With a quarter of the season now played, one of the key features of this season has been the (in)ability of teams in defensive situations. We know only too well about defensive frailties at VP but it seems it’s catching. Chelsea 3 Arsenal 5, Man Utd 1 Man City 6, Man Utd 8 Arsenal 2 – Even the big-boys have been at it and I’ve not seen Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal et al look so vulnerable in a long time. So what’s causing this? Is it a case that defences are getting worse or attackers better? Just what has happened to the stoic art of defending?
Well it’s a bit of everything and different reasons for different teams. Chelsea under Boas play a much higher line than they did for many a previous season. Anyone who watched Porto under the same coach would not be in the least bit surprised however their 5 goal horror-show at the Bridge is inexcusable. Arsenal’; patched up back line will give teams a host of chances and new boys Santos and Mertesacker have done little to plug the gaps – in the German’s case what was a gap is now a gaping hole and he has been very unconvincing. A starting place in the German team next summer is unlikely unless he improves significantly no matter how loyal coach Low might wish to be.
Elsewhere, Man Utd are being hamstrung by a changing of the guard with Ferdinand looking out of sorts, Vidic less commanding and new partnerships taking time to forge. That said the manager must take special criticism for persisting with Jonny Evans who should have been sold in the summer. Ferguson also out-laid £18, for David De Gea who has not shown anything near this worth to date. Ferguson has a poor record with keepers – don’t let the capture of Schmeichel and Van der Sar fool you. The Dane was an exceptional find but the Dutchman was the world’s best for many a year before finally signing. Ferguson’s persistence with 4-4-2 is also not helping as they lack any real quality in the centre pairing.
And what of our own back-line. Well in the centre it’s no secret that Dunne and Collins lack mobility and have poor positional awareness. Their distribution is also at best hopeful and ball retention is not in their make-up. No Beckenbauer-esque (no Heskey jokes) sweeping forward from these two. Our best two footballing CB’s (Clark and Cuellar) meanwhile currently warm the bench.
Either side they are flanked by Alan Hutton who has yet to win over the majority of fans and Stephen Warnock. Despite the latter’s improvement this term he is still some way off his England call-up of 2 years ago. Our defensive organsiation has not been great either. It looked improved early on under AM but they have reverted to type and we concede far too softly from set-pieces. Shay Given is however exempt from any blame – indeed he’s easily been one of best players to date and is very consistent.
For me the main reason we have seen such erractic defensive displays from nearly every club is a combination of a few things. Tactics are playing a huge part. With 4-4-2 (the lingua franca of English defensive coaches and teams for many a year) looking increasingly moribund, teams are trying a variety of formations in an almost scatter-gun approach until one fits. Teams are now lining up 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 4-5-1, 4-3-2-1 and every combination thereof and the players seem a little unsure of their primary responsibilities – especially midfielders. Until teams figure out what system suits them best they will continue to concede sloppily.
The Barca Model – Does One Size Fit All?
The fascination with all things Barcelona also has an effect. I see too many teams are trying to copy the Barcelona model of defending high but with players of far less ability. It’s one thing to employ a back-line that defends high up the pitch however it has to be remembered that Barcelona don’t concede primarily because they retain the ball (yes even the defenders and GK) – something impossible to do if you have technically limited players – which most every PL team is full of.
Yes they defend from the very front with Messi, Villa, Iniesta et al tackling and harrying the opposing defenses but the subtle difference is that when they win the ball they don’t then put in hopeful crosses or anything equally wasteful. They find a simple (often incisive) pass to a team-mate and keep possession.
The point of ball retention is pivotal to their play not defending high with a high back line thus condensing the pitch. They retain the ball thus they can press teams and smother them – the opposition are limited to rare, often fruitless forays in response. Every one of their back line can play football – even Valdes the keeper. They play from the back and do not waste possession with long aimless punts forward. Instead they build slowly and with the ball. You rarely see them concede possession with hopeful punts from the keeper or CB’s. Indeed you rarely see any team score from such a pass no matter the opposition so why do they (we) persist?. It’s a pet hate of mine and something I’d quickly change if I was ever a manager of any club.
