[Albion] Playing the ball out from the back

[GT49er]

They both seem exceptionally strong and well-balanced - they get in front of the defender and are very difficult to knock off the ball. Another big plus now is that we have more chance of a midfielder supporting them rather than Muzza holding the ball up 50 yards away from the nearest stripy shirt.

And that I think is the most important change we have made.

After all, last season we saw hours and hours of Ryan to Dunk - to Duffy - back to Dunk - back to Ryan - to Duffy - to Dunk - to Stephens - to Ryan - to Dunk - to Duffy ...... and rinse and repeat. Only it was called fannying around at the back last season.
The trouble was that whenever the ball got up to Murray anywhere near the opponent's penalty area, nearly every Brighton player seemed to stay in our own half! This season, thankfully, the midfielders are giving support to the strikers - they just need to start scoring a few goals (Mooy and Trossard seem to be getting the idea!)

 

[el punal]

I was chatting to a mate today about this. It seems a large number of fans are very uncomfortable with it and audibly moan when the players and keeper are getting closed down. Are YOU comfortable with it?

It seems to me and the mate I was discussing it with that it’s a much more sensible option than just hoofing or throwing the ball long. Playing this way we have a good chance of losing the ball quite often. Sure we are going to get badly caught out occasionally with a mistimed/executed pass but it hasn’t happened that much and the players seem quite comfortable with it. Ryan, imo, is up there with the best in the league with ball skills and seldom gets it wrong (watch it happen against Chelsea now I’ve said that!)

So is it most of us or just some louder mouthed people who are making it sound from the stands like it’s not generally liked?

I think, from Potter’s body language reaction to the crowd moaning that we might be hearing an “I might as well go and play golf” style comment soon

Poll to follow

I take it then that the “LOUDER MOUTHED” people want the ball hoofed upfield ASAP and clear the danger, only for the ball to be snaffled up by the opposition to, um, start another attack and, um, put us under pressure so we have to hoof the the ball clear again? Repeat the whole process ad nauseum, ad infinitum. Great!


I think I’ll put my faith in Graham Potter and his tactics thank you very much.

 

[Hugo Rune]

Love it. Love it because we're really very good at it, because Potter is very good at coaching it. Nearly all teams try it, but not many look as comfortable as we do

Here is a team trying it. 1:55

https://youtu.be/zgAjmKQdEpY

I hope they try it again and again!

 

[Eric Youngs Contact Lense]

I keep thinking that....but considering how many times he's done so now I'm struggling to think of when he's messed it up. His ball control; is exceptional for a keeper - some of the passes back to him now are really getting belted at him but he's totally confident on either foot.

Everyone needs to get used to it because we're not going to stop it now (benefits/chances created far outweigh the risks).......won't stop the hordes of 'kick it long' wailers in the WSL from moaning though

...of course, they are the same people shouting about possession when we do kick it long! . Personally, I love it, but it will go wrong from time to time and when it does, it will be horrible. But this is the point of being "brave" and "courageous" as GP quotes - trusting each other to do it because the rewards outweigh the risk more often than not.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Here is a team trying it. 1:55

https://youtu.be/zgAjmKQdEpY

I hope they try it again and again!

That was the team I was thinking of! A few others have struggled against our press this season, villa were one. Bournemouth were pretty good at it, but only Brighton have I seen create so much space in the centre of the park

 

[nickbrighton]

At the start of the season i hated it, but with time the players are getting better at it, and whilst it will undoubtedly go wrong occasionally it does mean we keep possession from goal kicks more often than not, and it does tie up at least two of the opposition creating space further up the field. I no longer close my eyes when they do it, and as has been posted earlier in the thead, in the Bournemouth game it was used more sparingly which seemed to work very well.

 

[Stat Brother]

Here is a team trying it. 1:55

https://youtu.be/zgAjmKQdEpY

I hope they try it again and again!

If any poster is still complaining (about something they have absolutely no control over while also enjoying the end result) after watching that then there's just no hope for them.

You'd think that's how the Albion are playing judging by the noise.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

It's just dicking around and taking unnecessary risks. There may well be some grand post-modern theory behind it, but I doubt it holds much water. The climax to the dicking around is more often than not the ball skids off midfield for a throw when it finally timidly gets played forward. Still, with Stephens now relegated to the bench, that at least means the dicking around is more or less confined to the defence, rather than also having the midfield join in with the around-dickers.

