The Rémi Garde thread

[Stevo985]

I think midfield especially it's evident. They're passing and keeping the ball better than they've done in about 2 years! 
Plus individuals, especially Ayew, are playing with a hell of a lot more confidence than they were 6 weeks ago.

To be fair that might just be down to settling in rather than the manager in particular, but I still think it's evident.

[DCJonah]

Can't agree with the midfield. Sanchez has looked poor passing the ball and although Veretout was better his passing the last 2 games has not been a stand out attribute. 

[Stevo985]

Sorry, I'm talking specifically about confidence, not necessarily about the quality of the passing.

I mean the midfield are looking at keeping the ball, finding short passes, going back to the defence etc etc a lot more these days, instead of just hoofing it up to nobody when put under any sort of pressure.

[Keyblade]

Yeah, even when we're under heavy pressure and just survived 2 or 3 goal scares it amazed me how composed we remained. Still passed it about like it was just after the kick off. We would just hoof it to nobody under those circumstances previously.

[DCJonah]

Oh, yeah I'd agree with that to some extent. Just a shame the quality doesn't always match the intent. 

[Dr_Pangloss]

25 minutes ago, DCJonah said:

Can't agree with the midfield. Sanchez has looked poor passing the ball and although Veretout was better his passing the last 2 games has not been a stand out attribute. 

Again, I agree, the midfield doesn't look good to me. It does a poor job protecting the defence, as we saw yesterday (especially in the first half an hour), where time and time again our weak back four were exposed, I'd like to say Sanchez was the chief culprit, but Gana and Veretout also played their part by being weak too.

Then, it is hardly creating enough chances going forward, we have a big lummox up front who is not receiving much in the way of crosses, I can barely remember any through balls getting played either, when's the last time we actually got in behind an opposing back line?

The midfield may be doing a slightly better job keeping the ball, but again, this is only slight, lets not forget that we couldn't keep the ball at all for the first half an hour yesterday and didn't keep the ball at all against Everton. However it's not doing the fundamentals well enough - protecting the back four and creating chances.

Edited December 6, 2015 by Dr_Pangloss

[Vive_La_Villa]

9 hours ago, Keyblade said:

Yeah, even when we're under heavy pressure and just survived 2 or 3 goal scares it amazed me how composed we remained. Still passed it about like it was just after the kick off. We would just hoof it to nobody under those circumstances previously.

And this is also proving to be our downfall when we eventually give it away in a poor position. I like the fact we are trying to play but i don't think it's helping our cause just yet. 

[Butterfingers]

34 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

And this is also proving to be our downfall when we eventually give it away in a poor position. I like the fact we are trying to play but i don't think it's helping our cause just yet. 

We've been giving it away in poor positions for a few years now. Obviously, the name Sanchez springs to mind but he's not on his own. No way can this be attributed to the new manager.

[AvfcTheObsession]

I think the weekend's point will unfortunately prove to be another 'false dawn'. We start games so slowly, we did under Sherwood, we did under McDonald in his brief stint and we have done under Garde. More often than not these slow starts get punished (Spurs away, Everton away, Watford last week). We may have got away with it yesterday but I doubt Arsenal will be so unforgiving next week if they have 2 or 3 chances in the first 20 minutes.

[ozvillafan]

28 minutes ago, AvfcTheObsession said:

I think the weekend's point will unfortunately prove to be another 'false dawn'. We start games so slowly, we did under Sherwood, we did under McDonald in his brief stint and we have done under Garde. More often than not these slow starts get punished (Spurs away, Everton away, Watford last week). We may have got away with it yesterday but I doubt Arsenal will be so unforgiving next week if they have 2 or 3 chances in the first 20 minutes.

I'd put our slow starts down to confidence and squad tinkering (though, to be fair, Remi had little choice but to go with a new central defensive unit). As the game wore on we looked better and more settled compared to that nightmare first 20 when we could (and should) have been down by about 4.

