Leaking goals from crosses

[grefstad 0]

Some more Opta stats for you, brought by Sky Sports this evening:

Norwich are still the only Premier League side yet to keep a clean sheet away from home this season.

Norwich City have conceded a league-high 14 goals from crosses this season.

So, we have conceded a league-high 14 goals from crosses this season. Says a lot about two things:

1. The inability to cut out a cross, as seen from Martin today, and way too often from Olson earlier.

2. When the crosses come in, we lack the height or decisiveness to clear the danger.

As for no 2, it has improved a little with Bennett coming in. He brings much needed height.

But our real problem is stopping the crosses. We have poor fullbacks. We all know that. And my previous claim that Olsson is the worst left back in the league may well hold up, even if it was said in rage, and not supported by stats (only my own impression of the guy).

I don''t have stats showing form which side the crosses come from, but I think most have come from our left.

[Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB 1,024]

I believe that Bournemouth have a similar problem, pity we did not exploit that today.........

[Fraz 2]

Got to say Robbie Brady just doesn''t mark his man at the far post, he is at fault for the first goal today and the Jonathan Walters opener against Stoke.

[westcoastcanary 173]

It is not the job of the full back alone to stop crosses coming in. Very few teams now play an old fashioned winger who battles it out one on one with his opposing full back. It is now usual to have crosses being worked by at least two, and often three, attackers. Unless this overload is countered by sufficient defending midfielders, the full back is on a hiding to nothing. That has been our problem all season and why it is essential to play 2 DMs and wide players who have at least a modicum of defensive understanding. (AND to have players fit enough to do the tracking back effectively for 95 minutes [;)]).