Why are we so **** at them?? Throw ins. Other teams work their bollocks off to close ours down and we end up giving the ball straight back to them. Their throw ins we dont press hardly at all and just let them play out of trouble. Free kicks. You're twenty yards away Jelly- hit the ****ing target FFS. Time to let someone else have a go. Corners. Poor yesterday, too many over hit. We all know we are going to aim for Davies, but having him at the back post with no one behind him meant they were just wasted and went out of play. Crosses. Often dont beat the first man. Thats poor and happens too regularly. I thought Meylers hard and low in the second half was a great cross but no one gambled. Set pieces are a vital part of the game now and we need to up our game in regard to delivery and execution of them. I can guarantee our first corner at Wembley will be underhit and then the next over hit. But i bet you wont see one of our players in the warm up taking 10 corners to practice from either side.
We missed Hudd's set-pieces for sure. As for crossing in open play, I think people underestimate how difficult it is to do consistently. As usual, there were a few good ones and quite a few bad ones yesterday - but we scored from a decent cross, and Figgy's that created the early Long chance was a complete pearler.
These set pieces should be training ground bread and butter. Every corner should be a real goal scoring opportunity but sometimes you'd think we must never practice them at all.
We need a thrower in who can throw it to one of our players. Actually we need player who will move and run around when we've got a throw in so the thrower has someone to aim for. Drives me mental. I REALLY hope Brady recovers fully, we miss him.
This is nothing new. City have been fairly static from throw-ins ever since I have been a supporter and that's from 1974! Huddlestone was missed for his corners and free kicks yesterday, but I think a lot of teams struggle in creating clear chances from every corner or free kick they get. Despite all of their possession yesterday, and all of their crosses, what did Swansea actually create?
We could get an extra 20 goals a season if we worked on our set pieces. Practice is vital but there's no evidence we practice at all. You are right about throws too. There's not enough movement. Too many times a player comes from distance and is marked. They should move to be an option and at the same time be creating space for another player to move into. I noticed how often Swansea players received the ball from throws without any serious pressure.
We are dire at throw ins, we always have been. What I don't understand is, why do teams need a designated throw in taker? Sometimes we win a throw and a player makes an overlapping run into acres of space, but the taker suddenly drops the ball and waits for Rosenior/Figueroa to trot across to take it.
So every corner against us should also be a real goal scoring opportunity thats what you're saying? There's something on football called defending.
Totally agree with you on that. See it happen every week - when was the last time we took a quick throw in ???
Every corner should give those attacking the ball something to attack. If it is good defending that stops you scoring you can't complain but when it is an under-hit corner followed by an over-hit one it is not good enough.
Makes this Yank wonder exactly what is practiced on the training ground. Unless there are some funny goings on in England with air pressure, good, consistent corner kicks should be accomplished through a bit of practice.
I saw some stats on that once during a game on ESPN that indicated it was a poor idea to do long throws into the box. It showed that the goal rate off a regular throw in which you try to keep possession and then get it into the box was better than the goal rate from a long throw into the box. I dont have a link or anything to back that up but its what I remember seeing.
Thats one of the few things about the way we've played under Bruce that infuriates me. The quick throw in to an open player from the nearest player to the ball when it goes out is, like the quickly taken free kick/short corner, one of the best plays in the game. But we never do it. On the contrary we wait for Figueroa to amble up from 30 yards away, fake 3-4 throws until every one of our players is covered, and then throw it to one of them with the ball coming straight back more often than not. Lets use a bit of imagination for once.
