SC's Tactical Autopsy thread

[whitelanefever]

Aurier, Sissoko and Lucas is not a balanced right side of the pitch. Too much pace and directness, not enough creativity and composure.

Sissoko is Sissoko, he'll cover ground track runners but don't expect any technical ability..plays like his boots are in wrong feet..how he is a professional footballer amazes me..

Aurier ok if KWP was making those mistakes you might accept it (& that's been genourous ) BC you'd say he's young & there might be nerves &learning the game ..Aurier is what 26 & we have happy clappers saying that Poch can improve him & give him time..he's bloody 26 & struggles with basics of defending ..hopeless ..

Throw clown Sanchez (Kaboul mkII) into the mix & it's a big problem..

Lucas Moura.. thought Andros Townsend had returned.. "oh he'll be payer of the season .he's like Ronaldinho" ye sure mate have ye ever watched him other than YouTube.. clueless nothing between ears..

Our scouting has to be questioned..

 

[DenverSpur]

I'd have said 4-2-3-1, it was just asymmetrical/lop-sided. Dier and Sissoko were definitely a cm2, Alli was quite disciplined on the left hand side. Eriksen played a lot more as a No.10 in the pocket I thought than he often does for us, and Moura was very high and quite narrow playing closer to Kane.

To me it seemed more a midfield diamond with Dier anchoring it, Eriksen at the point, Alli on the left and Sissoko on the right(but less disciplined than Alli), with Moura up top supportting Kane - which I didn't think worked for him. On the NBCSports broadcast they were saying that from their high vantage point it was very clearly a midfield diamond which they attributted to us overpowering their midfield.

 

[Shadydan]

 

[JimmyG2]

This thread is like Hamlet without the Ghost these days.

 

[kremlyn]

Like smoking without nicotine

 

[JimmyG2]

Like smoking without nicotine

Touch of the Bill Clinton's on marijuana.

 

[doctor stefan Freud]

Like smoking without nicotine

Or having sex with air

 

[Donki]

Looks like Poch has been taking part in 2 girls one cup ....

 

[pablo73]

Like playing tennis without an opponent. You want someone to hit it back don't you?

 

[Donki]

Like playing tennis without an opponent. You want someone to hit it back don't you?

No, that is masterbating i think.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Bumping as I think we all agree that both on and off the ball something is really not clicking right now. I feel like offensively, we’ve ended up in a chicken and egg situation: does the player make the pass to force an attackers to run, or does the attackers run to open up space for the attacker? The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle (literally and figuratively).

I also think playing without a true DM is hurting us, both defensively and offensively. Be that Dier or Wanyama, the fact that neither has played much in the past 39 league matches causes issues. I’d suggest that both Sissoko and Winks, and once full integrated Ndombele, would benefit from playing with Dier, as while the possession might be down, it’s far easier mentally to play the low percentage high yield pass if you have the insurance policy of Dier there to play ball winner, however unfashionable that might be. Furthermore, until last season we were defensively excellent under Pochettino for the most part, and I believe that lack of Dier is key to that no longer being the case. The goals that we concede from simple balls down the middle never used to happen when Dier played regularly.

 

[glacierSpurs]

Double pivot has served us so well before. Dembele gone, Dier not starting, all starts to crumple and our CM has become our weakest spot since.

 

[doctor stefan Freud]

Bumping as I think we all agree that both on and off the ball something is really not clicking right now. I feel like offensively, we’ve ended up in a chicken and egg situation: does the player make the pass to force an attackers to run, or does the attackers run to open up space for the attacker? The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle (literally and figuratively).

I also think playing without a true DM is hurting us, both defensively and offensively. Be that Dier or Wanyama, the fact that neither has played much in the past 39 league matches causes issues. I’d suggest that both Sissoko and Winks, and once full integrated Ndombele, would benefit from playing with Dier, as while the possession might be down, it’s far easier mentally to play the low percentage high yield pass if you have the insurance policy of Dier there to play ball winner, however unfashionable that might be. Furthermore, until last season we were defensively excellent under Pochettino for the most part, and I believe that lack of Dier is key to that no longer being the case. The goals that we concede from simple balls down the middle never used to happen when Dier played regularly.

Given that Poch has never played with out and out wide forwards- they tend to occupy the width of the penalty area or thereabouts- his system relies more on attacking fullbacks/wingbacks, your point makes sense. A defensively minded CM would screen us and allow the fullbacks to really stretch play by linking with the less central based attacking midfielders. This is how we used to play, with quick movement off and on the ball. It isn’t just a DM that’s required- it’s our whole static approach that needs addressing- but perhaps a return to the original template would be a great start

 

[Snarfalicious]

This is about the 20th thread I'm typing this in, but give me Dier in midfield, sitting deep, breaking up play and moving into spaces vacated by bombarding CBs/Fullbacks again.

