be willing to see us be less attacking and set up with a view to not conceding for a while whilst the team settles in? Would the crowd at WHL get behind this or would they get on the teams back?

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I'm starting to think our FB overcommit model is killing us, makes us way too open and doesn't produce nearly enough chances to justify it.

I'd be happy to see Naughton (with instructions to defend) - Vert - Dier - Davies

If we could hold the shape of our back line, I actually think we might be more effective going forward, using Lennon/Townsend/Rose/Chadli/Lamela as wide options (not playing inverted) in midfield

I wouldn't want to see us sit back deep to defend. Not quite yet at least.

I would much rather see one or two creative attacking players sacrificed for players that work harder and try to play the high pressing game to a higher standard. The way Stoke played through our first level of pressure today in the first half was abysmal. Townsend and Eriksen rightly subbed for me.

4 out of Kane, Dembele, Chadli, Lamela, Soldado, Lennon and Mason for the front 4 next game probably with the first 4 of those as my choice. Although Bentaleb returning from injury in the midfield duo and Mason moving forward to use his energy higher up the pitch wouldn't be bad either.

milo said:

Would you be willing to see us be less attacking and set up with a view to not conceding for a while whilst the team settles in? Would the crowd at WHL get behind this or would they get on the teams back?

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The crowd would not take it. I don't mean to sound negative but I'm not sure it would even work. Our defenders are so **** that it really makes no difference how defensive Poch makes us, how many errors did we make that led to goals last season? Wasn't it about 25? AVB had us playing negatively and we still shipped 4, 5 and 6 goals frequently. Pretty much the entire defence needs replacing; certainly the centre backs do.

Granted it worked against scum, but that was a derby where you tend to get players show a bit more fight.

I said it after the game, but I want to see us set up as we did against Arsenal for most of our games.

2 banks of 4, 2 forwards (was Chadli and Ade in that game), let the other team ponce about with the ball, win it from them and break in numbers quickly through midfield and into attack.

And I don't wanna hear that sh*t of "Oh it wont work against teams who come and park the bus." -- nobody parks the bus against us anymore, we are pony. They just drive the bus straight through the middle of our team.

Even Capoue and our centre-halves looked alright in that set-up, so there must be something to it.

the dza said:

I said it after the game, but I want to see us set up as we did against Arsenal for most of our games.

2 banks of 4, 2 forwards (was Chadli and Ade in that game), let the other team ponce about with the ball, win it from them and break in numbers quickly through midfield and into attack.

And I don't wanna hear that sh*t of "Oh it wont work against teams who come and park the bus." -- nobody parks the bus against us anymore, we are pony. They just drive the bus straight through the middle of our team.

Even Capoue and our centre-halves looked alright in that set-up, so there must be something to it.

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That's both funny any true

vkn17 said:

Building from the back? Levy going is the first step in building from the back.

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And who takes over? Apart form city chelsea and maybe arsenal (shudder) who has a better chairman/owners?

flat 4 for more bodies at the back and to cover the corner areas which is our blind spot
fullbacks tuned to run back more than run forwards
lower defensive line to suite our lumbering CBs, to calm things down

then we midfielders that kick off from there with peace of mind.

To build from the back you need a committed and regular centre back pairing. We havent had that all season

You also need disciplined full backs but our current system is kamikaze attacking with on over from the attacking players when you pass them...

So to answer the point I'd love to see us get more solid but in the basis that fans aren't happy with the **** were seeing already it simply wouldn't help right now even if it would for the long term

Yes, I'd certainly give it a try. But we'd have to drop those who are CLEARLY not performing, whether captain or not.

So no Kaboul at all. Ade (and possibly Capoue) on the bench.

Perhaps a 4-3-3?

* (whilst Naughton is suspended; he has pace and his lack of aerial abilty may be so crucial here)

Well, why not?

milo said:

Would you be willing to see us be less attacking and set up with a view to not conceding for a while whilst the team settles in? Would the crowd at WHL get behind this or would they get on the teams back?

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We tried that, the 4-4-2 lot didn't like it.

Something about foreign coaches, just put it up to the big man, football isn't about thinking, blah blah blah.

the dza said:

I said it after the game, but I want to see us set up as we did against Arsenal for most of our games.

2 banks of 4, 2 forwards (was Chadli and Ade in that game), let the other team ponce about with the ball, win it from them and break in numbers quickly through midfield and into attack.

And I don't wanna hear that sh*t of "Oh it wont work against teams who come and park the bus." -- nobody parks the bus against us anymore, we are pony. They just drive the bus straight through the middle of our team.

Even Capoue and our centre-halves looked alright in that set-up, so there must be something to it.

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same here.

I know it was only Asteras, but midweek Stambouli, Fazio, Jan and Dembele consistently passed it around the opposition front men often leading to Dembele or Stambouli moving at pace towards the two banks of four. We did this closer to our own penalty box and usually eliminated two opposition player. Lamela and Eriksen constantly found space and had the ball fed to them on the turn by Stambouli and to a lesser extent Dembele.

Today we didn't do anything like that. Maybe because Stoke were too clever and didn't push out, but that's where we need to be drawing them out.

Mumorn said:

Ben Davies for centre half perhaps?

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He plays well in a 3 for Wales.
I'm starting to think a back 3/5 is what we need, given the players.

-----------------Hugo
---------Dier Fazio Vertonghen
Whoever---------------------Davies

No, I don't want to see us build from the back. I want to see everyone fighting for every ball, and players dropping back when we lose possession - see how other teams stream back to close down space and block other teams out ? We haven't got that mentality, but we did see it v the scum.

No, it has to be a team work ethic. And have a quick switch of play to break going forward.