[Albion] Fannying about at the back

[Giraffe]

It’s fine to have a style that we stick to but at certain places it’s naive. Small pitches at Palace, Bournemouth and Luton mean it doesn’t work. It’s hard to create the width, so go a bit more direct. It’s 3 games. Doesn’t change the perception but gets the job done.

 

[Bodian]

Just watched the highlights back and actually we were better in the final third than I thought.
On another day we win that comfortably.

Some decent strikes that needed saving and a couple of efforts agonisingly wide.
I'm counting Welbeck's face rebound as an effort, btw.

Trouble is, we say this a bit too often. Burnley, Fulham, etc. Those 'other days' are getting fewer and further between.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Trouble is, we say this a bit too often. Burnley, Fulham, etc. Those 'other days' are getting fewer and further between.

Agreed - but it shows we're on the right track.
Very tired group with a lot of injuries in key positions.

We need only marginal improvements to step up a level or two.

 

[amexer]

Maybe wrong but thought in his interview De Zerbi trying to take blame away from keeper and mentioned midfields and named Baleba should make themselves available. Thats all very well but surely if no one to receive the ball its no excuse to pass to opposition and should clear upfield.

 

[seagull77]

Agreed - but it shows we're on the right track.
Very tired group with a lot of injuries in key positions.

We need only marginal improvements to step up a level or two.

Tired group? I don't get anyone who says they are tired. They are a bunch of highly paid millionaires (mostly) running around a pitch for up to 90 off minutes twice a week.

In the first half yesterday we were just passing around the back with no real intent - it was really dull and boring. Second half was a lot better, but with one or two minutes to go we were still passing it around like we had time.

 

[peterward]

It’s fine to have a style that we stick to but at certain places it’s naive. Small pitches at Palace, Bournemouth and Luton mean it doesn’t work. It’s hard to create the width, so go a bit more direct. It’s 3 games. Doesn’t change the perception but gets the job done.

When De Zerbi ball clicks and works, it's the Best football I've ever seen from the Albion, but too often it doesn't work in certain games and looks like Poyet ball at the back, there's no plan B.

Potter had his issues in final third and goals v Xg but in his defence, he was willing to play some more direct balls/second balls which we simply don't now.

It's intricate pass until losing it. RDZ is clearly wedded to his "idea" but with players like Welbeck and Ferguson, who can both head and hold it up, going a bit more direct on occasion with runners off may be more effective than last nights pass across the back until the clock ran out.

 

[rippleman]

OK, so I'm going to say it. When it comes to "fannying about at the back" give me Steele over Bart every day of the week. For me Steele is far more confident and capable. Is Steele a better all-round keeper? Probably not. Until Bart has got the experience (because confidence and capability will grow with experience) I would ditch the keeper rotation. Play Steele in the EPL and let Bart grow through playing in Europe and the FA Cup.

 

[Mellotron]

It’s fine to have a style that we stick to but at certain places it’s naive. Small pitches at Palace, Bournemouth and Luton mean it doesn’t work. It’s hard to create the width, so go a bit more direct. It’s 3 games. Doesn’t change the perception but gets the job done.

We did go a bit more direct second half, helped having a proper outlet like Welbeck who understood how to use his body and time runs etc.

 

[dazzer6666]

Maybe wrong but thought in his interview De Zerbi trying to take blame away from keeper and mentioned midfields and named Baleba should make themselves available. Thats all very well but surely if no one to receive the ball its no excuse to pass to opposition and should clear upfield.

It was just a badly executed kick - not high enough

 

[Mellotron]

I don't get anyone who says they are tired. They are a bunch of highly paid millionaires (mostly).

I'm sorry but this argument is just so f***ing dumb.

What does their bank balance have to do with how fatigued they are?! There's no link whatsoever. Whether they are paid £1 a week or £1million, they're humans in human bodies - that's never going to change. Upping their pay doesn't magically turn them into super beings incapable of being tired.

And again, this argument of - oh they only have to do 90 minutes a couple of times a week - is meaningless, because that's true of the other team too. So in that case, it's all about marginal gains isn't it, particularly when players are such top athletes now.

If one side is even slightly more tired than the other, it makes a huge difference.

 

[goldstone]

Maybe wrong but thought in his interview De Zerbi trying to take blame away from keeper and mentioned midfields and named Baleba should make themselves available. Thats all very well but surely if no one to receive the ball its no excuse to pass to opposition and should clear upfield.

