Sideways passing at the back

[AshVilla]

This is utterly pointless and is doing my head in. Fulham a team that hadn't won in 6 straight games were either trying to and almost intercepting a la the Bacuna back pass that led to Shlong goal or catching there breath and letting us fill our boots before pointlessly launching it to Benteke to head to Fulham defender. His this actually a plan that is supposed to improve the team because it's shit. 

 

We have to increase our possession statistic from 1% to 20% somehow...

[Bunnski]

The likes of Westwood just aren't good enough if we want to break down relatively packed defences like Fulham's one today. If we want to stop playing it sideways we have to be just that bit sharper in the pass than the opposition, but watching Westwood take 3, 4 touches before thinking about the pass and then watching the likes of Barkley and Ozil play slick one-touch forward passes without so much as looking up made me realise just how limited our squad is.

Simply not true. He is a completely different type of player than those two for starters also Westwood has proved plenty of times that he has an eye for a quick killer pass.  I can see him being a big part of our future if we sign a quality attacking midfielder who will offer him a better option in a part of the pitch where he plays most of his game.  I've watched him try and push us on in games with quick passes and getting a high tempo going but its usually all for nothing when most of the time his options are sideways, backwards , a long ball to Benteke or Gabby with his back to goal near half way line.

[Kwan]

Alright, here we go.

 

This first image are our average positions against Arsenal, one of our best games of the season, results and performance wise. You'll notice that there is a lot of width along the midfield and good separation from the three forwards so they're not all standing together.

 

Arsenal

 

 

Again, versus Chelsea, one of our better performances of the season, there is good width with the fullbacks offering support, the midfield three clogging up the middle and width from Gabby and Andi. Benteke shows up as a little more towards Gabby but that's probably where he wanted to pick up the ball.

 

Chelsea

 

 

Liverpool at home wasn't a bad performance but we struggled to break them down. As you can see, the forwards start to clump a little more together but it's not any worse than the two above

 

Liverpool

 

 

Here's where things start to get a little squirrelly. The forwards are even closer now, with less width being provided in the front. I remember them playing a little more narrow but it's hard for our fullbacks to press on play if everyone is standing in the middle.

 

Newcastle

 

 

Norwich wasn't too bad but we were overrun in the middle and it showed because KEA and Delph lack the quality to keep the passes moving. But it was a more normal showing of width where they're not on top of each other

 

Norwich

 

 

City is when it all falls apart and PL falls back into this terrible habit of "It worked once so it'll work again!" It's classic punt and rush and while it won us the game, I think it started the mindset of PL that if it worked before, it can work again.

 

City

 

 

The forwards are again sitting on top of each other, providing no width for the fullbacks to link up with and condensing the play right down the middle. This was a miserable game.

 

Hull

 

 

Against Tottenham, it is the same thing. The forwards narrowing to a spearhead which makes it easy for the defense to just converge on the target forward and keep an eye on the other two. 

 

Tottenham

 

 

 

I'll skip over Everton and West Ham because it's more of the same and go straight to West Brom where we played Kozak and Benteke together. Everyone is literally on top of each other and it's a wonder we even scored when we did

 

WBA

 

 

And finally, the perfect Christmas tree against Fulham.

 

Fulham

 

 

The problem is right there picture by picture, game by game as the season goes on. It's no wonder they resort to punting it up when THERE ARE NO WIDE OPTIONS. It started off well so I believe that we can still come back from it, but the problem is there for everyone to see.

[myko]

In response to Kwan's post, I can't fathom how we could have / why we would have regressed like this ???

Someone enlighten me please.

Edited December 10, 2013 by myko

[Isa]

Good research there Kwan. Thanks for putting it up. The complete lack of width certainly does account for the increase in hoofing as we can only play through the middle really and we aren't good enough to do that by keeping it on the deck.

[Skruff]

Just posted in nother thread that I'd like to see Allbrigthon and Gabbyor/Tonev played on the wings and go for a 4-5-1 with either Kozak or Benteke on top. We're sorely missing the overlapping and one/twos with our fullbacks and widemen. Your post just underlines what my thoughts. Thank you Kwan.

[Dodgyknees]

Alright, here we go.

This first image are our average positions against Arsenal, one of our best games of the season, results and performance wise. You'll notice that there is a lot of width along the midfield and good separation from the three forwards so they're not all standing together.

Arsenal

Again, versus Chelsea, one of our better performances of the season, there is good width with the fullbacks offering support, the midfield three clogging up the middle and width from Gabby and Andi. Benteke shows up as a little more towards Gabby but that's probably where he wanted to pick up the ball.

