[Albion] No criticism of RDZ ?

[Robert Codners Nostrils]

The first goal in these games is important. I believe we have lost every game under RDZ when trailing at half time. If we score first, the other team has to think about changing tactics. If the opponent scores first, we become even more exposed chasing the equalizer. Everyone knows we’re vulnerable at the back so they’ll be patient and wait for inevitable mistakes.

Also, Veltman is a great defender. He needs to start. And I don’t like the idea of rotating keepers. And we need to spend some money to replace the players sold. Sort all of the and we’re champions elect!

 

[dwayne]

Can't see RDZ winning leagues and trophies elsewhere with the all out attacking philosophy, it's fun but it's just too ambitious even with a squad like man city's.

Look at the trophy winning managers in football , mourinho , ancelotti , unai emery even pep they are pragmatists you need to attack well and defend well at times you need to mix things up when the time arrives.

Big and interesting season for RDZ.

 

[Zeus]

Can't see RDZ winning leagues and trophies elsewhere with the all out attacking philosophy, it's fun but it's just too ambitious even with a squad like man city's.

Look at the trophy winning managers in football , mourinho , ancelotti , unai emery even pep they are pragmatists you need to attack well and defend well at times you need to mix things up when the time arrives.

Big and interesting season for RDZ.

Agree with this. RDZ has to work out a significant plan B to take the next step. Also I worry seeing people here whining about the club delivering him specific players. The best managers adapt to the squad at their disposal and I expect RDZ to do the same. As for the weakness that was our right side, Milner was only ever RB at Liverpool to cover injuries. We actually already have a very good RB who has a great relationship with our right mid and proven they can live with the best sides in the country. Why are we messing with that?

 

[phoenix]

Many similarities with the Everton 5-1 drubbing at home last season.

Lots of teams will be using that as their blueprint to beat us.

And Fail.

 

[Littlemo]

If he can solve the conundrum of unlocking the low block defence, then he’ll be laughing.

My only real issue with him is that he seems to like the more experienced players to the extent he seems to see them as untouchable. Not that I think any of them are awful or anything daft like that, but I think that Pedro would have been a better choice than Welbeck, who isn’t playing that well. Likewise JPVH over Webster looks not the best choice and I said it in the matchday thread but I thought Gilmour was playing better than Gross was, so it was annoying that he was the one subbed off, because I don’t think Gross has been at his best the past few games.

That and playing Milner over Veltman, I can’t see why he is doing that really.

 

[Weststander]

The first goal in these games is important. I believe we have lost every game under RDZ when trailing at half time. If we score first, the other team has to think about changing tactics. If the opponent scores first, we become even more exposed chasing the equalizer. Everyone knows we’re vulnerable at the back so they’ll be patient and wait for inevitable mistakes.

Also, Veltman is a great defender. He needs to start. And I don’t like the idea of rotating keepers. And we need to spend some money to replace the players sold. Sort all of the and we’re champions elect!

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Yep, RDZ out. Random different NSC poster every game until the end of the season

 

[Weststander]

Can't see RDZ winning leagues and trophies elsewhere with the all out attacking philosophy, it's fun but it's just too ambitious even with a squad like man city's.

Look at the trophy winning managers in football , mourinho , ancelotti , unai emery even pep they are pragmatists you need to attack well and defend well at times you need to mix things up when the time arrives.

Big and interesting season for RDZ.

Imho he will go on to having greater success elsewhere. With Arab or US money, he'd have/be bankrolled to buy world class players x 2 for every position ...... including RB and DM!

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

I hope he comes up with a solution to prevent Tonali, Guimares and Joelinton strolling straight through the middle of the park next week.

 

[Weststander]

Dyche worked out RDZ’s Achilles Heel last season and Moyes (followed by others) will do the same.

It’s easy.

1. Low block
2. Defensive row of 5 in front of penalty area.
3. Compact midfield row of 4 protecting them.
4. No real width.
5. Fast, powerful and strong forward camps at left wing.
6. All players instructed to get the ball to the forward if possession is gained.
7. At least 2 runners from midfield will support forward once he gains the ball.

RDZ needs a rethink against this tactic. I don’t know what he is going to do it but the opposition’s low block/quick break tactic is obvious and effective.

A suggestion for yesterday. Instead of playing Webster, play Igor man-2-man on Antonio. Antonio would not be bulldozing a man with these thighs:

1 to 7 is THE game plan.

It's not unique against us. During Klopp's early years at LFC, almost every game they faced a 10 man low block defence, a lone forward hanging around near the centre circle supported by runners. End of game attempts on goal stats mirrored ours.