I hope they kick on from this and, hopefully, use the cup final last year as a bit of incentive in their next game.

[rubberman]

12 minutes ago, ozvillafan said:

I'd put our slow starts down to confidence and squad tinkering (though, to be fair, Remi had little choice but to go with a new central defensive unit). As the game wore on we looked better and more settled compared to that nightmare first 20 when we could (and should) have been down by about 4.

I hope they kick on from this and, hopefully, use the cup final last year as a bit of incentive in their next game.

Yeah - Another completely new back 4 combo no doubt contributed to the terrible first half hour.  Without injuries I think we'd be looking much more solid now, but that's the game and we're by no means worse off than others.  Okore back looks positive, and who knows, but Ilori looks close and might help.

I would have taken a point beforehand, but Newcastle and Bournemouth's results make it not enough.  If only Westwood had hit the target...

[AntrimBlack]

I think the slow starts are down to Garde instructing them to keep it tight and work their way into the game. It won't always work, but I can certainly understand if that is what he is trying to do.

[Bunnski]

We need to play with the intensity we saw when we came out 2nd half vs Southampton but we have to start games like that, none of this growing into the game bollox. Our only chance now is to go all out from the start of every game and don't let Lescott, Richardson or Gestede anywhere near the starting 11.  

[mikeyp102]

I haven't seen Saturday's performance, but it appears first half we were awful and could've conceded many goal, yet second half we improved??

I genuinely can't remember the last time we played well for a full 90 minutes. Under Sherwood, Lambert and now Garde we have 45 minutes where we play well, but the other 45 we are poor. 

[KHV]

4 minutes ago, mikeyp102 said:

I haven't seen Saturday's performance, but it appears first half we were awful and could've conceded many goal, yet second half we improved??

I genuinely can't remember the last time we played well for a full 90 minutes. Under Sherwood, Lambert and now Garde we have 45 minutes where we play well, but the other 45 we are poor. 

The first half an hour was bad, they should have been out of sight like Everton were

[Stevo985]

Yeah I didn't see the first half, but watched the second, so i was slightly more complimentary about the performance on the weekend than it maybe deserved.

Having watched MOTD last night the amount of chances they had first half was worrying. But given the new defence (again) that's a litle more understandable.

I remain encouraged by the second half and our performances in general under Garde. But I agree that we never seem to perform for a whole game. And it seems to have been that way for years now.

[briny_ear]

Remi got lucky that we faced Southampton as they are suffering a dreadful run of form and associated loss of confidence.

Let's hope he is a lucky manager in general. It's about our only hope.

[Mantis]

But going by that logic he was unlucky that we had to face Watford and Everton teams that are in good form and full of confidence?

[Stevo985]

21 minutes ago, Mantis said:

But going by that logic he was unlucky that we had to face Watford and Everton teams that are in good form and full of confidence?

Nah. Luck only counts one way.

[TRO]

On 6 December 2015 at 12:03:15, Dr_Pangloss said:

Again, I agree, the midfield doesn't look good to me. It does a poor job protecting the defence, as we saw yesterday (especially in the first half an hour), where time and time again our weak back four were exposed, I'd like to say Sanchez was the chief culprit, but Gana and Veretout also played their part by being weak too.

Then, it is hardly creating enough chances going forward, we have a big lummox up front who is not receiving much in the way of crosses, I can barely remember any through balls getting played either, when's the last time we actually got in behind an opposing back line?

The midfield may be doing a slightly better job keeping the ball, but again, this is only slight, lets not forget that we couldn't keep the ball at all for the first half an hour yesterday and didn't keep the ball at all against Everton. However it's not doing the fundamentals well enough - protecting the back four and creating chances.

Talking about midfield in the main........I still think there is a huge difference between our play with the ball as opposed to without the ball. Without the ball our play and positioning is woeful.

we had an opportunity to win the game without a creative effort....we failed.....and it was totall predictable.

the defensive side of our game will relegate us.