Our Defense.

[zabbadabbado]

Serious question, what is going on with it ?. Firstly do we actually practice any defending in training under Pellegrini ?. We have spent a shit load of cash on defenders.We struggle defensively every week,even getting the basics wrong. Under Mancini a solid defense was key to our success.

Last season the warning signs in defense were there under Pellegrini. This season all our goals have dried up. Our defending has become no longer bad but bearable,to simply atrocious. We let Denayer go and stuck with Demichelis. That alone makes one question the Judgment of a defensive coach.

It is every week. It matters not who the pairing is in our defense. The same old problems continuously persist. Players not tracking back, losing their man, needlessly lunging in,giving away free kicks in dangerous areas, not playing as a defensive unit. Demichelis situational awareness for that Everton goal tonight was truly shocking. Amateur League stuff. Our defenders actually look like they have turned up for a Sunday League game and have only just met each other most games. Something isn't right. We are lucky we have not had a Boro side hiding "yet" this season after one of our frequent defensive capitulations.

This really is a major gripe I have with Pellegrini. A team with our talent, and European aspirations should be playing as a well drilled cohesive unit by now. Not looking like Key Stone Cops on Ice, week in, week out. If you cant defend properly, and your not scoring regularly, to compensate for your defensive frailties. Then you are in trouble. Its not Rocket science

At the very least we should at least be trying to stop hemorrhaging half a dozen good goal scoring chances to the opposition from unforced errors every time we play a game regardless of the quality of opposition..

[bigblue]

I didn't read your usual 5 paragraph thread opener. But let me guess - you blame Pellergini, correct?

[edgeley blue]

I didn't read your usual 5 paragraph thread opener. But let me guess - you blame Pellergini, correct?

In a nutshell

[carl_feedthegoat]

I didn't read your usual 5 paragraph thread opener. But let me guess - you blame Pellergini, correct?

We are not going to blame the fuckign tea lady for spunking over 80 million on some useless cunts are we !!

Pellegrini deserves all the shit hes getting...we have zero fuckign chance of winning fuckall with these cunts at the back.

[edgeley blue]

Although our defence has made many a balls up this season, are they totally to blame?

We play a system which allows and demands our full backs are always roaming forward to support the attack, which is all well and good if we have forwards who can or will defend from the front. As brilliant as our attack can be thet don't exactly defend.

We also have wonderfully gifted midfielders, but alas, like our forwards they don't do defending very well as YaYa and Fern much prefer to go forward. Yaya never gets back which leaves Fern always having to do it on his own.

Effectively, we're always left with two at the back with the rest of the team chasing back. If Mangala and Otemendi had their two full backs staying put and three sideways passers in midfield then they would probably look like the players they were before they joined us.

Chris Smalling is getting all the plaudits at the filthy scum bastards this season but then again he has 7 players protecting him at all times, he'd look like the donkey he is if he played for us.

[roblues]

Although our defence has made many a balls up this season, are they totally to blame?

We play a system which allows and demands our full backs are always roaming forward to support the attack, which is all well and good if we have forwards who can or will defend from the front. As brilliant as our attack can be thet don't exactly defend.

We also have wonderfully gifted midfielders, but alas, like our forwards they don't do defending very well as YaYa and Fern much prefer to go forward. Yaya never gets back which leaves Fern always having to do it on his own.

Effectively, we're always left with two at the back with the rest of the team chasing back. If Mangala and Otemendi had their two full backs staying put and three sideways passers in midfield then they would probably look like the players they were before they joined us.

Chris Smalling is getting all the plaudits at the filthy scum bastards this season but then again he has 7 players protecting him at all times, he'd look like the donkey he is if he played for us.

I agree that we over-expose them, but it is difficult to watch the diving of one and the weakness of the other despite his huge frame.

Maybe part of the issue is the insistence on ball playing. If we're gonna attack with 8 and only leave 2 back, letting the 2 kick it into the stands should not hugely affect our possession of the ball overall.

[DoomMerchant]

I didn't read your usual 5 paragraph thread opener. But let me guess - you blame Pellergini, correct?

We are not going to blame the fuckign tea lady for spunking over 80 million on some useless cunts are we !!

Pellegrini deserves all the shit hes getting...we have zero fuckign chance of winning fuckall with these cunts at the back.

Zacklee. The old undead cunt needs tossing out of the life raft pronto.

I'd have Rafa on a 5 month resume builder before the hairy Spanish cunt comes in on his white horse, allegedly.

Mancini top of Serie A.

