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Ok so recent "2nd choice" defence has been this:

Richards Kompany Boyata Garrido.

1st choice (was)

Zab/Richards Toure Lescott Bridge


We are now very close to having everyone back from [strike]holiday[/strike] African Cup or injury.

So although the make shift 2nd choice defence has actually done well considering they havent played together before, what do we do?

Richards = Getting better, last night I thought he did well, has the physical ability, looking more concentrated
Kompany = I love it when we have him on the pitch, very very good player and a visible and vocal leader
Boyata = Confidence is there now, has all the ability, just needs more experience, should make it at this level
Garrido = Has done better than last seasons cameo's, i like the guy but we need better, positional sense is wank
Toure = Should be our best CB, he was at first, then went abit wank, should he walk straight back in?
Lescott = Was wank, started getting better, fantastic presence for corners at both ends, strength pace, can fill in at left back
Bridge = Hot and cold, mostly slightly chilly, not really the answer but better than Garrido

My personal thoughts would be


Richards Kompany Lescott Bridge

Then leading onto

Vieira Dejong


Tevez Ireland Bellers

Ade

Swapping Tevez with Ade and bringing Petrov into the attackers if a change was need. Its very hard to fit everyone in, Tevez should really be kept in the role he is in, because his goal record since Ade went away is amazing, but Ade is a presence we need and really should be on the pitch when possible. If it doesnt work in a particular game, swap it round.

What about 7 at the back?

We deffo need a new left back, unless Mancio can get the best out of Bridge..
I think Toure and Micah would be a good CB pairing so maybe we will have to buy a RB...I dont rate Zabba in that position.

I think we need three new defenders and i'll tell you for why,

Bridge, Zabaleta, Sylvinho and Richards are not worthy of Champions League Football.

Lescott and Toure are now borderline.

Boyata has the potential.

Onouha is the man!!

What´s happened to the clean sheets as well - 8 goals conceded in 4 games - 2 per game - almost back to where we were - got to stop

david yearsley wrote:What´s happened to the clean sheets as well - 8 goals conceded in 4 games - 2 per game - almost back to where we were - got to stop

The clean sheets were all against teams with the worst scoring records in the PL. We've been tighter for longer periods in games but have still made enough mistakes to concede 3-4 goals per game on an unlucky day.

Scatman wrote:What about 7 at the back?

Then were will we play all the defensive midfielders?

sandman wrote:I think we need three new defenders and i'll tell you for why,

Bridge, Zabaleta, Sylvinho and Richards are not worthy of Champions League Football.

Lescott and Toure are now borderline.

Boyata has the potential.

Onouha is the man!!

Why exactly is Ned the man, thats 3 managers including Sven who haven't saw it in him thus far, why does everyone here rave about him? There has to be a reason we select those other inferior players ahead of him. Its its not ability is it 3 football professionals who don't know what they are doing?

What I don't understand is the amount of time our injured players have been out. They said it would be 5 weeks and that was at the end of November?

Richards-Lescott-Toure/Kompany-Bridge

david yearsley wrote:What´s happened to the clean sheets as well - 8 goals conceded in 4 games - 2 per game - almost back to where we were - got to stop

OK....of those 8 goals, Scholes last night was deflected slightly was it not? As was their goal last week and one against Scunthorpe (unfortunately Both off Boyatta). There was also a offside goal against Scunthorpe, and the Dodgy pen against Everton.

So of the 8, 5 of them were broken/unfortunate goals IMO

Pienarr's was preventable, the wall jumped moved.
No-one closed down Carrick despite players around
Rooney Given should have come off his line.

The defence just needs fine tuning....we were putting bodies in the way of everything during the first few games, but not so much since

shawzy wrote:We deffo need a new left back, unless Mancio can get the best out of Bridge..
I think Toure and Micah would be a good CB pairing so maybe we will have to buy a RB...I dont rate Zabba in that position.

I'd give Lescott a run at Left back initially and see how Toure / Kompany get on.

In terms of defensive ability, that would be the best defensive line up, not sure how good Lescott is going forward though. I have heard Everton fans say he is better at left back.

petrov wrote:

sandman wrote:I think we need three new defenders and i'll tell you for why,

Bridge, Zabaleta, Sylvinho and Richards are not worthy of Champions League Football.

