[Albion] Leicester City's goal - what happened?

[Goldstone Rapper]

Looking back at yesterday's excellent game, I'm still puzzled about how the defence allowed Andy King so much time and space to head the Foxes' goal. Is having a defender positioned at the back post marking the space no longer considered good defensive practice? Used to be the standard way of defending set-pieces (with another defender on the front post) but doesn't seem to be any more in the professional game.

 

[The Wizard]

Looked like Barnes left him un-marked, not sure though I haven't actually seen a replay!

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

I think, but am not certain, that Barnes was meant to be tracking the scorer. It was an excellent cross and a very well-timed run.

 

[TSB]

I think, but am not certain, that it wasn't actually an equaliser.

 

[Icy Gull]

Training ground routine that worked perfectly

 

[Stat Brother]

King looped from the middle, round the back.
The Brighton player marking King didn't go with him.

The nearest 'free' Albion player after the fact was none other than...



...Number 9, Ashley Barnes.

But it's hard to pick out the markers before the free kick so it would be wrong to open that can of worms now.

 

[Goring-by-Seagull]

FFS Barnes

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

I think, but am not certain, that it wasn't actually an equaliser.

Duly amended.

 

[TSB]

Duly amended.

Someone had to do it and Doug was yet to turn up. As to the original point: very poor mix-up

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

King looped from the middle, round the back.
The Brighton player marking King didn't go with him.

The nearest 'free' Albion player after the fact was none other than...



...Number 9, Ashley Barnes.

But it's hard to pick out the markers before the free kick so it would be wrong to open that can of worms now.

I'm going by the replay of the goal. Barnes starts with the scorer but loses him as he makes his run.

 

[HAILSHAM SEAGULL]

Looking back at yesterday's excellent game, I'm still puzzled about how the defence allowed Andy King so much time and space to head the Foxes' goal. Is having a defender positioned at the back post marking the space no longer considered good defensive practice? Used to be the standard way of defending set-pieces (with another defender on the front post) but doesn't seem to be any more in the professional game.

I thought defenders were on the posts at corners. That was a free kick, so we would have played every Leicester player on-side.
King just looped around from the middle and nobody went with him

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

I think the goal possibly showed the perils of having a purely man-for-man marking system at a set piece: as soon as one attacker escapes his marker, he can have a free effort on goal, especially with the other attackers pulling their markers away from where the ball ended up.

 

[empire]

the guy just looped around the back,barnes didnt react in time,or was he on the floor asking for a foul

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Finest bullet header into the Albion net since The Hawk strutted his stuff on the Withdean stage

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

I thought defenders were on the posts at corners. That was a free kick, so we would have played every Leicester player on-side.
King just looped around from the middle and nobody went with him

Thanks - I did wonder whether offside had a part to play in this. However, I would have thought that concern of keeping opponents onside was of secondary importance to the advantage of defenders being able to attack the ball. But in both free-kicks and corners, that standard method of defending set-pieces seems to be gone from the modern game, perhaps, as you say, because of the dangers of playing attackers onside. And I think it did used to be deployed all the time to defend free-kicks from wide positions, at least in the 1980s.

Another dying art is the player at the near post at a corner to flick on to the penalty spot for a lorryload of attackers to charge in to bury home...

 

[severnside gull]

Given that their right winger took the free kick you would expect Ward to have been free and the goal was scored from precisely where you would exoect him to be. If Barnes man marks in the area you would expect him to be watching one of their centre backs.. ..... whatever, it was very slack on our part.t

 

[Mutts Nuts]

Looking back at yesterday's excellent game, I'm still puzzled about how the defence allowed Andy King so much time and space to head the Foxes' goal. Is having a defender positioned at the back post marking the space no longer considered good defensive practice? Used to be the standard way of defending set-pieces (with another defender on the front post) but doesn't seem to be any more in the professional game.

Something we never do ever, we man mark

 

[Rookie]

Somebody (may well have been Barnes) switched off for a few seconds which allowed their bloke to get free and appear at the back post. Horrible defending but it happens

 

[casbom]

It was Barnes' man however when he went to track King after he looped round to run to the back post, Barnes was there but the Leicester players already in the middle moved to block Barnes off! Which left King free! A clever free kick routine.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Something we never do ever, we man mark

Apart from the opposition bloke on the right side of the pitch who invariably has about thirty yards of space for any team smart enough to take advantage of it. Lucky for us that not many do.