Are we too nice mkII

[Bruce Wayne]

There was a thread this week asking whether we were too well behaved on account of other sides regularly hounding the referee and possibly getting preferential treatment as a result.

It was mentioned during the commentary that we have collected the fewest yellow cards in the league this season. I tried to find stats on the number of fouls comitted but couldn't find any.

Anyway, in the first half especially it was noticeable how both Neville and Jagielka seemed to be chasing shadows and marking space rather than getting close to their men. In the second half they seemed a lot more aggressive and proactive in hounding their men and the Middlesborough threat was minimal.

Do we need more aggression in our tackling and general defensive play?

 

[Robert Jarvis]

We need better thought out tactics for on the pitch not kicking the opposition.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I didn't mean we should resort to rough house tactics, sorry if it appeared that way by my use of the yellow card stats, I would have preferred to use tackle stats to emphasise my point but couldn't find any.

What I was trying to say was that we don't seem to make many tackles, especially in the midfield. In the first half both Neville and Jagielka were sat very deep and seemed to be marking space rather than men. They were standing off their opposition rather than being proactive in pursuit of the ball.

I was just wondering if we need to be more assertive in our approach when we don't have the ball.

 

[Robert Jarvis]

As I said in another post, is this not perhaps Moyes Tactics i.e. defence orientated!

 

[GrandOldTeam]

There was a thread this week asking whether we were too well behaved on account of other sides regularly hounding the referee and possibly getting preferential treatment as a result.

It was mentioned during the commentary that we have collected the fewest yellow cards in the league this season. I tried to find stats on the number of fouls comitted but couldn't find any.

Anyway, in the first half especially it was noticeable how both Neville and Jagielka seemed to be chasing shadows and marking space rather than getting close to their men. In the second half they seemed a lot more aggressive and proactive in hounding their men and the Middlesborough threat was minimal.

Do we need more aggression in our tackling and general defensive play?

Definitely.

It was me who mentioned whether or not we are 'too well behaved' and personally I think we are.

 

[Great Dane]

Yes we need to be more aggressive but not resort to the kind of hounding of the officials that the so-called "bigger" teams do in order to swing the vote for them.

When Cahill, Gavesen and Vaughan gets back this will come naturally. I would however like to have a real beast in the side. Someone who motivates through a tough but fair tackle.

 

[little curly alan ball]

As I said in another post, is this not perhaps Moyes Tactics i.e. defence orientated!

moyes - tactics . oxymoron , yes ?? lcab

 

[SuitsBlue]

didnt diop play well for pompey on saturday, i honestly didnt think he still had it in him.

heres a thought, tell you who is class at that defensive mid role, mascherano, that would be a fine coup.

 

[Great Dane]

didnt diop play well for pompey on saturday, i honestly didnt think he still had it in him.

heres a thought, tell you who is class at that defensive mid role, mascherano, that would be a fine coup.

Daniele di Rossi of Roma - but the best in the world is without a doubt Essien.

 

[Philw]

i think that the lack of closing down in midfiled has been a problem of ours for a long time. everygame i watch the opposition midfield players seem to always have an age to receive the ball, turn, have a look at whats on, make a cup of tea and then do something with the ball before one of our players engages them. i hate this, as it allows players to settle, get into a rhythm and play their best. we should be trying to stop this at all times. it also has directly led to goals against many times... think of the chelsea game last yr.... i was beggin someone to close down lampard before he got the ball... they didnt, he recieved it in space, had time and blasted it in the back of the net.....

a play basketball quite a bit, more than i do football nowadays, and somethin our coach often stresses is off-the-ball defense. it seems that moyes doesnt do this, and that many of our players think you only have to play defense when your player has the ball :|

 

[zero]

i think that the lack of closing down in midfiled has been a problem of ours for a long time. everygame i watch the opposition midfield players seem to always have an age to receive the ball, turn, have a look at whats on, make a cup of tea and then do something with the ball before one of our players engages them. i hate this, as it allows players to settle, get into a rhythm and play their best. we should be trying to stop this at all times. it also has directly led to goals against many times... think of the chelsea game last yr.... i was beggin someone to close down lampard before he got the ball... they didnt, he recieved it in space, had time and blasted it in the back of the net.....

a play basketball quite a bit, more than i do football nowadays, and somethin our coach often stresses is off-the-ball defense. it seems that moyes doesnt do this, and that many of our players think you only have to play defense when your player has the ball :|

Seriously though I know what your saying Phil Neville and Lee Carsley both are guilty of this I remember that particular Lampard goal I was screaming at Carsley to close him down but he sits firmly infront of the defence and adopts a "lets see if you can beat Howard from there" mentality.

Needs to be cut out of our game sharpish.

 

[Blue Wiz]

I don't think we are too nice.. but our defensive midfielders aren't comfortable playing 2 in the same role. They tend to fall back too much and expect the other to put pressure on the opponent.. like a CM or AM would do in that situation... or if they were the only DM they HAD to do it.

I really think having two DM is, somewhat, disrupting their game as well. They're not used to it.. we've always had someone infront of them in the midfield.. (Gravesen, Arteta, Cahill....)