Off the ball

[lapal_fan]

Does it drive anyone else absolutely bananas?

 

I honestly, truly, cannot conceivably understand how or why we are so fundamentally terrible at not moving when someone else has the ball.  The players run about 10 yards in a forward line and if they don't receive it by then, they're utterly useless because they're picked up by a defender and just continue to stand and wait for something to happen.

 

It's been something that has annoyed me since Gareth Barry left.  We had a short spell in Houiller's reign when off the ball, we weren't too bad, but I think, for a professional football team, we must be one of the worst at it.

 

The complete lack of movement off the ball makes us so easy to work out, easy to defend against and it's maddening.

 

Watch Chelsea, Arsenal or Man City, their players are constantly making little runs, not always in straight lines either.  Obviously teams like Madrid or Barca are the masters of this, but it's such a simple concept that we haven't got right in years. 

 

The one thing that annoys me is that we can only run forwards, never backwards when we have the ball.  It's so rare when you see a midfielder dropping deep to collect the ball from a defender.. I think Delph's probably the best at it, because he always wants the ball, but even he can sometimes be accused of it.

 

I don't know, I just needed to get that off my chest.

 

Oh, one last thing, the options given to our fullbacks to pass to someone on the floor are laughable.  Cissoko and Lowton last night had 2 choices for passes consistantly yesterday, pass to the closest CM inside, or hit it up the line and hope Gabby or Wiemann get to it and retain possession..  Maddening.

[Dodgyknees]

Very frustrating. Statues!

Again, down to training..

[Zatman]

but this has been an ongoing issue for a while and always been frustrating. Of our strikers I think only Kozak has that movement around the box in anticipation or makes good runs.

 

even our corner kicks their is no movement

[DCJonah]

All comes down to coaching and we've had a run of poor managers.

Maybe houllier could have done something with time but McLeish and Lambert clearly haven't got the coaching ability.

[7392craig]

Bent used to be famous for his movement, since Lambert took over whenever he has came on he's a statue, it's got to be down to coaching.

[Stevo985]

It's been happening for ages at the club. before Lambert.

 

I remember when Robbie Keane arrived and his movement was out of this world compared to the rest of our players.

[Cliffy Biro]

Because none of last few managers have bought any good footballers or few and far between, Benteke is a brilliant footballer but his movement is hardly amazing and Gabby/Wiemann completely lack footballing brains so its hardly a shock we hardly ever score.

[dudevillaisnice]

Lack of coaching, poor player recruitment. No real determination to change things at the club long term to shift away from sole counter attacking.. A manager that is seemingly set in his way with no alternate plan etc, List goes on and on.

[mikeyp102]

It is so frustrating. Even from throw ins we just stand there, may as well just hand the ball back to the opposition. It's got to be down to coaching or lack of

[DCJonah]

It is so frustrating. Even from throw ins we just stand there, may as well just hand the ball back to the opposition. It's got to be down to coaching or lack of

I don't see any other team give the ball away so cheaply.  It's absolutely horrendous.

[AVFCforever1991]

Just increase off the ball in editor...

Edited October 28, 2014 by AVFCforever1991

[Zatman]

Bent used to be famous for his movement, since Lambert took over whenever he has came on he's a statue, it's got to be down to coaching.

 

Lambert has done a lot of things wrong but im sure he didnt tell Bent to stop moving 

[ROTTERDAM1982]

 Have to say it has been a problem since GH, and before him as well.

 

 Gabby drives me to frustration, his lack of movement, or awareness is incredibly irritating.Seeing him saunter into the box last night makes me wonder how much coaching he has had, he never anticipates, or anticipates, and i don't think its any coincidence that the one true coach we had as a manager, GH, never played him.

 

 On top of that, having no midfielders who try to run past the forwards, and create space, and options for others, leads me to the conclusion that PLs recruitment, and awareness of the problems, and how to rectify them, are non-exxistant.No options, no quality, no awareness, no chance, no future.

[7392craig]

Well done *clap*. There was me thinking he'd told him to stand still. I think you'll find I was referring to how the coaching has changed the players style. If you read my previous post that you've also quoted, you'll see I mention it there as well.

[Stevo985]

To be fair even under MON our movement wasn't great. We just had the players to get around that problem. We hardly played tiki taka under MON did we?

[Zatman]

we have always been a static team. In last 10 years I can remember only Angel as a forward that had any movement and no coincidence he was always offside. On set-pieces only Laursen seemed to have any awareness and except the Barry/Young combination we never had anything else regarding movement. 

 

So sad actually

[ROTTERDAM1982]

 Thats what i said Stevo, after GH and before.

 

 We've never really had a great technical coach, but this bloke atm is up there with McNeill.

[lapal_fan]

To be fair even under MON our movement wasn't great. We just had the players to get around that problem. We hardly played tiki taka under MON did we?

 

No, you're quite right, we didn't.

 

But with Gareth Barry in the team, Ashley Young was always high-tailng his way somewhere in anticipation that he would be found. 

 

Milner was also very decent at off the ball movement.  I don't think it's any surprise that he's now playing regularly at City.

 

Carew obviously didn't have to much too much and we played with a consistent back 4 and Petrov sitting, not much movement needed there.

 

I'd say, out of that team, Downing was probably our let pro-active off the ball runner, he liked it into feet.

 

The problem now is, all of them want it into feet, so there's absolutely no one creating any space with runs through "lines" (shudder).

Edited October 28, 2014 by lapal_fan

[Stevo985]

 

To be fair even under MON our movement wasn't great. We just had the players to get around that problem. We hardly played tiki taka under MON did we?

 

No, you're quite right, we didn't.

 

But with Gareth Barry in the team, Ashley Young was always high-tailng his way somewhere in anticipation that he would be found. 

 

Milner was also very decent at off the ball movement.  I don't think it's any surprise that he's now playing regularly at City.

 

Carew obviously didn't have to much too much and we played with a consistent back 4 and Petrov sitting, not much movement needed there.

 

I'd say, out of that team, Downing was probably our let pro-active off the ball runner, he liked it into feet.

 

The problem now is, all of them want it into feet, so there's absolutely no one creating any space with runs through "lines" (shudder).

 

Exactly. 

 

I remember complaining at the time that all we ever did was get it to Barry and Petrov/MIlner in midfield, who'd pass it out to Young/Downing and they'd cross it in or cut in and shoot.

 

Don't get me wrong, it was very effective a lot of the time. But when it didn't work, we lacked the movement to create much else.

 

We've never, in the recent past, had that off the ball movement that unlocks stubborn defences.

[DCJonah]

MON had players who could run at and beat defenders and while carews movement wasn't amazing he was good at attacking space in the box.

I actually think its worse under Lambert than anyone I can remember. When he came I really believed we were going to get someone who had a positive effect on players through coaching.