Football Banter

Didn't he brake his leg before showcross touched him?

What a world class free kick from Suarez, Liverpool 2-1 Man City

(26-08-2012 16:27 )dan g 27 Wrote:  What a world class free kick from Suarez, Liverpool 2-1 Man City

What a world class bad back pass from Skrtel, Liverpool 2-2 Man City

Still, as a neutral have to say it was an entertaining game but Liverpool deserved to come away with more overall.

The defending in the premier league has been very poor so far this season

(26-08-2012 17:07 )Stillroom Rock Wrote:  The defending in the premier league has been very poor so far this season

I agree to a certain degree, we have though seen the odd good performance from teams defending well so far this season.

Besides the quality of defending has not been great for a few seasons now in my opinion.

I think a reason for that may be that teams are putting too much emphasis on attack and are not concentrating enough on defence

(26-08-2012 17:07 )Stillroom Rock Wrote:  The defending in the premier league has been very poor so far this season

And yet Arsenal, who've had a reputation for crappy defending over recent years, have two clean sheets out of two (let's overlook the fact they haven't scored any goals either). Is this down to Steve Bould, member of a defence so miserly and so famous they got a mention in The Full Monty, becoming assistant manager?

(26-08-2012 13:57 )dan g 27 Wrote:  Are sure about that? I thought I read somewhere saying our win at Stamford Bridge last season was our first win there since 1986

No, it was your first LEAGUE win at Stamford Bridge since 1986.

(26-08-2012 17:43 )dan g 27 Wrote:  

(26-08-2012 17:07 )Stillroom Rock Wrote:  The defending in the premier league has been very poor so far this season

I agree to a certain degree, we have though seen the odd good performance from teams defending well so far this season.

Besides the quality of defending has not been great for a few seasons now in my opinion.

I think a reason for that may be that teams are putting too much emphasis on attack and are not concentrating enough on defence

The game has changed, as it always does. In the past, a defenders job was to defend, nothing else, they'd rarely venture into the opposition half, usually only for a corner or set-piece as they were typically big lads who could get a head on the ball.
Nowadays, there is more emphasis on attack as dan says, and defenders are a vital part of that, becoming makeshift wingers, leaving the central defenders more exposed on a counter attack.
This running forward to join the attack makes it much harder to do the old style man-marking or zone defence as they are quite often a man short as the guy is still coming back from the other end.
Add to that things like the new offside rules, and things are not so simple as before.

That doesn't excuse all of the poor defending that goes on, I'd have to say that much of the problem surely has to lie on the training ground. No doubt training methods have changed as well over the years, and there seems much less emphasis on methodically and systematically going over the basic procedures so they are drilled into the mind and become automatic.
This same lack of methodical practice seems to apply at the other end, leading to the woeful spectacle of the penalty shoot-out bloopers of recent times.

What an awful start to the season for Real Madrid. They drew their first game 1-1 at home against Valcenia and tonight they lost 2-1 to Getafe. Real Madrid are now already 5 points behind Barcelona.

Juventus began the defence of their Serie A title with a 2-0 home win against Parma. AC Milan started the season badly with a 0-1 home defeat to Sampdoria. I'm actually curious if AC Milan have replaced Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva over the summer.

Borussia Dortmund began the defence of their Bundesliga title with a 2-1 home win against Werder Bremen. Reus was one of the scorers and he's expected to fill the boots of Kagawa, who as we know has gone to Man United.

PSG's stuttering start to the season continued with their third draw in a row this time a 0-0 draw at home to Bordeaux. I heard earlier last week that this was a must win game for Ancelotti, as I don't think the owners are happy with the start PSG have made this season. I doubt though he will go, as they have given Ancelotti a lot of money over the summer to build this PSG team, so it would be stupid of them to get rid of a great manager in Ancelotti

I have a word of advice to Mancini, drop the 3 5 2 formation, Man City's defence is getting too easily exposed