Clean sheets - What are they, where did they go and when will we see them again?

[number4.]

The solution is to play a high line like Liverpool do

If played correctly it pushes the opponent in their own half and if players press then the opponent can’t get out of their own half

Similar to what Fulham did to us

Unfortunately we like to play deep and invite pressure on us thinking we have amazing defence and midfield who can play out from the back with ease and form counter attacks instead

The philosophy of football needs changing

you're right, but doing that with Pickford would be similar to them doing it with Adrian. It falls down, can you imagine JP with that pressure on him. He would be sent off for charging for a ball he couldnt win within a half.

Philosophy has to fit the personel unfortunately and that just wont work for us. I think the real problem is we are not dominating midfields, one of the key reasons for this is James, we are essentially trying to play a two in the middle, but one keeps getting dragged to the RHS to support who ever is right back meaning at times we are left with either Allan or Doucoure on their own in the middle.

Solution - for me, we need one more in the middle, possibly Godfrey, sitting with Allan and Doucoure in the middle, with doucoure covering a lot more of that right hand space as needed when FB is pushing on or James has moved in more centrally.

 

[Furey1878]

Pickford & Mina are absolute calamities.

However a big issue is the midfield - with James offering little in terms of defensive duties one of our 3 midfielders (mainly Doucoure) has to cover the right hand side effectively leaving us with 2 midfielders in the centre in which one is normally Gomes or Siggurdsson who are slow and cant tackle/defend therefore Allan is doing the job of two people.

The solution: sign a top box to box CM in January or hope Gbamin comes back to full fitness and isnt finished from his injuries.

Temporary Solution: Godfrey in the midfield alongside Allan with Doucoure pushed further forward in which Godfrey being able to tackle and having pace gives Allan some help when Doucoure is needing to cover that right hand side.

For me Godfrey looks more a CDM than a defender anyway - he smells of england water carrier in the Henderson/Rice/Drinkwater mold.

Yeah I've been coming around to this recently, if we play 4-3-3 have Godfrey or Holgate at the base of the midfield 3, should give Allan more assistance and free up Doucoure going forward more.

 

[Cels]

Wish it was a quarter of a decade mate

You know as I wrote that I was thinking "that's not right', but I just couldn't think of what I meant to put. Starting to think I'm losing my mind now. Misremembering certain things and not being able to find the right words etc. it's a slippery slope

​

 

[Joey66]

Simple - Pickford & Mina dropped plus sort out a right back plus a right-winger to cover the right back - play our playmaker in the middle with a free roll to roam - Holgate if fit has to return too.....

 

[wm02]

You know as I wrote that I was thinking "that's not right', but I just couldn't think of what I meant to put. Starting to think I'm losing my mind now. Misremembering certain things and not being able to find the right words etc. it's a slippery slope

​

I read it as quarter of a century. Made sense to me. I’m right there with you. Almost put a metal fork in the microwave yesterday

 

[Cool_Blue]

Bring BFS in as defence coach

 

[Cool_Blue]

I would play Holgate just in front of the back line, whether that’s 3 or 4 not sure. He’s comfortable enough on the ball to step forward into midfield when required, but he would mainly patrol that area just outside the D. A bit like Joe Parkinson used to. I don’t care how good your defenders are, if the opposition are waltzing through your midfield unopposed, the defence will be exposed. And let’s be honest, our defenders are pretty average at best.

 

[anton66]

The pressure is on our attack every match to score at least 3 goals due to the calamitous defence.

 

[carolinablue232]

Not until Pickford is dropped for a few games.

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

The solution is to play a high line like Liverpool do

If played correctly it pushes the opponent in their own half and if players press then the opponent can’t get out of their own half

Similar to what Fulham did to us

Unfortunately we like to play deep and invite pressure on us thinking we have amazing defence and midfield who can play out from the back with ease and form counter attacks instead

The philosophy of football needs changing

One of our problems now is players getting in behind our back four mate, if we played a high line teams would be scoring (more than they are now) for fun.

 

[Alanbileysfeathercut]

Deserved more credit this.....

Thank you.

 

[davids]

Pickford & Mina are absolute calamities.

However a big issue is the midfield - with James offering little in terms of defensive duties one of our 3 midfielders (mainly Doucoure) has to cover the right hand side effectively leaving us with 2 midfielders in the centre in which one is normally Gomes or Siggurdsson who are slow and cant tackle/defend therefore Allan is doing the job of two people.

The solution: sign a top box to box CM in January or hope Gbamin comes back to full fitness and isnt finished from his injuries.

Temporary Solution: Godfrey in the midfield alongside Allan with Doucoure pushed further forward in which Godfrey being able to tackle and having pace gives Allan some help when Doucoure is needing to cover that right hand side.

For me Godfrey looks more a CDM than a defender anyway - he smells of england water carrier in the Henderson/Rice/Drinkwater mold.

For me it's Pickford Mina or Mina Pickford. Pains me to say because I thought we'd bought a gem in Mina,sadly opponents refuse to hoof it long and play to his strengths. Teams that move the ball with pace on the deck in the final third and he flounders.

 

[Brendan Janus]

The back five should be sent down, because our defending has been criminal !!

 

[LABlue2]

It’s an interesting question. I would have thought we’d be compact with three CMs who aren’t particularly offensive, as rely on our front three + the fullbacks to primarily work together to create chances.

Perhaps it’s a personnel issue given Pickford and Mina, but it seems deeper than that. I’d be curious to look at our goals and see how many conceded involved those two players.

 

[number4.]

It’s an interesting question. I would have thought we’d be compact with three CMs who aren’t particularly offensive, as rely on our front three + the fullbacks to primarily work together to create chances.

Perhaps it’s a personnel issue given Pickford and Mina, but it seems deeper than that. I’d be curious to look at our goals and see how many conceded involved those two players.

I dont think that would tell you a story though. One of the problems is the lack of confidence bad players cause those around them. No doubt you take pickford out & you see some improvement in Mina and Keane, the domino of that is the MF settle down a bit more and so on.