[Albion] I took a closer look at the goals conceded from set pieces...

[Napper]

I miss the Dunk and Duffy steel wall

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Or greater use of the dark arts of defending ?
How often does the shirt tugging / grappling actually get punished by a penalty ?
It’s been said elsewhere, We do need to get a bit more savvy on these game management tactics

You can't do that in VAR world. If Veltman grabs Verstergaards shirt as he's sprinting forward and he goes down it's a penalty all day long.

 

[Birdie Boy]

I would have thought it to have been a good idea to have played Burn knowing how tall and dangerous Vestergaard would be especially with Ward-prowse set pieces.

 

[durrington gull]

No surprises. Lack of physical presence from defenders and keeper. We need to convert more of our chances so we can win every game 3-2.

Our goal scoring conversion rate must be awful? feels like we need 10 chances to score 1??

 

[herecomesaregular]

Most goals rarely come from just great skill, they nearly always come from mistakes. Yes analyse and try to learn - but I think things are a bit over analysed and over criticised in the modern game.

Plus at set pieces it's more like NFL nowadays with set patterns of blockers and runners. It's hard to stop these if they're well drilled and someone can put in a great dead ball (like Ward-Prowse). What disappoints me most is not that we are conceding from these plays but that we don't seem to have any effective ones of our own !!

 

[One Love]

I would have thought it to have been a good idea to have played Burn knowing how tall and dangerous Vestergaard would be especially with Ward-prowse set pieces.

This is why Potter was selecting Burn at left back for a lot of the games.

Trouble is you then sacrifice having any penetration down the left.

Maybe he has to start playing him at centre back?

 

[maresfield seagull]

You can't do that in VAR world. If Veltman grabs Verstergaards shirt as he's sprinting forward and he goes down it's a penalty all day long.

I will concede there is a greater chance of getting caught
BUT it’s still going on in the VAR world
We re just not that good at it
In this day and age of film analysis , we should be better prepared to defend set pieces
Much like it would be nice if Maty actually went the right way or just stood upright and reacted to penalty s
Instead of seemingly going the wrong way each time

 

[London Irish]

No surprises. Lack of physical presence from defenders and keeper. We need to convert more of our chances so we can win every game 3-2.

Still maintain it's easier to start defending properly in an organised manner than to suddenly whisk up top quality Prem finishers

 

[albionalex]

If every situation could be defended against there would be no goals in football at all. Yes it's right to review every goal conceded and work to improve how we defend it, but its not right to use every goal conceded as another reason to bash our team and coaches.

That goal didn't happen because of basic defensive errors, it happened because of brilliant movement by Vestergaard and a pinpoint cross that couldn't have been any better. He backed off taking Veltman with him, then sprinted forward to where the cross was planned. Absolutely impossible for Veltman to stay with him unless he was guessing and leaving Vestergaard alone in order to get to that spot first. Dunk did very well to get there but stopping that goal would have required a mistake in the cross or header or a lucky gamble by one of our players.

I get your point and it was undoubtedly a good header. However, it was preventible.

Also, we can't say 'we only conceded because of brilliant movement and a pinpoint cross'. It's the Premier League, that should be expected.

 

[Luke93]

No surprises. Lack of physical presence from defenders and keeper. We need to convert more of our chances so we can win every game 3-2.

Funny you mentioned this, I’m pretty sure our record at defending set plays was equally as bad with Duffy and Murray in the side. Both seen as better in the air than our current lot. Murray was certainly better at defending corners than our current bunch. I don’t think physical presence alone is at fault, but certainly not helping the situation.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

I get your point and it was undoubtedly a good header. However, it was preventible.

Also, we can't say 'we only conceded because of brilliant movement and a pinpoint cross'. It's the Premier League, that should be expected.

Yes, to be worked on, and yes, I'm not saying there isn't an underlying issue at set pieces. But for me that goal was the set piece equivalent of a 30 yard screamer into the top corner and we wouldn't get pages of self flagellation about those. That's all really.

 

[albionalex]

Yes, to be worked on, and yes, I'm not saying there isn't an underlying issue at set pieces. But for me that goal was the set piece equivalent of a 30 yard screamer into the top corner and we wouldn't get pages of self flagellation about those. That's all really.

Not sure how you can compare a preventable goal to a unpreventable goal and also, if we were conceding a lot of 30 yard screamers, we would say 'we should start closing the opposition down' rather than just accepting the pattern.

 

[macbeth]

I think our players are so fearful of conceding VAR penalties from set pieces that they won’t apply the Dark Arts of defending, which in the past would’ve meant someone checking Vestegard in his run.

That and Duffy used to win at least 50% of our defensive headers from set pieces.

I don’t remember it ever being an issue under Hughton in the same way it so clearly is now.

This may be the case but, handball aside, how many VAR penalties have actually been given due to holding from corners this season? I certainly can't recall many.

Heck, I even remember Azpilicueta virtually having his shirt pulled off by Maguire at a free kick a few weeks ago, and nothing was given. Now, knowing our luck the moment we started doing it they'd start giving pens for it, but to me, if someone had just got in vestergaard's face a bit more from that corner, we'd have at least made it more difficult for him to score, and maybe put his focus off.

 

[LamieRobertson]

100%- I said to my son when they got the corner that it would be just like us to concede straight after scoring. For all of the height at the back none of our centre halfs are that commanding in the air.

I also hate zonal marking.

Hmm..was appropriately twenty minutes after we scored that they equalised

 

[WATFORD zero]

Funny you mentioned this, I’m pretty sure our record at defending set plays was equally as bad with Duffy and Murray in the side. Both seen as better in the air than our current lot. Murray was certainly better at defending corners than our current bunch. I don’t think physical presence alone is at fault, but certainly not helping the situation.

I agree that it's not all down to physical presence or height. I believe that Murray, Duffy and Stephens had been around long enough and were excellent 'defenders'. It's not about winning headers or even winning the ball, it's about ensuring the other team's danger men don't.

I have great belief in Webster, White, Bissouma, Maupay, Alzate etc but they are all youngsters and I do wonder if the downside of having a very young squad and team is that they won't be as 'wise' on how to defend. I wonder if it's one the things that's easier to master in the lower leagues ?

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Not sure how you can compare a preventable goal to a unpreventable goal and also, if we were conceding a lot of 30 yard screamers, we would say 'we should start closing the opposition down' rather than just accepting the pattern.

I'm a big fan of bullet headers from giant defenders

Preferably for, rather than against us, of course

 

[albionalex]

I'm a big fan of bullet headers from giant defenders

Preferably for, rather than against us, of course

If only we had found a way to utilize Dan Burn!

 

[Icy Gull]

I'm a big fan of bullet headers from giant defenders

Preferably for, rather than against us, of course

Shame our centre backs are wearing their 50p heads most of the times they get their head on balls in the opposition penalty area

 

[WATFORD zero]

I'm a big fan of bullet headers from giant defenders

Preferably for, rather than against us, of course

I'm quite a big fan of the stumbles, unfortunate obstructions, blocks, hips, bumps etc that stop those bullet headers.

Preferably for, rather than against us, of course

What I'm really saying is I miss Glen

As a coach of course