[Albion] Fannying about at the back

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Yes, but it is intentional and by design.

The greater risk brings a greater potential reward.

It really isn't, especially with a rookie 32 year old keeper expected to be completely up to speed from a standing start in the ethos of dicking around at the back

 

[Monkey Man]

Long may it continue. Watching Ings face as we played it around him and burst through to score was priceless.

I felt yesterday that he was bound to score but by the end he looked so pissed off

I noticed his expression and body language yesterday too. Looked like he absolutely hated his afternoon.

 

[amexer]

Watching our playing out from keeper I would describe as nerve racking rather than enjoyable but amazing yesterday many times when one minute looked like we had lost the ball and next we were on a dangerous attack.

 

[Swansman]

Even NSC's greatest proponents of dicking around at the back would concede that there were a couple of hairy moments early in the first half if they're being honest shirley? Slim margins and all that

If you hoof it up to the opponent so that they can take care of the ball and start a lot more attacks than if they didn't have the ball, there will be a lot more "hairy moments".

But we've been through this a few times and you haven't understood it yet and will never do it either.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I noticed his expression and body language yesterday too. Looked like he absolutely hated his afternoon.

He looked very old yesterday. Very old and very ineffectual

 

[Bozza]

It really isn't, especially with a rookie 32 year old keeper expected to be completely up to speed from a standing start in the dicking around

No, it is entirely by design. Roberto De Zerbi's design - it's exactly how he wants the team to play.

In what looks like an almost Kamikaze-way, the defence and the goalkeeper draw the opposition onto them as much as possible, enabling us to break through them and overload them on the counter-attack.

I'm not sure how anyone who saw the game yesterday could not understand what the intent was, as we had so many examples of it working perfectly.

As others have said, it will go wrong on occasion and we may well concede when it does. Again though, it's all part of De Zerbi's gameplan: you accept that when your players are told to play like this, it will go wrong. But that's not a good enough reason to just lump it upfield.

 

[Bozza]

Oh, and Steele will be fully up to speed with this as it's what he does in training, all day, every day.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

No, it is entirely by design. Roberto De Zerbi's design - it's exactly how he wants the team to play.

In what looks like an almost Kamikaze-way, the defence and the goalkeeper draw the opposition onto them as much as possible, enabling us to break through them and overload them on the counter-attack.

I'm not sure how anyone who saw the game yesterday could not understand what the intent was, as we had so many examples of it working perfectly.

As others have said, it will go wrong on occasion and we may well concede when it does. Again though, it's all part of De Zerbi's gameplan: you accept that when your players are told to play like this, it will go wrong. But that's not a good enough reason to just lump it upfield.

Sorry, but IMHO it is sometimes WAY too Kamikaze for comfort. As the NSC hivemind too scaredly-cat to offer an honest opinion in real time will doubtless mightily jump on, the very first time it goes wrong

 

[Nobby]

Not sure if it was fannying around or arsing about but my favourite moment was when Caicedo and Mac stood still in the middle of the centre circle, five yards apart, and played one twos for about 10 touches each
The WH players just looked completely beggared at that point and wanted to get off the field

 

[dejavuatbtn]

Yes, we were dithering around in our box and Cac was played a dodgy ball and I thought “bloody hell” - then he just swerved the other way and set the play in motion for a goal. The guy is just class.

 

[Bozza]

Sorry, but IMHO it is sometimes WAY too Kamikaze for comfort. As the NSC hivemind too scaredly-cat to offer an honest opinion in real time will doubtless mightily jump on, the very first time it goes wrong

Yes, I get that. Around my parts in the WSU yesterday we were all "bloody hell that was close"-ing.

But I accept it's what RDZ wants them to do, and I can see it's bloody effective.

We've scored more goals this season than in any other PL season. And we have 15 games to go and score a few more. That's the reward that the risk-taking brings.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

Best one for me was when Moises was passed the ball in our box with three WHU players around him.....he simply feinted and turned and started sprinting through the middle with the three players left staring at each other.

That was indeed remarkable to watch! Ian Wright picked him out to eulogise about on MOTD yesterday.

 

[herecomesaregular]

Imho we really have a perfect storm moment of players of the calibre of Gross, Caicedo, Mac (I'll say etc rather than limit it to those three) who can play how De Zerbi wants. It will be interesting to see how we get on when a couple of these almost/really World Class players move on. Enjoy it while we can I guess.

 

[Icy Gull]

Sorry, but IMHO it is sometimes WAY too Kamikaze for comfort. As the NSC hivemind too scaredly-cat to offer an honest opinion in real time will doubtless mightily jump on, the very first time it goes wrong

Well we know you will

I would have expected us to have been punished for it at least once so far this season, but I don’t remember a single instance yet

It WILL happen and probably in a game changing scenario too. It is what it is

 

[jackanada]

Oh, and Steele will be fully up to speed with this as it's what he does in training, all day, every day.

You've undersold that. Steele has earned his start by being better at deZerbis deliberate dodgy dicking than Sanchez.

 

[A1X]

TBH I was much more frustrated with the way we seemed to keep dicking around when we got 20-30 yards from their goal

 

[peterward]

Did we take it to a new level today?

Steele seems even more of a risk taker than Sanchez and holds onto the ball until the last second.

We had a couple of heart in the mouth moments today where it went wrong and West Ham got the ball, luckily they didn’t make us pay

Some of the passing between Steele and the defenders in our box was intricate and drawn out in the second half and had me off my seat applauding as we eventually found so much space in midfield to launch an attack

I bloody love our fannying about at the back…and it hasn’t really cost us enough for me to even think that I want us to stop doing it

Thoughts? Anyone still think we should stop doing it? I noticed sharp intakes of breath followed by laughter by the fans around me today. I didn’t hear a single shout of “get rid of it” today

it was worse against Stoke, as it felt more Poyet era of just keeping possession and going back to keeper for possession sake.

But under RDZ, we can see the clear philosophy, draw in the press which is risky, then pass right through it and we're on the attack.

Looking at how we've improved our Xg v actual goal stats since RDZ came in, with his brand of swashbuckling football, long may it continue.

law of averages dictates we will at some point get caught out and concede one by doing this, but its working, it creates overloads in our favour, its thoroughly entertaining and De Zerbi ball, when it works like yesterday and Liverpool etc is the best football tactically and on the eye I've seen in my Albion supporting life.

Inviting the press in our box is all part of the Italian masterplan!

 

[zefarelly]

It was arrhythmia inducing under Potter at times, but the old tickers got used to it . . . I'm entirely comfortable with it as we currently sythe through the middle and score a goal.

Beaver-ball is good no?

 

[Giraffe]

Anyone questioning our tactics on this (including the old men that sit behind me) really don’t understand modern day football. And I have to say I have become very comfortable with it. At first it terrified me but our players are bloody good at. Arguably better than anyone else. I love it. The one where Caceido simply dropped his shoulders and turned away from two West Ham players before finding Ali Mac was sublime. Adds a new dimension to brilliance that I never knew I was missing. Love it.

 

[dazzer6666]

Imho we really have a perfect storm moment of players of the calibre of Gross, Caicedo, Mac (I'll say etc rather than limit it to those three) who can play how De Zerbi wants. It will be interesting to see how we get on when a couple of these almost/really World Class players move on. Enjoy it while we can I guess.

Sarmiento, Enciso, Buonanotte, Gilmour, Moran etc (I'll sat etc rather than list the talent pool) all being schooled....the future is bright, whatever happens.