Sit Ndombele and Eriksen in front of him, operating as the fulcrums in buildup/attack.

Up front, utilize Son and Moura on the edges of the box with Kane sitting central.

Allow Vertonghen and Toby the opportunity to interchange, moving forward through midfield with the ball, creating triangles/overloads in attack with the fullbacks and Son/Moura. Balls played in should see us overload with Kane and Son/Moura with Ndombele and Eriksen operating at or near the top of the box.

We've got the personnel to do this effectively, and it's what we had done in the past to great success.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Given that Poch has never played with out and out wide forwards- they tend to occupy the width of the penalty area or thereabouts- his system relies more on attacking fullbacks/wingbacks, your point makes sense. A defensively minded CM would screen us and allow the fullbacks to really stretch play by linking with the less central based attacking midfielders. This is how we used to play, with quick movement off and on the ball. It isn’t just a DM that’s required- it’s our whole static approach that needs addressing- but perhaps a return to the original template would be a great start

Absolutely.

Do I think Dier solves all our problems? No. But I do think that three of the four goals we’ve conceded this season never happen on his watch. He tracks McGinn all the way, he drops back and stops the cross to Sterling, and today he doesn’t turn his back on the cross for Newcastle’s goal like Sissoko did.

He also allows our centre backs to split when we have possession, which I turn allows our fullbacks to bomb on without much fear of repercussion and gives us vastly greater passing options.

Right now we just seem to be trying to solve ‘how to crack a but’ with quantum mechanics, sometimes you just need a fucking nutcracker.

 

[mpickard2087]

For me I just hate how we always tend to end up in this sort of shape (a little artistic license used, but in the main it's very accurate):




You can slide that up and down the pitch, it's so common in our defensive and also the middle third and in a variety of scenarios - trying to advance the ball through the lines against bus parkers, or when pinned in our third by a high press. Two CM's and CB's deep, the FB's trying to push up the touchlines, and our four attacking players so far away, very often narrow and in the same areas, on the same horizontal plain, static and waiting for the ball to magically get to them in a compact space - defenders up their backside, midfielders screening in front of them. Are there issues on how we move the ball, and who's doing it? Of course, but it's so often a very tough task in what seems our default set up.

No wonder we end up with that U shape passing where, the ball just gets shuffled along the defence and out wide and then back again. I can only keep saying it but I think it's critical our tactical direction and the structure of how we attack needs to evolve.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

For me I just hate how we always tend to end up in this sort of shape (a little artistic license used, but in the main it's very accurate):




You can slide that up and down the pitch, it's so common in our defensive and also the middle third and in a variety of scenarios - trying to advance the ball through the lines against bus parkers, or when pinned in our third by a high press. Two CM's and CB's deep, the FB's trying to push up the touchlines, and our four attacking players so far away, very often narrow and in the same areas, on the same horizontal plain, static and waiting for the ball to magically get to them in a compact space - defenders up their backside, midfielders screening in front of them. Are there issues on how we move the ball, and who's doing it? Of course, but it's so often a very tough task in what seems our default set up.

No wonder we end up with that U shape passing where, the ball just gets shuffled along the defence and out wide and then back again. I can only keep saying it but I think it's critical our tactical direction and the structure of how we attack needs to evolve.

Swear city had a similar shaper vs Bournemouth today and absolouely destroyed them.

 

[jordibwoy]

Swear city had a similar shaper vs Bournemouth today and absolouely destroyed them.

Their attacking players are constantly moving though, and they have 3 or 4 players who can pick an incisive pass when it's on.

Our attacking players can't do so consistently bar Eriksen, Lo Celso and sigh Kane and even Eriksen will take the safe option more often than not.

Winks was supposed to be one but the amount of times he had a chance to play in our AM's in between the lines only to take another touch and lose that option was like watching paint dry.

 

[alexis]

Absolutely.

Do I think Dier solves all our problems? No. But I do think that three of the four goals we’ve conceded this season never happen on his watch. He tracks McGinn all the way, he drops back and stops the cross to Sterling, and today he doesn’t turn his back on the cross for Newcastle’s goal like Sissoko did.

He also allows our centre backs to split when we have possession, which I turn allows our fullbacks to bomb on without much fear of repercussion and gives us vastly greater passing options.

Right now we just seem to be trying to solve ‘how to crack a but’ with quantum mechanics, sometimes you just need a fucking nutcracker.

Is he fit

 

[CowInAComa]

Dier isn't glamorous and doesnt play sexy through balls or beat a player every time he gets the ball. Instead people all focus on anytime he plays a loose pass.

We will do well to remember that he was pretty much an ever present in the title chasing teams.