 

[Bodian]

In the same way as refuse collector sounds much more impressive than dustman, so Rondos sounds much more professional than telling grown men to go and play some piggy in the middle, but it's actually the same thing

Waste management and disposal technician now!

 

[CheeseRolls]

It's just dicking around and taking unnecessary risks. There may well be some grand post-modern theory behind it, but I doubt it holds much water. The climax to the dicking around is more often than not the ball skids off midfield for a throw when it finally timidly gets played forward. Still, with Stephens now relegated to the bench, that at least means the dicking around is more or less confined to the defence, rather than also having the midfield join in with the around-dickers.

Is that a vote for some good old Monkey Tennis?

 

[el punal]

It's just dicking around and taking unnecessary risks. There may well be some grand post-modern theory behind it, but I doubt it holds much water. The climax to the dicking around is more often than not the ball skids off midfield for a throw when it finally timidly gets played forward. Still, with Stephens now relegated to the bench, that at least means the dicking around is more or less confined to the defence, rather than also having the midfield join in with the around-dickers.

You do like your dicks, don’t you?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

You do like your dicks, don’t you?

I'll ignore that hate crime

 

[perseus]

The way we used it against Bournemouth was much more clever, we played it short a few times so then they started trying to push up at which point we utilised the option of going long/wide to Burn who won absolutely everything. Like that Potter has thought about it, gives us a different option so teams can’t just push up and high press us.

It should get pressing teams like Spurs (pre-Mourinho) and Bournemouth chasing shadows like blue-arsed flies. Got to watch out for teams with more selective pressing, especially at home against quick forwards.

I thought that Spurs and Bournemouth and Sheff United made it awkward to play, unlike Arsenal.

PS: Ryan had 100% passing v Arsenal.

It is mostly a defensive tactic though, the best one, if the opposition do not have the ball they cannot score.

 

[Coldeanseagull]

I actually don't mind it too much as we do have some good ball players at the back. It does, however, draw the occasional sharp intake of breath from me

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

My Father hates it.

I’m a bit ‘meh’, it’s okay and effective with the right players.

Ironically, I feel most uncomfortable when Webster has it, (as much as I do Duffy), and it seems he was purchased for that purpose.

I don’t like midfield players receiving it square on and then playing a blind pass, though thankfully only Propper has done that so far.


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[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

I can see why Potter wants us to play this way, in as much as if the other team don't have the ball then they can't hurt us.

That's not why he does it. He does it to draw the opposition on to us, to create space either between their midfield and defence (as we did so well against B'muff) or behind their defenders.

It's so simple as a tactic, I struggle to understand how people don't get it. We're not fannying about at the back simply to keep the ball.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

That's not why he does it. He does it to draw the opposition on to us, to create space either between their midfield and defence (as we did so well against B'muff) or behind their defenders.

It's so simple as a tactic, I struggle to understand how people don't get it. We're not fannying about at the back simply to keep the ball.

Less effective if that second gap is closed though.


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[Seagull1989]

I really don’t like it and panic every time we do it . I caused unnecessary tension in the stadium.

But as my mate said the other day we will remember the goals we concede from doing it but not the ones lead to goals for us .

 

[Bakero]

That's not why he does it. He does it to draw the opposition on to us, to create space either between their midfield and defence (as we did so well against B'muff) or behind their defenders.

It's so simple as a tactic, I struggle to understand how people don't get it. We're not fannying about at the back simply to keep the ball.

I get the feeling a few on here don't watch a great deal of football.

 

[Swansman]

The way we used it against Bournemouth was much more clever, we played it short a few times so then they started trying to push up at which point we utilised the option of going long/wide to Burn who won absolutely everything. Like that Potter has thought about it, gives us a different option so teams can’t just push up and high press us.

Happy to see that this play is now implemented, did the same in Swansea. When the opponents realize we got options to the normal short play, they will soon lose motivation to do the high pressure and you can go for the normal option again. Creates a lot of confusion and options. When Burn started to play at left back I thought this was one of the main purposes. No winger in the league can contest an accurate high ball vs Burn.