Chelsea

Liverpool at home wasn't a bad performance but we struggled to break them down. As you can see, the forwards start to clump a little more together but it's not any worse than the two above

Liverpool

Here's where things start to get a little squirrelly. The forwards are even closer now, with less width being provided in the front. I remember them playing a little more narrow but it's hard for our fullbacks to press on play if everyone is standing in the middle.

Newcastle

Norwich wasn't too bad but we were overrun in the middle and it showed because KEA and Delph lack the quality to keep the passes moving. But it was a more normal showing of width where they're not on top of each other

Norwich

City is when it all falls apart and PL falls back into this terrible habit of "It worked once so it'll work again!" It's classic punt and rush and while it won us the game, I think it started the mindset of PL that if it worked before, it can work again.

City

The forwards are again sitting on top of each other, providing no width for the fullbacks to link up with and condensing the play right down the middle. This was a miserable game.

Hull

Against Tottenham, it is the same thing. The forwards narrowing to a spearhead which makes it easy for the defense to just converge on the target forward and keep an eye on the other two.

Tottenham

I'll skip over Everton and West Ham because it's more of the same and go straight to West Brom where we played Kozak and Benteke together. Everyone is literally on top of each other and it's a wonder we even scored when we did

WBA

And finally, the perfect Christmas tree against Fulham.

Fulham

The problem is right there picture by picture, game by game as the season goes on. It's no wonder they resort to punting it up when THERE ARE NO WIDE OPTIONS. It started off well so I believe that we can still come back from it, but the problem is there for everyone to see.

Been saying this for a while after studying us closely, GREAT POST and thank you for backing me up!

[TJVillan]

I've been saying this for a while too. It's as though Lambert wants the strikers to get closer together so their link up play can improve. But it's really having the opposite effect and the drastic consequence of it is that we play SO narrow.

 

And that narrow play doesn't just affect our attack. Oh god no. That's not the only problem. A massive problem is that it affects the way we defend. Noticed how Sasha Riether, John Arne Riise, Luke Shaw, Nathan Clyne have all been very influential in the last couple of games? That's because there is literally nobody tracking back on them. We have a bunch of players clogging up the midfield and forward areas...with just our full backs to cover the flanks.

 

Bacuna and Luna are not great full backs by any stretch of the imagination, but they are being caught out so often because they are getting no help from a winger or wide forward. They are facing a 2-on-1 every time the opposition attack with their full back and winger.

 

It contributes to our low possession, because the opposition can always recycle it and play it out to the full backs to put us under pressure again.

 

It also explains why every time Bacuna gets the ball at the moment, he seems to smash it forwards. Because he's got no other option. Clark and Vlaar can pass the ball out to Bacuna and Luna, but then they have to turn around give it back because there is nothing in front of them, or just hoof it in to our strikers. You see the vicious cycle we have appearing?

 

To cut a long story short, I don't think it is just Lambert encouraging us to play a long ball game. I think it is the lack of width and movement which is making our football so difficult to watch, and so ineffective going forward.

Edited December 12, 2013 by TJVillan

[Dodgyknees]

I've been saying this for a while too. It's as though Lambert wants the strikers to get closer together so their link up play can improve. But it's really having the opposite effect and the drastic consequence of it is that we play SO narrow.

And that narrow play doesn't just affect our attack. Oh god no. That's not the only problem. A massive problem is that it affects the way we defend. Noticed how Sasha Riether, John Arne Riise, Luke Shaw, Nathan Clyne have all been very influential in the last couple of games? That's because there is literally nobody tracking back on them. We have a bunch of players clogging up the midfield and forward areas...with just our full backs to cover the flanks.

Bacuna and Luna are not great full backs by any stretch of the imagination, but they are being caught out so often because they are getting no help from a winger or wide forward. They are facing a 2-on-1 every time the opposition attack with their full back and winger.

It contributes to our low possession, because the opposition can always recycle it and play it out to the full backs to put us under pressure again.

It also explains why every time Bacuna gets the ball at the moment, he seems to smash it forwards. Because he's got no other option. Clark and Vlaar can pass the ball out to Bacuna and Luna, but then they have to turn around give it back because there is nothing in front of them, or just hoof it in to our strikers. You see the vicious cycle we have appearing?

To cut a long story short, I don't think it is just Lambert encouraging us to play a long ball game. I think it is the lack of width and movement which is making our football so difficult to watch, and so ineffective going forward.

Exactly.

[SikhInTrinity]

I would not play 4-4-2 against United though.

[turnbull]