Lescott and Toure are now borderline.

Boyata has the potential.

Onouha is the man!!

Why exactly is Ned the man, thats 3 managers including Sven who haven't saw it in him thus far, why does everyone here rave about him? There has to be a reason we select those other inferior players ahead of him. Its its not ability is it 3 football professionals who don't know what they are doing?

I am certainly confused at Nedum not being chosen for last night's game especially after he played well at Scunthorpe ( which helped prove his fitness) but more so that he was put on to replace Boyata in the first leg when the going was about to get tough.

Nothing against Boyata at all as i think he has done magnificently but the stronger player for me is Ned. It was really the 2nd half of last season where he showed up very strongly imo and maybe but for injury would have started in the team. Anyway the real question will be who plays center back when all are fit.

I think Neds had a knock and wasnt 100%

david yearsley wrote:What´s happened to the clean sheets as well - 8 goals conceded in 4 games - 2 per game - almost back to where we were - got to stop

Think the honeymoon period with the players has worn off myself and we have reverted to type.

Haven't got a breeze what our best defence is and as a club we haven't for a long long time.

I've never seen a club have so many different line ups in defence over a three year period. Its remarkable.

So I said I'd remark on it.

MaineRoadMemories wrote:

david yearsley wrote:What´s happened to the clean sheets as well - 8 goals conceded in 4 games - 2 per game - almost back to where we were - got to stop

Think the honeymoon period with the players has worn off myself and we have reverted to type.

Funnily enough, Mancio's had a very similar start to Hughes in the Prem, and got nearly the exactly same results. To the point where the defence played very well until they got settled in. It makes you wonder if it is therefore down to mentality of players rather than the input from the management team.

Hughes:

15 August 2009 15:00 A Blackburn Rovers Barclays Premier League W 0 2
22 August 2009 15:00 H Wolverhampton Wanderers Barclays Premier League W 1 0
30 August 2009 13:30 A Portsmouth Barclays Premier League W 0 1
12 September 2009 15:00 H Arsenal Barclays Premier League W 4 2
20 September 2009 13:30 A Manchester United Barclays Premier League L 4 3

Mancio:

26 December 2009 15:00 H Stoke City Barclays Premier League W 2 0
28 December 2009 19:45 A Wolverhampton Wanderers Barclays Premier League W 0 3
11 January 2010 20:00 H Blackburn Rovers Barclays Premier League W 4 1
16 January 2010 17:30 A Everton Barclays Premier League L 2 0

If you take a win this weekend at Pompey, Mancio will have exactly the same points as Hughes - Won 4, Lost 1 - against very similar opposition. Let's just hope that Mancio and team don't carry on in the same vein as Hughes as I don't think I could handle numerous draws again!

Richards Kompany Lescott Bridge

would be my preferred lineup. however, Kolo is club captain so i think he will walk back in.

petrov wrote:

sandman wrote:I think we need three new defenders and i'll tell you for why,

Bridge, Zabaleta, Sylvinho and Richards are not worthy of Champions League Football.

Lescott and Toure are now borderline.

Boyata has the potential.

Onouha is the man!!

Why exactly is Ned the man, thats 3 managers including Sven who haven't saw it in him thus far, why does everyone here rave about him? There has to be a reason we select those other inferior players ahead of him. Its its not ability is it 3 football professionals who don't know what they are doing?

Christ he's only 23, firstly he wont be at his prime age for 3 years plus he has a potential 15 years left as a player.

He's been a bit unlucky with injury and spent a fair amount of time either out of action or recovering, also early doors he had Dunne and Distin to fight off.

Onouha is class, he just needs the chance to show it, I bet you a Mars Bar he is a future Captain.

The Man In Blue wrote:Richards Kompany Lescott Bridge

would be my preferred lineup. however, Kolo is club captain so i think he will walk back in.

I agree with your first choice back four. I see Micah as a CB though and expect us to find a new right back either in the next few days or the summer. I expect Bridge and Lescott to be much better under Mancini.