Just sayin. Don't want him back but if you don't build a solid defense yr winning fuckall. And yeah yeah yeah I would rather win 4-3 than 1-0 but Pellegrini is hoping for amazing players to do something amazing every time out. That's not how it works sadly. We've lost the basics of defending and shape and motivation. We're a complete clusterfuck and everyone bar 1 or 2 are having yet again Crap seasons. It'll get us top 4 I'm sure because we're bursting with talent. But we should be doing so so much better.

Cheers

[edgeley blue]

Although our defence has made many a balls up this season, are they totally to blame?

We play a system which allows and demands our full backs are always roaming forward to support the attack, which is all well and good if we have forwards who can or will defend from the front. As brilliant as our attack can be thet don't exactly defend.

We also have wonderfully gifted midfielders, but alas, like our forwards they don't do defending very well as YaYa and Fern much prefer to go forward. Yaya never gets back which leaves Fern always having to do it on his own.

Effectively, we're always left with two at the back with the rest of the team chasing back. If Mangala and Otemendi had their two full backs staying put and three sideways passers in midfield then they would probably look like the players they were before they joined us.

Chris Smalling is getting all the plaudits at the filthy scum bastards this season but then again he has 7 players protecting him at all times, he'd look like the donkey he is if he played for us.

I agree that we over-expose them, but it is difficult to watch the diving of one and the weakness of the other despite his huge frame.

Maybe part of the issue is the insistence on ball playing. If we're gonna attack with 8 and only leave 2 back, letting the 2 kick it into the stands should not hugely affect our possession of the ball overall.

Wouldn't be the worst idea to hoof it out so we can regroup if we insist on playing the way we do.

[Pretty Boy Lee]

I didn't read your usual 5 paragraph thread opener. But let me guess - you blame Pellergini, correct?

We are not going to blame the fuckign tea lady for spunking over 80 million on some useless cunts are we !!

Pellegrini deserves all the shit hes getting...we have zero fuckign chance of winning fuckall with these cunts at the back.

Zacklee. The old undead cunt needs tossing out of the life raft pronto.

I'd have Rafa on a 5 month resume builder before the hairy Spanish cunt comes in on his white horse, allegedly.

Mancini top of Serie A.

Just sayin. Don't want him back but if you don't build a solid defense yr winning fuckall. And yeah yeah yeah I would rather win 4-3 than 1-0 but Pellegrini is hoping for amazing players to do something amazing every time out. That's not how it works sadly. We've lost the basics of defending and shape and motivation. We're a complete clusterfuck and everyone bar 1 or 2 are having yet again Crap seasons. It'll get us top 4 I'm sure because we're bursting with talent. But we should be doing so so much better.

Cheers

Rafa?

Wash your mouth out!

[Sister of fu]

Why does Otto keep falling over? There first goal came from him getting the ball failing over and they ended up with a corner. In the 2nd half he has the ball and can either set it back to Willy, stick it in row Z or fall over. He obviously fell over. For a guy with tats and a hard man look about him he ain't half soft...

[Dubciteh]

Although our defence has made many a balls up this season, are they totally to blame?

We play a system which allows and demands our full backs are always roaming forward to support the attack, which is all well and good if we have forwards who can or will defend from the front. As brilliant as our attack can be thet don't exactly defend.

We also have wonderfully gifted midfielders, but alas, like our forwards they don't do defending very well as YaYa and Fern much prefer to go forward. Yaya never gets back which leaves Fern always having to do it on his own.

Effectively, we're always left with two at the back with the rest of the team chasing back. If Mangala and Otemendi had their two full backs staying put and three sideways passers in midfield then they would probably look like the players they were before they joined us.

Chris Smalling is getting all the plaudits at the filthy scum bastards this season but then again he has 7 players protecting him at all times, he'd look like the donkey he is if he played for us.

Agree with all this. I feel sorry for Fern he has to do the running and defensive work of about 5 players. In reality its him and the 2 centre backs against the opposition as no one else has any interest in defending.

[Im_Spartacus]

Although our defence has made many a balls up this season, are they totally to blame?

We play a system which allows and demands our full backs are always roaming forward to support the attack, which is all well and good if we have forwards who can or will defend from the front. As brilliant as our attack can be thet don't exactly defend.

We also have wonderfully gifted midfielders, but alas, like our forwards they don't do defending very well as YaYa and Fern much prefer to go forward. Yaya never gets back which leaves Fern always having to do it on his own.

Effectively, we're always left with two at the back with the rest of the team chasing back. If Mangala and Otemendi had their two full backs staying put and three sideways passers in midfield then they would probably look like the players they were before they joined us.

