Set Pieces

2 goals conceded on set pieces again

This is MORE than a personnel issue, they are being coached wrong

We need a specialist coach for this , as well as new recruits

 

We looked pathetic against pretty much every set piece against us.

 

I think that a defender that is dominant in the air would go a long way to solving that problem.

 

Its a point certainly.

Its hard to know who's more wrong on that one yesterday.

We can see on the replays given that reina clearly told agger to watch the guy but agger simply ignored it and was dancing about "marking space" was he supposed to be zonal marking or was he picking up someone like ivanovic of something as if the ball had gone there it looked to me like agger had no chance getting to him either.

so was it ball watching or marking space?

Carrgher also didn't attack it and was at the near post, again unsure why, maybe tracking soemone...


All i can say is it was really poor to give a nothing player like oscar a free header.

I have to think though that its in the coaching as well as players.

 

Was talking to someone in the pub just before the game started and my words were "at least Chelsea are a small team like us, less likely to take advantage of how **** we are in the air"

 

well luiz, ivanovic and terry have all caused us set piece problems i nthe past but the one thing maybe that does also needed to be added is how carragher was bossed totally in the air by torres.. it was actually embaressing watching a guy who we used to say should not have balled knocked long and aimlessly at for us then get the same service from Chelsea and clean our clocks.

I think personnel is a big part myself. I guess its many things need to be done to improve us all round. We we any better with clarke as asst manager? not sure.

 

Torres is massively underrated in the air and it shows that you don't need to be a 6, 9" brick sh1thouse to win aerial duels.

Timing, technique, and ability to jump are far more important.

 

We'll blame you then, you jinxed us

 

I agree with Jimmy () here. Torres is six foot but wins headers like he is eight foot.

Predictable

 

Don't worry, you'll be fine against us this weekend - we've not scored a set piece all season, bar a direct free-kick from Cabaye.

IF we get the ball past the first man, which is very rare, it goes way beyond the back stick in the hope that Taylor can head it across goal. That hasn't happened once all season.

So there you have it. Set up a decent wall and put your biggest players / best headers of the ball on the far post. We won't get anything. Not from corners or free-kicks.

Pardew's tactics have been woeful and the lack of ability to identify the issue and correct it is extremely worrying. Just trying the same thing over and over and over.

 

EDIT:

Oops! double post thing again.

 

I believe we were. We're poorer defensively this season and I fully expected the extra goals to happen anyway, as the new players settled and the law of averages saw the chances we were creating last season missing the woodwork and hitting the scoresheet instead.

Plenty of pundits have said that despite the old cliche, "The table doesn't lie", we were better than 8th last season. I don't hear anybody saying we're not where we deserve to be this season.

It's also notable that Clarke has done roughly as well in his first management post as Rodgers has with experience and a more expensive squad.

 

I think it's a bit of both when it comes to personnel or coaching arguments.
Coaching could improve the marking perhaps, but we don't have anyone who attacks the ball in the air with the intent of making it his, no matter what.
We simply don't have anyone aggressive enough in the air for set pieces at either end. We're ineffectual in at their end, and a disaster waiting to happen at our own.
With Skrtel out of favour and presumably leaving we really need to address this problem urgently. Agger is quality with the ball at his feet, but nowhere near as dominant in the air as is required.

 

Surely the defensive issues have come from a change of system and style? Only one DM to protect two CB's and a keeper, everyone else is attacking! Obviously, this is the managers choice though but Steve Clarke being here as a assistant wouldn't change that IMO

Although its very small, is seventh not an improvement?

Fair point although there is also a lot less pressure to succeed at WBA. They also had a settled team whereas BR has as had a mixed bag of players (some experienced, some expensive youngsters that have had a season to settle in and then some high potential youngsters) and introduced a new system that will take time to get used too: he's had that time now but the player quality needs to improve.

 

As you say, the tactics do not help our defence. The CB's and DM are constantly exposed as the opposition continually find gaps and space in between our static lines. Having new defenders will not remedy the situation until the team play the formation/tactic perfectly i.e. defending as a unit, tracking back etc OR Rodgers changes his tactics.

However, our defending against set pieces is shocking - this is where new players could have a bigger impact.

 

I have to say two things

1. this is about set piece not just general play though i find both lacking.

2. I think gerrez is trying to hard to defender rodgers. 7th or 8th matters for naught there is no improvement. rodgers bought badly in the summer, made bad errors with players and hasn't really done anything of note bar beat spurs in the top half. I really see zero improvement at all.

 

We will finish with more points than last season which is some improvement.

 

how many more?

we had 52 last year which IMO was mangy.... we have 51 with 4 games to go.

draw all 4 and that 55 points

3 points increase is one result... i'd call that within random noise and no signal of anything.

I'll also say win 4 and we end up on 63 = 11 points better = 20% better

finally win 2 draw 2 than thats 7 points better and i'd call that marginal.

I can only see the fact that we played a wee bit better for a period mid year cos we started disastrously, have tailed off disasteroulsy too and frankly 7th or 8th? thats nowhere, best of the rest at best. the top 6 is not even where mr henry cited the reason to sack kenny. therefore is don't see this improvement.

luckily we bought well in January though as a conciliatory note to your point of view cos without that we'd have been much worse off.

 

Seems to still be relevant this season

We have new recruits, that doesn't seem to have solved anything so maybe a new coach is required! Or is it that apart from Toure/Sakho & possible Skrtel if he plays, we don't have a midfielder/forward than can come back and help defend them in the same way a lot of other clubs have?

 

bring back Carroll!