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Too much emphasis on pace

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posted on 27/2/24

Not sure we over rely on pace.

We do like to work the corner of the box and have a lot of success with the wide player hanging wide and either the FB or Mads making runs into that channel and getting to the byeline.

Without Mads/with a less than fully sharp Mads, this approach has been less successful but teams have also recognised it as a strength of ours so are packing the area, giving us the wide areas. Trying to pick a way through, or finding someone on the cut back is becoming harder and harder.

I feel we need our wide players to be a bit more prepared to beat a man. Do that and then it upsets the defending teams shape and draws players out of position. At times were a bit predictable with little 1:2s on the edge of the area, or Deki checking onto his left, or Werner/Son not really going at the full back.

I also feel the FB needs to overlap sometimes. They play so central a lot of the time that it just adds more and more bodies into a congested area and a more conventional late, overlapping run from the FB can create space, especially if teams are sitting deep and narrow against us.

posted on 27/2/24

winger who can beat his man should be our number 1 priority, everything gets so narrow against these deeper defensives because the wingers can only pass back centrally rather than going on the outside

posted on 27/2/24

comment by Christopher huffing glou (U20930)
posted 11 minutes ago
winger who can beat his man should be our number 1 priority, everything gets so narrow against these deeper defensives because the wingers can only pass back centrally rather than going on the outside
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do you think this demands we have a bigger and better striker up top?

posted on 27/2/24

Do we rely on pace though?
Wingers and an on form no 10 is what we need.
Pace will still cause problems to a deep sitting ‘low block ‘ .

posted on 27/2/24

Part of our problem is not moving the ball quick enough, slight indecision and being a bit predictable.

Given that we lost some key players for so long, it feels a bit inevitable that we've lost a bit of that connection we had.

Bit like Arsenal in recent weeks, it can click and suddenly you bang in 11 goals in 3 games.

To a large degree we just need some players back at their best, bit more confident and in tune with each other ok<>

posted on 27/2/24

comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 20 minutes ago
comment by Christopher huffing glou (U20930)
posted 11 minutes ago
winger who can beat his man should be our number 1 priority, everything gets so narrow against these deeper defensives because the wingers can only pass back centrally rather than going on the outside
----------------------------------------------------------------------

do you think this demands we have a bigger and better striker up top?
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not really it makes things easier for the strikers, Richarlison is at his best when he's finishing off tap ins and getting shots away quickly without having to think too much. a winger who can get to the byline reliably and pull it back would make such a difference for us

posted on 27/2/24

comment by The rain cloud (U8779)
posted 28 minutes ago
Do we rely on pace though?
Wingers and an on form no 10 is what we need.
Pace will still cause problems to a deep sitting ‘low block ‘ .
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Johnson has pace..I don't see problems caused. He's a chip and chase player. We need close control players all over the pitch. Especially upfront

posted on 27/2/24

comment by Ioavirgo (U10470)
posted 0 seconds ago
comment by The rain cloud (U8779)
posted 28 minutes ago
Do we rely on pace though?
Wingers and an on form no 10 is what we need.
Pace will still cause problems to a deep sitting ‘low block ‘ .
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Johnson has pace..I don't see problems caused. He's a chip and chase player. We need close control players all over the pitch. Especially upfront
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Werner is another chip and chase winger although he wants to play centrally

comment by Spurtle (U1608)

posted on 27/2/24

Pace is a good weapon to have but it only really works well if the players with pace have decent end product to go with it. I wouldn't say Werner or BJ convince in that department.

The trick is to find a winger who ticks as many boxes as possible. Try and uncover the next Salah.

posted on 27/2/24

comment by Ioavirgo (U10470)
posted 37 minutes ago
comment by Ioavirgo (U10470)
posted 0 seconds ago
comment by The rain cloud (U8779)
posted 28 minutes ago
Do we rely on pace though?
Wingers and an on form no 10 is what we need.
Pace will still cause problems to a deep sitting ‘low block ‘ .
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Johnson has pace..I don't see problems caused. He's a chip and chase player. We need close control players all over the pitch. Especially upfront
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Werner is another chip and chase winger although he wants to play centrally
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Has Werner been any good for you lot? Looks all pace and no end product. Like a slightly more sheet Theo Walcott

posted on 27/2/24

Exactly. These players work well for forest and lower table teams that rarely face low blocks so they can counter. Perhaps even a Conte team. But top teams need technicians with pace. Not headless sprint chickens

posted on 27/2/24

Werner has 3 assists in his handful of games. He's done ok.