 

[portlock seagull]

Why is there ever a need to ‘criticise’ anyone, just 3 games into a season when
A) we know we’re not going to win or draw every game?
B) we’ve won our first 2 games?
C) be a very dull sport if ‘mistakes’ never happened

Can’t wait for next game to be fair. Very early days and much to look forward to after last years ‘freak of a finish!’

 

[Birdie Boy]

Changing the keeper doesn't make Webster fail to pass the ball back instead of hitting it into row z.
Gross not bothering to try and win the ball back leading to the 2nd (?) goal didn't help.
I was really pleased when we got Milner but did not expect him to start every game, maybe 3 in a row was too much for him.
Having dad's army down the right did not help. What's wrong with Veltman?
RDZ has not come back from losing at half time, this tells me a lot. He needs to learn from this ASAP.
UTA, up the RDZ and up the European Tour!

 

[Icy Gull]

I hope he comes up with a solution to prevent Tonali, Guimares and Joelinton strolling straight through the middle of the park next week.

And laying the ball off to Almiron, Isaak and Wilson

 

[Bozza]

RDZ has not come back from losing at half time, this tells me a lot.

Does it tell you we’ve not been behind at half-time very often?

It might be telling or it might not be.

I’d need to know how often teams come from behind at half-time across a decent timeframe in the Premier League and then how many times we’ve been behind at half-time under De Zerbi.

The latter has to be quite a small sample size.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Does it tell you we’ve not been behind at half-time very often?

It might be telling or it might not be.

I’d need to know how often teams come from behind at half-time across a decent timeframe in the Premier League and then how many times we’ve been behind at half-time under De Zerbi.

The latter has to be quite a small sample size.

Of the 1592 PL matches I have in my betting database, 78 matches involved teams coming from behind at HT to win. 7 games involved Brighton, 3 at home, 4 away. We won 2 at home, 1 away. The latest we won was West Ham at home in May 2022. Am going out now, I will do some more digging later if I am bored

 

[Seagull58]

Personally, I'd rather play the way we did and lose occasionally, than mess with De Zerbi's style of play. No need to adapt our tactics, just cut out the errors.

What would you have done to counteract that threat, which wouldn't have diminished our attempts to get on level terms, with the players available?

Play Veltman at RB.

 

[Seagull58]

This. Going into the season without replacing Caicedo is the issue, not RDZ. We need a ball winner / receiver to play his way.

RdZ has said that Caicedo is unique and cannot be directly replaced, so the tactics have to change to allow multiple players to share the role that Caicedo performed. Imo he needs to play a top quality RB, e.g. Veltman, and accept that he will not be positioned on the edge of the opposition's penalty area for most of the game, since Caicedo is not there to cover.

 

[Barnet Seagull]

I discussed how you deal with De Zerbi's tactics a fair while ago on a Liverpool thread. Due to the Goalkeeper being involved in the build up, it's very hard to commit enough players to the press to win the ball high up against us. You either have to have us making mistakes or pressing has to be elite level. No one has done this well against us.

I said at the time, the only option which has a chance against it tactically (as horrible as it might be to watch) is to cede possession, sit off us and try and counter. Everton and West Ham now have both since done this and we have struggled to find an answer, particularly once a goal behind.

Against a deep line, we did most of the right things tactically and created opportunities and had set pieces. We weren't as bad as historically we've been under Potter, like against Sheffield Utd where we just played in front.

The problem I think is a mentality one. When you setup a team like us to play on the front foot and no one presses you, it's easier to move forward and engage the opposition. This leaves a LOT of space in behind and 1on1s. We're never going to have enough defenders with the pace and strength to help us out in these situations, so the only realistic answer is that in these situations we need to take less risk going forward, committing fewer men and ensuring we have adequate cover on the break.

I felt it was handled markedly better than when against Everton but still there's a little naivety in there.

There's a part of me that doesn't want De Zerbi to adjust, as caution doesn't seem like a word in his vocabulary. I think we'll either have to accept the occasional frustrating loss like this or we perhaps dull the panache of most other games. I suspect RDZ is working to maintain both and has a little bit more food for thought this weekend but I'd rather a frustrating loss like this and the 4-1's we've just experienced however gutting it feels at the time.

I don't necessarily think the personnel matters here.

 

[amexer]

Not managers fault March contributed nothing in attack and Webster was terrible. I did not understand why spent so much time wide left instead of central

 

[Weststander]

Of the 1592 PL matches I have in my betting database, 78 matches involved teams coming from behind at HT to win. 7 games involved Brighton, 3 at home, 4 away. We won 2 at home, 1 away. The latest we won was West Ham at home in May 2022. Am going out now, I will do some more digging later if I am bored