[Albion] Dunk - are we better without him?

[West Upper Seagull]

Dunky has found it tough this season but I believe a lot of that has been caused by Estupinan, whose positional sense has resulted in Dunky trying to cover for him and frequently get exposed. In my opinion the left back spot has been the root cause of the problem.

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

Dunky has found it tough this season but I believe a lot of that has been caused by Estupinan, whose positional sense has resulted in Dunky trying to cover for him and frequently get exposed. In my opinion the left back spot has been the root cause of the problem.

Or is Dunk the problem for the left back?

Lamptey has looked a hell of a lot better there in the last two games without him.

 

[brighton_tom]

Some games starting with Dunk, we'll be better. Sometimes starting Webster, we'll be better. We'll need them both.

 

[oldboyroy]

Or is Dunk the problem for the left back?

Lamptey has looked a hell of a lot better there in the last two games without him.

Lamptey has been excellent since Christmas. Yes, he's made was mistake here and there but he's also done a lot more right!

 

[saafend_seagull]

He’s been terrible this season not really suited to the system. Probably has one year left?

 

[sydney]

it really pains me to say it cos he's a club legend but he's a bit behind the pace at the moment , hopefully he'll make a full recovery from his injury , get fully fit and hit the straps again......bloody love the man.

 

[Moshe Gariani]

Jesus, short memories. One game which we win and everyone is casting our club captain aside. Let's not forget that, from a winning position, it was Webster's appalling back pass that got Chelsea back in the game at Stamford Bridge!

This. It would be incredible if it didn't happen EVERY SINGLE TIME after we win or lose a game...

But this is a new low to start a thread about a scapegoat for our
previous losses...!

I really like Adam Webster. He is wholehearted, smiley and a decent player. But he was awful for the first half hour last night. He had several opportunities to play the type of pass that Dunk has mastered so brilliantly but fluffed them all. He also couldn't defend one-on-one at all during that period. Chelsea could easily have scored a goal, gone on to win, and the sage NSC narrative would be 180 degrees different today.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

This. It would be incredible if it didn't happen EVERY SINGLE TIME after we win or lose a game...

But this is a new low to start a thread about a scapegoat for our
previous losses...!

I really like Adam Webster. He is wholehearted, smiley and a decent player. But he was awful for the first half hour last night. He had several opportunities to play the type of pass that Dunk has mastered so brilliantly but fluffed them all. He also couldn't defend one-on-one at all during that period. Chelsea could easily have scored a goal, gone on to win, and the sage NSC narrative would be 180 degrees different today.

A voice of reason. This absolutely.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Tough crowd.

The question was are we better without him?

Not “are we shit with him?”.

 

[Commander]

I think what has changed is that we are no longer worried when we don’t see Dunk’s name on the team sheet. But sadly, I don’t think that is because we have improved at the back, it’s just because he hasn’t been the same player for a while. A fit and on form Dunk still walks into our first team. I just hope that player comes back at some point, because there is no reason why he should be done yet. He’s not that old, and he’s never had much pace to lose.

 

[nickjhs]

As much as I hate to admit it I was not in the slightest concerned when I saw he wasn't picked.

 

[Zeberdi]

Tough crowd.

The question was are we better without him?

Not “are we shit with him?”.

Maybe purely subjective and perhaps not entirely fair but I think we are ‘different’ without him.

We seem to be more vulnerable on set pieces (defending corners especially) without Dunk - Dunk is excellent in front of goal, especially when the opposition swing them in but we are more mobile tracking back and better at transitioning when he is not playing. Dunk is ‘old school’ - I think with FH’s style of play, which is overall more direct and intense and (which makes us vulnerable in transitions) and relies heavily on speed when tracking back into a low block when the opposition press, I would say Van Heck, Webster (when he can stay on his feet!) Velts and Lamptey are our best back four at the moment. Lamptey especially works very well on the left and is doing all the things we want from a full back (I really hope he stays).

It’s also not something you can judge in isolation though imo - what we do in DMF impacts what we look like at the back - Fernandez and Caciedo last night looked nothing like the £200m they were transferred for (and they clearly missed Lavia) - Baleba on the other hand looked the best MF out there and played an excellent defensive game. Hinsh’s intelligent passing and footwork made us look less vulnerable in transitions. We kept several defenders behind the ball when countering and Bart’s timing and distribution was very good last night - his assist for Mitoma was sublime. We were happy to let Chelsea do the work out of possession then killed them on the counter - Minteh for me has probably one of the fastest acceleration speeds in the PL and Mitoma’s speed and progression on the ball wicked on the counter - I think when Hürzeler burnt the tactics sheets after Forest, he wrote new ones based on how they played against us! Last night it was the right game plan.

TL;DR
To be fair to Dunk, I think we need to see him when we play the same game plan as we did last night to really make a fair comparison.

 

[Swegulls]

I can’t be arsed to check the data but in gut feeling I think we defend better without our club captain than with.

Do you agree? Do you want to dig the data? For me, if all our centre backs are fit then LD shouldn’t start.

Sometimes it’s better to trust your eyes than the data. Think you are right here.

Just watching second half now and van Hecke and Webster looks solid. Actually thought JPvH and Igor looked good too a couple of months ago.

 

[dazzer6666]

I was wondering what the negative post would be about following tonight's result...... (there was always one coming)

This. Much for fun just watching Mitoma on repeat than desperately trying to find something negative to post about

 

[Iggle Piggle]

I think we've looked a better team without Dunk and Joao Pedro this season. 2 of my favourite players as well.

Webster had a brilliant game last night.

 

[Hamilton]

I can’t be arsed to check the data but in gut feeling I think we defend better without our club captain than with.

Do you agree? Do you want to dig the data? For me, if all our centre backs are fit then LD shouldn’t start.

I thought it for a while.

Sadly, we are a better team without him. There’s something about his presence that changes the dynamic of the team.

When Dunk plays I notice he tends to occupy the centre of the pitch much more, whereas when JPVH has played with Igor or Webster they create that little more space a balance. They make the pitch that little wider and stretch the playing out from the bank.

There’s also a deference to Dunk at the back. We tend to reset the playing by always getting it back to him. Maybe that’s a character issue.

None of this is down to capability. It’s about awareness, coaching and mentality (although he’s naturally getting slower.)

Let’s face it. This is his last year as our number one centre back. That’s just down to the march of time.

 

[Hamilton]

I was wondering what the negative post would be about following tonight's result...... (there was always one coming)

How is it negative? The OP is asking to keep the same starting line up?

 

[Bold Seagull]

Dunk’s never had as many injuries as this season. Made it difficult for him.

Last night in particular was a tactical shift that seemed to accept we’ve been having problems behind our fullbacks. My feeling being that it would have worked for Dunk last night as it did for VH and Webster.

Difficult to say we’re better without him as we set up so differently to other games last night.

Even then we made some errors that luckily went unpunished by Chelsea. It would be hard on Webster to be dropped but that is great competition for places to have. I wouldn’t go writing Dunk off just yet.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

This is Webster’s time now.

100%

Better communication and more pace.

Dunk literally has been near world class, and he is still a key member of the squad, but very sadly he’s just beginning to slow. A legend nonetheless…

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Jesus, short memories. One game which we win and everyone is casting our club captain aside. Let's not forget that, from a winning position, it was Webster's appalling back pass that got Chelsea back in the game at Stamford Bridge!

It was also Webster who got back to clear off the line in the same game when Palmer thought he had an open goal.