[Albion] The Alzate error

[LamieRobertson]

This. Alzate had the time to look up and assess the risks when the ball came to him - it was just a poor pass. It happens to every player, just on that occasion it led to a goal. It happens. It sucks, but it happens.

It’s unusual for him not to..he’s always looked as if he’s had time on the ball ..first competitive game for some time may have had something to do with it

 

[One Love]

He's a young player. A very talented player, but still very raw. Though he's the bee's knees right now, Lamptey has made errors, such as Southampton (a). It happens. He'll learn now, and he will most likely choose a better pass next time. Young players will still make errors, whether playing under Potter, Hughton or Guardiola. That's all there is too it. Our wastefulness up front is a far bigger concern than any of this.

Terrible stat on twitter.

In the 2019/20 season we were 4th bottom of amount of big chances created per minutes of possession. And bottom of converting them.

In 2020 we have converted 13% of big chances.

So we need 8 big chances to score once, gulp

 

[clockend1983]

He did exactly what Propper did a few times last season it was almost a joke to watch it and it won’t be the last time if we continue with that particular type of play talk about de ja vous

 

[clockend1983]

It’s unusual for him not to..he’s always looked as if he’s had time on the ball ..first competitive game for some time may have had something to do with it

Quite a few times to us last season

 

[Bold Seagull]

Terrible stat on twitter.

In the 2019/20 season we were 4th bottom of amount of big chances created per minutes of possession. And bottom of converting them.

In 2020 we have converted 13% of big chances.

So we need 8 big chances to score once, gulp

So statistics we know are all about context.

You could flip that all around. Being bottom of a percentage of converting chances means we're likely creating a lot more chances than other teams. That is no bad thing. Number of chances per min of possession is also contextual, we might still create more chances in a game than many other teams, but because our possession is high, that particular stat looks bad.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Maybe, must maybe, next time Alzate won't misjudge the ball and kick it with his heel.



IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE.

But the time after that perhaps Propper will, and a couple of games later Stephens could do it again.

It is a risky strategy that has cost us more than once.

 

[Weststander]

Genuine question - has GP really said that we set out to play “high risk football”?

 

[Seagull58]

There was plenty of room around him to receive turn and make a pass the issue was not Ryan it was Alzate not being aware or looking around him before making the pass. He is young will learn, is not the first and won’t be the last but the error is his

If there was plenty of room around him how come the mishit pass was snapped up by the Chelsea player pressing him who sprinted onto it? There was not plenty of room, Chelsea were pressing up close behind and around him so the ball should have gone wide.

 

[keaton]

Maybe, must maybe, next time Alzate won't misjudge the ball and kick it with his heel.



IT REALLY IS THAT SIMPLE.

It's not though is it. We conceded and gave away a lot of stupid chances to the opposition the same way last season. We are often choosing the wrong risky option (where any mistake will lead to a chance) rather than passing to a player who might be able to do something with the ball.

 

[Taybha]

Kinel .

 

[Bold Seagull]

Genuine question - has GP really said that we set out to play “high risk football”?

Not sure it is high risk. We played 2 seasons of lower risk football and conceded more goals.

We're playing a possession based more attacking style of football that last season we scored more, conceded less and got more points than previously in the PL.

Just because we fans don't like conceding goals that seem preventable if you'd just launched the ball from the keeper, statistically that ball still ends up in your net in the PL. It maybe less obvious that the launched 'low risk' ball led to the goal, but it does, and we know this really from our own 3 seasons of PL stats.

 

[keaton]

Not sure it is high risk. We played 2 seasons of lower risk football and conceded more goals.

We're playing a possession based more attacking style of football that last season we scored more, conceded less and got more points than previously in the PL.

Just because we fans don't like conceding goals that seem preventable if you'd just launched the ball from the keeper, statistically that ball still ends up in your net in the PL. It maybe less obvious that the launched 'low risk' ball led to the goal, but it does, and we know this really from our own 3 seasons of PL stats.

I take most of your point. But the goal essentially came from our throw on the edge of Chelsea area I think. We kept playing the easy pass backwards and ended up causing a dangerous situation and conceding. I think that's the problem, we need to take risks further forward

 

[blue-shifted]

Stephen Alzate is playing for a manager who is sensible enough to know that errors like that will happen and will back him publicly and privately. That must feel great

We'll get loads more of this treatment now we need to work out alternatives.

About 3 times Chelsea had goal kicks, they had defenders in the box as if to go short, but went long. It didn't work, but it looked like it could. I wonder if we'll try this.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I take most of your point. But the goal essentially came from our throw on the edge of Chelsea area I think. We kept playing the easy pass backwards and ended up causing a dangerous situation and conceding. I think that's the problem, we need to take risks further forward

That is fair enough, I'm of course not arguing our football is perfect. You're making the point about taking more risks further up the field, but those positions are available to us because of the way we've been playing in our own half trying to dictate play on our terms. I was trying to say overall I don't see that as any higher risk than a more rudimentary approach.

 

[Stat Brother]

It's not though is it. We conceded and gave away a lot of stupid chances to the opposition the same way last season. We are often choosing the wrong risky option (where any mistake will lead to a chance) rather than passing to a player who might be able to do something with the ball.

and the fact that it keeps happening tells us the players are doing EXACTLY as they are told, just not doing it as well as they are expected.

All the time GPott is the manager this is particular error is something we have to get used too.


Now that seems to be proving harder for some than kicking the ball accurately for all of 5 yards.

 

[super-seagulls]

He did exactly what Propper did a few times last season it was almost a joke to watch it and it won’t be the last time if we continue with that particular type of play talk about de ja vous

We will make mistakes and concede easy goals. Our possession and attacking play is now so much better, that despite a few errors we will succeed in the long term.
Even VVD misplaced a short pass for Liverpool the other day gifting Leeds a goal. Are you saying Liverpool shouldn’t play out from the back as well?

If you do not move with the times you get left behind.

 

[Me and my Monkey]

Jeez, NSC are a tough crowd to please. I thought he was great, but one mistake and the daggers are out. Against a team that has just spent an obscenely ridiculous £200,000,000 on their squad, I'm pretty happy with our team's performance. Very happy, in fact.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Jeez, NSC are a tough crowd to please. I thought he was great, but one mistake and the daggers are out. Against a team that has just spent an obscenely ridiculous £200,000,000 on their squad, I'm pretty happy with our team's performance. Very happy, in fact.

I haven't read a single person have a go at Alzate or say he wasn't very good last night?

He was excellent, he made a mistake, I don't think we have to pretend it didn't happen. This thread is more a discussion about our style that led to the error rather than any real criticism of Alzate.

 

[Billy the Fish]

He mis-kicked it, that's the risk you take playing that way. You can't do it at this level.

 

[Me and my Monkey]

I haven't read a single person have a go at Alzate or say he wasn't very good last night?

He was excellent, he made a mistake, I don't think we have to pretend it didn't happen. This thread is more a discussion about our style that led to the error rather than any real criticism of Alzate.

ok, you're right, I didn't read the whole thread properly. But I do get frustrated over people's obsessive dissection over split second (albeit costly) errors which in no way reflects what (in my opinion) was a very good, positive performance. It's a depressing trait of NSC, and frankly I don't know why I don't ban myself for longer after games.