Chris Smalling is getting all the plaudits at the filthy scum bastards this season but then again he has 7 players protecting him at all times, he'd look like the donkey he is if he played for us.

Agree with all this. I feel sorry for Fern he has to do the running and defensive work of about 5 players. In reality its him and the 2 centre backs against the opposition as no one else has any interest in defending.

Whilst we no longer have the insight into training that Doug used to provide, I remember that Mancini was all about building in a clear understanding of where a player needed to be in a particular scenario based on where the ball was on the pitch, and where your team-mates would also be. That discipline appears to be sorely lacking, as does the general intelligence of the defenders we have. However as a result of his approach, save for a couple of months at the start of 2011, Mancini's football on the whole was mind-numbingly boring.

I'm wholly with the school of thought of getting in just one defender who actually has the intelligence to understand that sometimes it is appropriate to relive pressure and just slam the fucker into touch from time to time to allow us to reset both defence and midfield.

We didn't need that under Mancini, because we were well drilled which is why Lescott's punts could sometimes be frustrating and unnecessary as we always had a simple out ball to relive pressure - but when we have nobody in fixed positions and are all at sea, we need someone to just fucking belt it.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

Our defense is certainly off color, we lack organization at the back. The line backers really need to up their game.

[Wonderwall]

Where is Zaba, last I heard he was ready to be playing last night? Sagna has already been asked to be rested once this season, he is obviously feeling it and could do with some rotation. Get Maffeo in on Saturday!

[FA cup winners 2006]

Its easy to point the finger at the defenders but i think the worlds best back four would struggle when our strikers and midfielders are so off form.

My biggest bug bearer is how much space we give opposing players right through the middle of the pitch, we dont man mark and we only put pressure on the man once they have received it and turned and are facing our goal (we done a thread on this a few years ago, so it is not new to this season). Our midfielders seem to just ball watch and try and close down the ball, leaving huge gaps and free players right through the middle of the pitch. We simply dont put in the workrate of the majority of other teams in the league.

Although this is frustrating to watch but to play devils advocate here, maybe Pellegrini sees how tough the season is and doesnt want the players burnt out and wants them in prime condition come feb/march. This will only be apparent at the end of the season. At the moment we dont carry the threat up front where teams will sit back for 90 minutes and not attack us and even if they do, we are really struggling to break them down. The leicester game is the prime example of this. At the start of the game, Leicester were happy to sit back and punt long balls to vardy and try and win the knock down and start the attack up the pitch. With a finctioning attack we should have punished this in the 1st half and been out of sight, but we let them into it and they grew in confidence.

I still have faith that once silva and aguero get back on form and sterling and debruyne settle in, we will fucntion as an attack and will force teams to sit back and take the pressure of the defence. Hopefully the other teams will tire quicker in the season than we will

[Douglas Higginbottom]

As individuals at times our defense is weak but you can see there is some organisation there from the very disciplined high we play and it was very evident last night as it worked countless times.

Then you have the individual weaknesses. The Otter falling over and getting muscled out in one to one situations. Mangler making the odd rash decision and giving the ball away. Demic just a tad off the pace and not covering his man a la last night but I still see the biggest probelm for our defence is often our midfield and the knack we have of passing to the opposition. Counless times last night we just gave the bal away. Do that when we have players in advanced positions and it creates big holes and problems which Dinho alone cannot fix.

If we pass and move better and of course our front players start finding real form we will be fine but I have been looking for that for most of the season.

I would have Tosin in place of Demic like a shot given that Mangler is out now for a while.

[sheblue]

Get Bob back to sort the defending, keep Manuel for the hugs and kisses...

[ColinBell8]

Just a thought but would it worth trying 3-5-2 with Otamendi as a sweeper. The full backs are playing as wing backs/wingers anyway so it would give extra support in central defence, we'd still have provision for a holding midfielder in front of them it would just need a bit of creativity up front with the likes of De Bruyne, Silva,Sterling & co?

[Hazy2]

Is the last thing Pellers thinks about, COMING HOME TO ROOST ! with us playing shite and turning over the ball at the rate we do it is the dog and duck back there, Demi is gone and so slow to react any team will cause us problems, I get it he needs games, but v Stoke and last night it was obvious he will be ripped apart. Cab anyone explain the Argie CB diving in every game. Otter he is.

[Clowncrete]

We've conceded far too many goals trying to play offside but one of Mangala or Kolarov absolutely cocking up. Funes Mori would've been offside had it not been for Mangala because the rest of the team pushed up. If we make a list of goals conceded like that, it would easily be half or more goals we've conceded so far.