Rafa Benitez discussing our defence on Sky

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Tinpot Club

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Not sure if anyone else saw this. They just analysed the goals we conceded from long balls recently.

Benitez highlighted the body position of our back 4 and that Francis took up his defence position too wide. Mentioned Liverpool looking to exploit it earlier in the game before the goal.

I’ll be honest it’s not something I’ve ever noticed before and I doubt anyone else on here has too. Without wanting to reopen the coaching debate too much, but it was really interesting to listen to the insight of such an experienced top level coach.

Expect Chelsea to try a few long balls over the top on Saturday now
 
Leicester did it to us too. I think the three fixes we need are 1) three in midfield 2) go back to vintage Eddie domination of the ball 3) a defensive coach. When fit our defenders are individually excellent. Also look at how Mepham looks a different player for Wales. We have never defended properly but always had the ability to score twice in a game. Take away the latter and you have a relegation battle.
 
It's all come a bit out of the blue to be signs of a systematic issue with our back four positioning. God knows we could be accused of all sorts of defensive frailties in recent times but I can't remember us shipping lots of these previously.
 
Neil Dawson said:
Leicester did it to us too. I think the three fixes we need are 1) three in midfield 2) go back to vintage Eddie domination of the ball 3) a defensive coach. When fit our defenders are individually excellent. Also look at how Mepham looks a different player for Wales. We have never defended properly but always had the ability to score twice in a game. Take away the latter and you have a relegation battle.
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I think the eye opener for me wasn’t a flaw in our system or tactics but more a fundamental flaw in the technique of our defenders.

For balance he did say it was a flaw lots of defenders had and Carragher needed to be coached too
 
SlowDownDerek said:
It's all come a bit out of the blue to be signs of a systematic issue with our back four positioning. God knows we could be accused of all sorts of defensive frailties in recent times but I can't remember us shipping lots of these previously.
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That’s because not many teams will lower themselves to do it. Sign of why Liverpool may be better than Man City... variation. Klopp said they worked on it in the week. Good management.

Certainly long ball teams although few and far between have caught us out... Burnley have a few times ( although we have also caught them out with football a few times in the interest of balance)
 
red_house said:
The long ball thing is catching a few out. My guess is every man and his dog will have wised up to it by next week.
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I have seen a few teams caught out by recently, not sure if its just coincidence or not. If you have a good passer of a long ball and a quick forward, its actually very easy to be caught out by it. Really needs the midfield and strikers to work hard at stopping the long ball in the first place. Either that or you need a defender to almost play as a sweeper.

By the way, I think calling it 'long ball' suggests its a hoof. There is a skill to passing 50/60 yards into the right place.
 
Neil Dawson said:
That’s because not many teams will lower themselves to do it. Sign of why Liverpool may be better than Man City... variation. Klopp said they worked on it in the week. Good management.

Certainly long ball teams although few and far between have caught us out... Burnley have a few times ( although we have also caught them out with football a few times in the interest of balance)
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Let's not fall out about you making stuff up to back a spurious point up again.

https://www.premierleague.com/stats/top/clubs/total_long_balls
 
Obviously the goals they highlighted were long balls (or accurate long passes) but IF Benitez is right and we do have a problem with our defenders’ body positions, then it’s entirely possible this flaw contributes to other types of goals we concede too.

I can certainly think of a few goals where the back 4 have been caught flat footed which were nothing to do with long balls but could be linked to the same problem.
 
Tinpot Club said:
Obviously the goals they highlighted were long balls (or accurate long passes) but IF Benitez is right and we do have a problem with our defenders’ body positions, then it’s entirely possible this flaw contributes to other types of goals we concede too.

I can certainly think of a few goals where the back 4 have been caught flat footed which were nothing to do with long balls but could be linked to the same problem.
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The guys that I sit with have mentioned this getting caught on the wrong foot theory before. I'm sure Eddie watches and analyses other coaches observations. Let's hope so anyway.
 
It's all very well having fantastic long passes but you need the front players to be making the runs, have the ability to control and then have the confidence to finish. We have Lewis Cook who has the vision and technique (but he is on the bench) but don't have the strikers to take advantage.
 
davygravy said:
I have seen a few teams caught out by recently, not sure if its just coincidence or not. If you have a good passer of a long ball and a quick forward, its actually very easy to be caught out by it. Really needs the midfield and strikers to work hard at stopping the long ball in the first place. Either that or you need a defender to almost play as a sweeper.

By the way, I think calling it 'long ball' suggests its a hoof. There is a skill to passing 50/60 yards into the right place.
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Lewis Cook is more than capable of playing a 50 yard pass, so long as someone is making the run.
 
bournemouthsufc said:
It's all very well having fantastic long passes but you need the front players to be making the runs, have the ability to control and then have the confidence to finish. We have Lewis Cook who has the vision and technique (but he is on the bench) but don't have the strikers to take advantage.
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Haha! Note to self - read to the bottom of the thread before posting :lol:

Agree about Cook. Josh has got the finish but a first touch touch not up to it. Solanke has got good first touch and a bit of pace but cant finish.
 
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Topmodtony said:
Haha! Note to self - read to the bottom of the thread before posting :lol:

Agree about Cook. Josh has got the finish but a first touch touch not up to it. Solanke has got good first touch and a bit of pace but cant finish.
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Ha!
I would say Cook to Defoe but he never seemed to make the runs as he got too frustrated that nobody seemed to try it! We have lost our identity, gone from possession to counter attack and now just just a bit of long ball. Agree King has got the technique but how many times has he run onto a through ball or long pass?

We are in the big league, as proved by spurs and Liverpool it just takes one pass. Leicester and Vardy are proving that. Fraser has the ability to run into balls but a shadow of his former self at the mo (like Wilson,).
 
Just listening to him after the West Ham game....would love him to spend a week with Eddie watching training , he talks so much sense
 
[QUOTE="davygravy, post: 329950, member: 510"

By the way, I think calling it 'long ball' suggests its a hoof. There is a skill to passing 50/60 yards into the right place.[/QUOTE]

Excellent point. I’d hardly class Hoddle or Le Tissier as ‘long ball merchants’
 
bournemouthsufc said:
Ha!
I would say Cook to Defoe but he never seemed to make the runs as he got too frustrated that nobody seemed to try it! We have lost our identity, gone from possession to counter attack and now just just a bit of long ball. Agree King has got the technique but how many times has he run onto a through ball or long pass?

We are in the big league, as proved by spurs and Liverpool it just takes one pass. Leicester and Vardy are proving that. Fraser has the ability to run into balls but a shadow of his former self at the mo (like Wilson,).
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Callum’s goal at Southampton is the closest. You know, watching him pull up on Saturday makes me wonder if he may have been carrying tight hamstrings for a while, because he’s been struggling to get past the last defender Since that game
 
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