Team vs Wolves

[sparx100]

PEH will have to sit more as I assume Davies and Dier as centre backs. Emerson and Davies can interchange.

I think we will see Bissouma as the more advanced of the 3 and trying to link midfield to attack.

 

[Marauder]

Oh well, only football at the end of the day. Let's do this!

COYS!

 

[Freddie]

I disagree. We have to stick to what we've been doing and use the best players to fit that. Not change the way we play to fit the players. Ange is never going to change his methods and he shouldn't. It's all about the big picture. Like against Chelsea it wasn't about the individual game, it was about setting a precedent for who we are going forward. We press high up, it's non negotiable as Maddison said. If we start thinking differently due to some injuries it doesn't then become embedded into the squad for when they return. It's all about the long term and how we build a philosophy that sticks. Then continue to build the squad and fill gaps where players don't fit. We might drop points in the short term but in the long run when the squad is built for it we will win more games and score more goals. We'll win more games by getting in front and pushing forward for more because it will be fully engrained into the squad. That's what Ange is building and we're very early days into it.

Turns out this was all complete nonsense. I picked up a lot of disagree ratings for suggesting the tactics against Chelsea were mad but at least he realised this and adapted. Playing the same tactics with Davies, Dier and Royal wouldn't have done anything for the long term mentality of the squad apart from lose the manager credibility which can be very hard to earn back. We were still shit, but if we persisted with a high line it would have been akin to repeatedly smashing our head against a wall.

 

[mil1lion]

Turns out this was all complete nonsense. I picked up a lot of disagree ratings for suggesting the tactics against Chelsea were mad but at least he realised this and adapted. Playing the same tactics with Davies, Dier and Royal wouldn't have done anything for the long term mentality of the squad apart from lose the manager credibility which can be very hard to earn back. We were still shit, but if we persisted with a high line it would have been akin to repeatedly smashing our head against a wall.

We lost and could have lost by more if wolves were more clinical. We had 2 shots on target and created nothing for much of the game. Wolves pressed us high and we suffered. In fact we started well and were aggressive the first 10 mins before we started to fall back. Not sure how that proves you right If that's how you think we should play then that's just your opinion. Acting like you're right is a bit rich though. We invited pressure with these defenders the last few years and suffered. I would much prefer we press high up and play to our strengths in attack.

 

[Freddie]

We lost and could have lost by more if wolves were more clinical. We had 2 shots on target and created nothing for much of the game. Wolves pressed us high and we suffered. In fact we started well and were aggressive the first 10 mins before we started to fall back. Not sure how that proves you right If that's how you think we should play then that's just your opinion. Acting like you're right is a bit rich though. We invited pressure with these defenders the last few years and suffered. I would much prefer we press high up and play to our strengths in attack.

We weren't stationed on the half way line for the whole game. We dropped deep to protect ourselves-that was an obvious change in tactics which you said we wouldn't do. That defence was always going to invite pressure because it isn't very good, so making a pretty toothless Wolves side play through you is the better way to limit them rather than giving them the easy option which is to just play a ball behind our defence (which is a chance every time).

It's definitely not how I want to see us play but when you have a catastrophic situation which leads to playing THAT back line you simply have to adapt. We can't play our usual attacking game because they'll create way more chances than us. It had to be a more controlled approach, which is what Ange did. We were just toothless. Let's see what we do next game, but I suspect it will be a similar system again with some tinkering

 

[mil1lion]

We weren't stationed on the half way line for the whole game. We dropped deep to protect ourselves-that was an obvious change in tactics which you said we wouldn't do. That defence was always going to invite pressure because it isn't very good, so making a pretty toothless Wolves side play through you is the better way to limit them rather than giving them the easy option which is to just play a ball behind our defence (which is a chance every time).

It's definitely not how I want to see us play but when you have a catastrophic situation which leads to playing THAT back line you simply have to adapt. We can't play our usual attacking game because they'll create way more chances than us. It had to be a more controlled approach, which is what Ange did. We were just toothless. Let's see what we do next game, but I suspect it will be a similar system again with some tinkering

You think that was by design? You think Ange set us up to drop back and hardly create anything all game? It's like you don't even know our new manager yet. Maybe the likes of Davies, Dier and Hojbjerg can't play the way Ange wants and by default drop off and can't play progressive football. I would be shocked if Ange is happy with that approach. He will want to push forward and be far more progressive in the next game. We can't drop off and invite pressure. Yesterday was the worst performance of the season and aside from the first 10 mins went back to our approach of the last few seasons. I'm sorry but we are not playing this way for 2+ months while we wait for VdV and Maddison to return and we can't. We weren't 'just toothless', we created nothing in the final third and hardly had any of the ball around their box.

 

[Freddie]

You think that was by design? You think Ange set us up to drop back and hardly create anything all game? It's like you don't even know our new manager yet. Maybe the likes of Davies, Dier and Hojbjerg can't play the way Ange wants and by default drop off and can't play progressive football. I would be shocked if Ange is happy with that approach. He will want to push forward and be far more progressive in the next game. We can't drop off and invite pressure. Yesterday was the worst performance of the season and aside from the first 10 mins went back to our approach of the last few seasons. I'm sorry but we are not playing this way for 2+ months while we wait for VdV and Maddison to return and we can't. We weren't 'just toothless', we created nothing in the final third and hardly had any of the ball around their box.

Did you see him tell them to push up? It's pretty clear when the manager wants you to do that. His team selection in midfield and playing Sarr more as a 10 is why we didn't create. Sorry mate, I watched a fair bit of Ange before Spurs and I wanted him above everyone else we were linked with but he doesn't represent the footballing eutopia he claims and you seem to believe. He's pragmatic when needed. He got things wrong this weekend but not playing a high line wasn't one of them. Maybe once we have Udogie back we tell Biss to sit deeper so at least we have more recovery pace and can play a high line even with slow CBs.

 

[mil1lion]

Did you see him tell them to push up? It's pretty clear when the manager wants you to do that. His team selection in midfield and playing Sarr more as a 10 is why we didn't create. Sorry mate, I watched a fair bit of Ange before Spurs and I wanted him above everyone else we were linked with but he doesn't represent the footballing eutopia he claims and you seem to believe. He's pragmatic when needed. He got things wrong this weekend but not playing a high line wasn't one of them. Maybe once we have Udogie back we tell Biss to sit deeper so at least we have more recovery pace and can play a high line even with slow CBs.

I don't see him gesture much at all, he's not that type of manager so I can't tell what his instructions are from the touchline. I find it hard to believe he went from saying he will always play attacking football even with 5 men to then tell them to sit off in the next game. This isn't me believing anything, I'm going on clear facts because that is what he has said countless times. If Maddison was available he wouldn't have dropped him so I think he simply selected Hojbjerg as the only one who has convinced him (with Bentancur not ready to start yet). If Lo Celso had shown more I'm sure he would have started him. It's just as he said before the game, he started who he had too but some of those players always drop off. It's in their nature to play that way. I doubt very much Ange is instructing them too. Bare in mind we've had other managers like Jose and Conte say they're not being instructed to do that either. He said in his recent interview with Rio he doesn't like the defence to be too far back when a team presses high as it creates too much space in midfield for the counter. He's not changing his whole philosophy because of a few players missing.