BJ is hot and cold, but he is far from the end product so needs to be stuck with and he needs to work on his final ball and movement.

We aint replacing BJ any time soon.

Son is +30, Werner is on loan, Solomon was a freebee, so there is defo scope to add another quality winger for the left side.

posted on 27/2/24

I've often thought the same and wondered why we'd spent so much on Johnson, for example, as his pace was effective in a counter attacking side. Against a side that camps in, what else does he offer? We need more guile and creativity to carve teams open. Pace does nothing, particularly when you don't really utilise the flanks in this system. The main problem Ange has is that his full backs are tasked with coming into midfield meaning his wide forwards need to stay wide to be effective and stretch teams. They don't. Both Son and Kulusevski like to cut in which means we end up very congested and narrow.

For me the answer is to put Son back in the middle and play Timo wide left. He does hug that touchline more and there's a reason he's assisted a few goals so far. It's a personnel issue for me.

comment by Phenom (U20037)

posted on 27/2/24

both

posted on 27/2/24

I don't have the stats but it feels that in a lot of games recently, for all the pretty football City, Liverpool and Arsenal play, they have opened the scoring against low block defences with set pieces. Only then have they been able to score plenty in open play as the game opens up. Our set pieces have been good (9) but Arsenal have 14.

posted on 27/2/24

For low block teams the answer might be to drop Sarr for someone more creative like GLC or Bents to compliment Biss and Maddison?

posted on 27/2/24

comment by fridgeboy (U1053)
posted 2 hours, 45 minutes ago
I've often thought the same and wondered why we'd spent so much on Johnson, for example, as his pace was effective in a counter attacking side. Against a side that camps in, what else does he offer? We need more guile and creativity to carve teams open. Pace does nothing, particularly when you don't really utilise the flanks in this system. The main problem Ange has is that his full backs are tasked with coming into midfield meaning his wide forwards need to stay wide to be effective and stretch teams. They don't. Both Son and Kulusevski like to cut in which means we end up very congested and narrow.

For me the answer is to put Son back in the middle and play Timo wide left. He does hug that touchline more and there's a reason he's assisted a few goals so far. It's a personnel issue for me.
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Put Son in the middle and we entirely lose the ability to put an aerial ball into the box which is always a good option vs the low block (and hence why City bought Halaand)

We dont want wingers who are exclusively pacey and we dont want wingers that are just ballers. Its hard to find ones that tick both boxes but even City can go from Doku to Grealish, or in the past, Mahrez to Silva or Foden.

Options are good. The perfect winger is probably impossible to find.

But as said above, dont write-off Johnson just yet. He has pace but if he can add a bit of trickery and improve his final ball then he can be very effective as an alternative to Deki.

posted on 27/2/24

comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 48 minutes ago
comment by fridgeboy (U1053)
posted 2 hours, 45 minutes ago
I've often thought the same and wondered why we'd spent so much on Johnson, for example, as his pace was effective in a counter attacking side. Against a side that camps in, what else does he offer? We need more guile and creativity to carve teams open. Pace does nothing, particularly when you don't really utilise the flanks in this system. The main problem Ange has is that his full backs are tasked with coming into midfield meaning his wide forwards need to stay wide to be effective and stretch teams. They don't. Both Son and Kulusevski like to cut in which means we end up very congested and narrow.

For me the answer is to put Son back in the middle and play Timo wide left. He does hug that touchline more and there's a reason he's assisted a few goals so far. It's a personnel issue for me.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Put Son in the middle and we entirely lose the ability to put an aerial ball into the box which is always a good option vs the low block (and hence why City bought Halaand)

We dont want wingers who are exclusively pacey and we dont want wingers that are just ballers. Its hard to find ones that tick both boxes but even City can go from Doku to Grealish, or in the past, Mahrez to Silva or Foden.

Options are good. The perfect winger is probably impossible to find.

But as said above, dont write-off Johnson just yet. He has pace but if he can add a bit of trickery and improve his final ball then he can be very effective as an alternative to Deki.
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Who said anything about aerial? Historically Ange sides have always played low crosses into the box. An aerial threat is nice if you have it but it's not essential in this system. Richy's aerial ability does not outweigh Son's ability to do everything else better in the centre forward position. We are a better team with him up top instead of Richy. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind whatsoever and no Richy purple patch in front of goal will change my mind on that.

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