Fascination with Attacking Full-Backs
It’s been the vogue the past few years to have full-backs, who, well, can’t defend. It seems most teams and managers now favor fullbacks who are fast and athletic despite their defensive limitations. When taking the field they are expected and instructed to ‘maraud forward’ at every opportunity leaving massive gaps behind them. Maybe the change from 4-4-2 has been instrumental to this. With most teams no longer employing genuine wingers – the full-backs are being asked to provide the width and delivery from wide.
It’s not the newest thing – Brazil in particular have been asking their full-backs to do it for as long as I can remember – and even further back than that. Witness their great 1970 WC winning team for evidence. The difference – much as with copying the Barca model – is that the Brazil team, were up to that point the greatest team ever and much like their Spanish counterparts – ball retention was key. With teams pushed so far back and defending so deep Brazil and Barca nullified and stifled the opposition. It allows the fullbacks to then push forward yet they still had to defend – the fact that their team had the ball 75% of the game just meant they had to defend less often.
Fortune Favors the Brave?
This season as much as any other, there also seems to be a belief that if you have a go you’ll get rewarded. Given the tight nature of the league, teams now more often resemble two-punch drunk boxers, standing in the centre trading punches and swinging wildly hoping their big shots land. This is not a considered approach and ask Ian Holloway if it worked at Blackpool.
Holloway won more plaudits in a season than Tony Pulis has in 3 years, yet Stoke’s model is surely the more successful. Sure Blackpool won many admirers but I felt it hugely patronizing every time I read ‘Brave Blackpool Downed Again’ or similar headlines. At what point does being brave become naïve? It’s all well and good taking risks but to not learn from always leaving yourself wide-open at some stage will be fatal. The truth is they displayed a kind of braveness that would ultimately get them relegated.
As only three teams can go down in a season, of course some who employ a similar tactic will be spared the drop. These teams’ managers are then vaunted as the next big thing and thought of as being ‘modern’ and ‘forward thinking’ or ‘progressive’ in their approach when the real fact is they were much like everyone else, just with a little bit more luck. They can’t all be tactical geniuses afterall.
There are doubtless other reasons for the defensive lapses that I have not covered. It would be great to get your ideas as to what exactly is going wrong. But enough of this I hear you cry, there’s a game Saturday…..
High Flying Canaries Visit Villa Park
Saturday sees a surprising mid-table clash when Paul Lambert brings his Norwich team to Villa Park. Lambert has worked wonders in his time with the Canaries and is a young manager of whom there is much to admire. The momentum of consecutive promotions has continued unabated this term and sees Norwich currently one place ahead of us in 8th.
A team, many (including myself) have tipped for the drop have been very impressive to date. While they have few stars they are the very epitome of a TEAM – Together Everyone Achieves More. In his first managerial post, Lambert has fashioned an attack-minded side that are in this league to have a real go and he deserves a lot of credit. Don’t get me wrong he’s not the first manager to set out this way, indeed Brendan Rogers at Swansea has been equally impressive in that respect. Both teams match the youthfulness of their managers with on-field exuberance.
Lambert has no doubt learned well from his time in Germany and the experience of watching how things are done on the continent. A silky himself player in his days, his team like to mirror this in their football with good, incisive passing a feature. In games with Liverpool, Chelsea and Man Utd they were, if anything, the better team and Liverpool aside, certainly created the better chances.
Lambert as a manager is one to follow and his team play good football but it will be nothing short of a disaster if they beat us. For all their bright play, we are at home and expected to win. If we don’t there will be a cacophony of boos ringing round VP and rightly so. Even a draw in this game would be a poor result. It’s not just the result however so let’s not be foolishly seduced by the expected 3 points, it’s the performance which I’ll be more interested in.
We should be looking to dominate teams like Norwich – no dis-respect intended. We have much the better players and we are an established PL side. Any win must also be complimented by a good performance on Saturday. I know 3 points are 3 points but we simply have to convince in games like this. We need to see improvement in the football and a sense that AM is leading us in the right direction. Failure to do so will only increase the pressure.
It’s a home banker on my coupon and I think we’ll even get a few goals. 3-1 Villa sounds about right. Bent, Gabby and a first goal from N’Zogbia.
Right I’m off to Poland – got my UEFA Euro 2012 Volunteer interview Saturday – wish me luck!
The Author
