by john@staustell » Sat May 08, 2010 1:35 am
M147WN wrote:Kolo didn't have a bad game and many are jumping on him as a scapegoat.
The fact that he became a defender when his early career was spent as a midfielder gets highlighted and its true he's not your out and out central defender!
But the real problem (as has been highlighted many times before) is if central midfield is not strong enough (and attacking enough) we spend too much time on the back foot putting undue pressure on the back 4. In time no matter how good your back 4 is it will be broached!
The truth is that we have no one in central midfield to relieve the pressure on the defence and turn the tables so we dictate what happens with respect to going forward. (Modric ???)
Very easy to blame the defence for loosing games but in my opinion when 11 men gel its a natural reaction for midfielders to protect defence. This hasn't happened for me and although the back 4 have made mistakes and could be labelled culpable its not just their fault!!
Midfield must look at its self and ask if they provided adequate cover. I'd say they didn't! I have to agree that maybe kolo's time is limited.
This is all fine if there is available quality cover from midfield!!
We fucked up big time in the Jan transfer window by not helping defence out (and urging us forward) by aquiring the players we needed.
For this I blame Mancini not one jot!!
He obviously targeted his men but the tossers who look after the paperwork just weren't on the ball and hence when it comes to the games against quality opponents ... we fail!!
Don't blame it all on Kolo ... threre are others far more guilty than him!
I agree but would point out that a major problem is our full backs, whichever of them plays. None are good enough for our now-advanced level and this puts pressure both on the CBs and the left and right midfielders.
If Toure was surrounded by 10 other class competent players he would not look out of place. Much like at Arsenal really.
“I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly.”