Clear upfield?? You must be joking. RDZ won't allow them to to do that even if the alternative is to almost certainly concede a goal. At least that's how I see it.

 

[Giraffe]

We did go a bit more direct second half, helped having a proper outlet like Welbeck who understood how to use his body and time runs etc.

Yep agreed. Which proved the point really. Should have started that way though.

 

[Mellotron]

Yep agreed. Which proved the point really. Should have started that way though.

Yeah, you'd hope RDZ will have learnt from that.

 

[Machiavelli]

I agree but I feel like there’s sometimes a lack of passing options though, which is why they go back. Well organised teams are cutting off the options forward and so rather than punting a hopeful ball forward (and mainly losing possession) we go back to try a different route through,

It’s frustrating but more a symptom of teams working us out a bit this season, compared to last.

Great post. Opponents will always work out how to nullify any team they play against, and it's happened with us. What we need to do is to develop new ways to respond, one of which will be to play with a little more variety. The claim that we haven't or aren't playing with variety is wrong, we've gone long at times when the option or situation suits. In terms of option, see Steele's through ball assist to Mitoma last season against Brentford(?) for example. In terms of situation, we went long against Forest this season when defending the lead against ten men.

 

[Hastings gull]

I'm sorry but this argument is just so f***ing dumb.

What does their bank balance have to do with how fatigued they are?! There's no link whatsoever. Whether they are paid £1 a week or £1million, they're humans in human bodies - that's never going to change. Upping their pay doesn't magically turn them into super beings incapable of being tired.

And again, this argument of - oh they only have to do 90 minutes a couple of times a week - is meaningless, because that's true of the other team too. So in that case, it's all about marginal gains isn't it, particularly when players are such top athletes now.

If one side is even slightly more tired than the other, it makes a huge difference.

yes, I agree -their bank balance has no relevance to their fitness. Recovering from 90+ minutes of elite football does take time, but they did have 4 days to rest after the Arsenal match, so tiredness could not have ben a huge problem, though might have been a slight issue -who knows? Where I do think the extra EL matches might have had an effect, is that with such a relentless schedule, it must be hard to pick yourself up mentally -Thursday match, they then report for training of some sort on the Friday, then also Saturday before another game on the Sunday. After 8 weeks of this (counting League Cup and Pl match) this must be quite draining and it must be hard to approach each match with the same enthusiasm. No amount of dosh will change that.

 

[Littlemo]

yes, I agree -their bank balance has no relevance to their fitness. Recovering from 90+ minutes of elite football does take time, but they did have 4 days to rest after the Arsenal match, so tiredness could not have ben a huge problem, though might have been a slight issue -who knows? Where I do think the extra EL matches might have had an effect, is that with such a relentless schedule, it must be hard to pick yourself up mentally -Thursday match, they then report for training of some sort on the Friday, then also Saturday before another game on the Sunday. After 8 weeks of this (counting League Cup and Pl match) this must be quite draining and it must be hard to approach each match with the same enthusiasm. No amount of dosh will change that.

Totally agree with what you say about the mental effort. I’d add that tiredness and fatigue is culmulative, 4 days rest helps feel a bit better but you can’t undo the damage from the weeks where they have 2 games a week. It all adds up over a season.

 

[mothy]

Clear upfield?? You must be joking. RDZ won't allow them to to do that even if the alternative is to almost certainly concede a goal. At least that's how I see it.

Steele went long plenty of times against Burnley

 

[Mellotron]

yes, I agree -their bank balance has no relevance to their fitness. Recovering from 90+ minutes of elite football does take time, but they did have 4 days to rest after the Arsenal match, so tiredness could not have ben a huge problem, though might have been a slight issue -who knows? Where I do think the extra EL matches might have had an effect, is that with such a relentless schedule, it must be hard to pick yourself up mentally -Thursday match, they then report for training of some sort on the Friday, then also Saturday before another game on the Sunday. After 8 weeks of this (counting League Cup and Pl match) this must be quite draining and it must be hard to approach each match with the same enthusiasm. No amount of dosh will change that.

You’re right, it’s probably mental fatigue as much as physical.

 

[goldstone]

Steele went long plenty of times against Burnley

So he did. Probably why he was dropped!!

 

[Bakero]