Are we better away from home?

[Bridge'srightfoot]

It's not a new thing but over the last season or so does anyone else think we tend to play with more freedom away? Often at home teams park the bus and we feel a lot of pressure to try and pick holes through tight defences whereas away from home teams attack us, leaving space in behind. We were particularly good against Spurs, Bolton, and a number of games last season.


Not saying we're bad at home, far from it.

[Alioune DVToure]

I think with the team we had last year, then yes. We didn't dismantle anyone at home in the same way we did WBA and West Ham away. I think with the attacking options we have now we can unlock any defence in 90 minutes.

[brite blu sky]

Do you mean Do we play better away? or Do we get better results?

It is obviously simple that away from home the emphasis is on the home side and they are obliged to try and play an attacking game.
That suits us as our passing and skillfulness can cut right through teams as they leave more space.

The question for us at home is more about the detail of the players knowing each other. We got better last year as we went along and we will get better again this season. On the whole it wont matter too much imo, as few sides will be as accomplished at a defensive plan as Napoli. We will have broken the deadlock in the majority of games in the prem and then it is a different story altogether.

I think it is also reasonable to say that the players still haven't quiet got their shooting boots on, the range is still being found and that has shown in the last few home games where a lot of chances are there for the taking and they are just missed, bar post etc. That will sharpen up there is no doubt.

[john@staustell]

I think we seem more unstoppable away. It's a problem for the home side - do they play like an away side, or come forward like they are supposed to?

Having said that we are starting to miss NDJ.

[Dubciteh]

We got more points at home last season than away so I would say no, prob against the smaller teams it suits us to play them away but against the big boys our away results and performances haven't been great over the past year.

[brite blu sky]

We got more points at home last season than away so I would say no, prob against the smaller teams it suits us to play them away but against the big boys our away results and performances haven't been great over the past year.

There is a reason for that though as you know. For the bigger away games Mancini went for the idea of having the team prove to themselves they could lock the home team out first and foremost. It was dull and people complained but it was done for an important psychological reason in team building and imo it worked.

[Dubciteh]

We got more points at home last season than away so I would say no, prob against the smaller teams it suits us to play them away but against the big boys our away results and performances haven't been great over the past year.

There is a reason for that though as you know. For the bigger away games Mancini went for the idea of having the team prove to themselves they could lock the home team out first and foremost. It was dull and people complained but it was done for an important psychological reason in team building and imo it worked.

I sort of agree, i understand why he did it but i don't think it worked often enough last season, our losses at anfield and stamford bridge were terrible results and performances. We did ok at OT when we tried to play but ultimately lost.

[Bridge'srightfoot]

I don't think you can entirely judge how well we played by results. We played far, far better at Old Trafford than we did at Eastlands and took less points.

[PeterParker]

I think the issue is not that we play better or worse away, but that we still have little problems when the other teams come to Eastlands just to defend. We had problems with Fulham, B'gham, Wigan, last year, but in some games where they were interested not to conceide.
It was natural for us to look better away from home, when the home teams couldn't play the same and they offered us spaces. I really think that we look like Napoli did, when we play on counter attacks and i really believe that we are one of the best teams in the world with this tactic.
As an example, the games with Brum. Home we had only one oportunity but failed, and then we had a lot of mixed passes that led nowhere. Then away, they attacked us and we played perfect on the counter, but then Nige injured himself in that horror intervention with Micah and Paddy made a penalty after a huge dive by Phillips, but again, imho we looked good because Brum didn't barricaded themselves.