[Albion] Beating the press with RDZ

[Eric the meek]

Well Everton were. But that's not my point, the test is when a decent well organised team sits back and challenges us to play through them, not when an outclassed Championship team tries it.

I know that was your point, and I'm sure it's valid. But the fact is Everton, Chelsea and Liverpool couldn't stop us scoring for fun. Were they all shit, or did we make them look shit? I suspect it's some and some.

What - I think - I've noticed, is that without checking the stats, many of our goals seem to be coming early in the second half. This may be just a random distribution of goal-scoring opportunities, or we may be witnessing the implementation of a De Zerbi plan B, after the half time talk. If it is, I don't know what it looks like, except that we get on top. I'll leave the detail up to the tacticians like Jon_Mackenzie above.

 

[Gabbafella]

It's good watching videos like this. I may be a football fan but I'm certainly no tactician so having it explained and how it pulls players out of position and creates space is good to understand.
Loving the phrase "the promised land of De Zerbi-ism"

 

[Bozza]

The twitter video is short by about two minutes. The full version is here...

 

[Swansman]

This needs to be played in the stadium. Still way to many people in WSU who don’t understand it and shout ‘GET ON WITH IT’ or ‘GET IT FORWARD’

If people won't understand the gains of playing it out patiently from the back despite all the best teams doing it for 10+ years now, they clearly does not understand football and doesn't want to improve their understanding either... no video will help them, they are immune to facts.

I like the studs-on-the-ball move. Feel there's room for some improvement in understanding when to do it and when not to do it but think it looked more efficient and balanced against Liverpool than in some games where it was over-done a bit.

 

[Icy Gull]

If people won't understand the gains of playing it out patiently from the back despite all the best teams doing it for 10+ years now, they clearly does not understand football and doesn't want to improve their understanding either... no video will help them, they are immune to facts.

I like the studs-on-the-ball move. Feel there's room for some improvement in understanding when to do it and when not to do it but think it looked more efficient and balanced against Liverpool than in some games where it was over-done a bit.

Long ball is back on with Ferguson up front and Welbeck back

 

[Bob!]

This needs to be played in the stadium. Still way to many people in WSU who don’t understand it and shout ‘GET ON WITH IT’ or ‘GET IT FORWARD’

Yup, like the bloke that sits behind me.

Are you block H?

 

[Springal]

Yup, like the bloke that sits behind me.

Are you block H?

H/I border yes , there’s a few of them …

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

I know that was your point, and I'm sure it's valid. But the fact is Everton, Chelsea and Liverpool couldn't stop us scoring for fun. Were they all shit, or did we make them look shit? I suspect it's some and some.

What - I think - I've noticed, is that without checking the stats, many of our goals seem to be coming early in the second half. This may be just a random distribution of goal-scoring opportunities, or we may be witnessing the implementation of a De Zerbi plan B, after the half time talk. If it is, I don't know what it looks like, except that we get on top. I'll leave the detail up to the tacticians like Jon_Mackenzie above.

The recent record of those 3 teams (and Southampton while we're at it) suggests that they are, at the very least, significantly worse than we are.

 

[ChickenBaltiPie]

God I wish I had some way of giving this to the old boy behind me months ago. I actually turned to him this weekend for the second time to try and explain that our centrebacks aren't clueless idiots, unable to see an obv pass infront of them but that it’s entirely deliberate and tactical. He just doesn’t get it!

That was a good watch. Nothing I didn’t already know, BUT, it clearly indicated where Potter was going wrong and what RDZ has done to ‘fix it!’

 

[Bakero]

If people won't understand the gains of playing it out patiently from the back despite all the best teams doing it for 10+ years now, they clearly does not understand football and doesn't want to improve their understanding either... no video will help them, they are immune to facts.

We were doing it over 10 years ago under Poyet. I think the shouts to get it forward are way less today than back then.

 

[ChickenBaltiPie]

Even I figured out what was going on but my favourite part is the way it winds up opposing fans when their players stand off. It is very high risk/reward and we are only really seeing the rewards at the moment - I hope the usual suspects can rein it in when we do get a tonking or give away a stupid goal because of what is seen as fannying around at the back. Bit like England cricket and "Bazball". All the time we are winning, we are amazing. But high risk will lead to some less than optimal outcomes at times. If we want the breath taking, we need to be ready for when it doesn't work.

Very true and to an extent it’s a numbers game. We might concede a few, we may even lose a few but we’re are DEFINITELY going to score more and win more!

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Baiting the press is a fine tactic but to make it work it is imperative that the right sort of player with the right sort of skills is performing it.

This is where our scouting / recruitment is doing such a great job in spotting 18-22 year-olds who demonstrate the ability. We sign them up quite cheap and then develop that skill to the full.

The plan B comes in to play when the oppos press as a team, e.g. striker presses our centre-back AND the oppos midfield press up to our pivots to mark that option out. When this has happened, either Sanchez, Colwill, Dunk or Webster will play diagonal long balls because that is now where the space and numerical advantage is in our favour.

We could never have played like that with the likes of El Abd, Tank and Cullip, but now we can spot, recruit and develop [young] potential with the right skills, the future is bright for us just now ...

The real challenge is will we still be doing this in the top half of the prem in 10 years time? Can't see why not?

 

[KZNSeagull]

Ah yes, but were Chelsea, Everton and Liverpool shit?

****pregnant pause****

Of course they are all shit. They have been THRASHED by a #teamlikeBrighton

 

[dazzer6666]

Opposition teams are only going to fall into the same trap a finite number of times. What we need (and what we've probably got) is a number of different traps.

What was interesting in the Middlesbrough game, was that although Carrick was clearly aware of our tactics (Boro didn't fall for the bait), they were still powerless to stop us, which suggests that something else was going on.

That's explained in the clip

 

[Albion_Dave]

Bloke in the North near me on Saturday was shouting at Sanchez, Colwill and Dunk to clear it every time they did this on at the weekend. Some people have really do have no idea

Not block H by any chance?

 

[Pavilionaire]

The YouTube video is interesting. One of the reasons why we are successful at inviting the press under De Zerbi is that Potter set us up to do that a long time ago, and now the players are very comfortable with it. Indeed - like Potter- RDZ hates to drop players like Gross and March who are intelligent, adaptable and excel in this system.

I am concerned that RDZ's preferred LCB is Colwill and he only has half a season left. We know Potter likes him because he brought him to the club, but what happens when he leaves? Chelsea's recent acquisition Badiashile plays the same position, but I wonder for next season whether Potter is eyeing a back 3 of Fofana, Badiashile and Colwill (assuming Thiago Silva gets less game time due to him being 38).

I think if the Albion want to sign Colwill permanently then Potter getting the sack from Chelsea will definitely help.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

The only team recently that have dealt with it was Charlton, who flatly refused to engage.

 

[Bold Seagull]

The only team recently that have dealt with it was Charlton, who flatly refused to engage.

Forest at home too.

 

[Titanic]

The only team recently that have dealt with it was Charlton, who flatly refused to engage.

Any team happy with a draw can 'refuse to engage', which I guess is where the occasional ping / long ball etc... comes in to try and create some space.

 

[zeemeeuw]

You can see why he jumped at the chance to manage this team, De Zerbi knew this type of tactic would be easy to implement with a side schooled on Potterball (we shouldn't forget that). Imagine if he'd taken over from Hughton, would probably have needed a rebuild first.