Two major problems have developed recently

[BlyBlyBabes 0]

• We have more or less stopped pressing aggresively high up the field.

         Play Holt for first 60/70 min & Morison for final 20/30 min

         Start with Jackson instead of Hoolahan/Bennett

     

• Our running off the ball for each other has declined alarmingly.

        Is the cause physical/mental? With only 38 matches & most players resting during international breaks it is

        hardly likely to be physical. Maybe the players have relaxed too far mentally after our better than expected

        start to the season?

 

Anybody agree?

 

OTBC

 

 

 

[Mister Chops 7]

[quote user="BlyBlyBabes"]

• We have more or less stopped pressing aggresively high up the field

     

Our running off the ball for each other has declined alarmingly. [/quote]I thought today Morison pressed hard as he always does.  If you play 1

up top then it''s hard to press aggressively due to numbers, but

Morison''s goal came as a result of said pressing.  I can''t understand why you think Holt would be a better option than Morison given Morison is quicker and more mobile, and Jackson for Hoolahan/Bennett implies 4-4-2 which would mean our midfield gets squeezed more.  Bennett''s a bit off the boil (as is Fox) but not sure Jackson is the answer.

The off the ball running point is more reasonable.  Morison didn''t have his best game today but the amount of times he was isolated with the ball and nobody to cross or pass to was frustrating.  The link up between midfield and attack didn''t work very well today.

[Boyo 0]

[quote user="Mister Chops"][quote user="BlyBlyBabes"]

• We have more or less stopped pressing aggresively high up the field

     
Our running off the ball for each other has declined alarmingly. [/quote]

I thought today Morison pressed hard as he always does.  If you play 1 up top then it''s hard to press aggressively due to numbers, but Morison''s goal came as a result of said pressing.  I can''t understand why you think Holt would be a better option than Morison given Morison is quicker and more mobile, and Jackson for Hoolahan/Bennett implies 4-4-2 which would mean our midfield gets squeezed more.  Bennett''s a bit off the boil (as is Fox) but not sure Jackson is the answer.

The off the ball running point is more reasonable.  Morison didn''t have his best game today but the amount of times he was isolated with the ball and nobody to cross or pass to was frustrating.  The link up between midfield and attack didn''t work very well today.
[/quote]

 

I think thats because we played so deep today.  It was alomost like we were scared to commit to many men forward because of what they''re like on the break.  This meant we played very deep and the gap between Morison and the midfield was huge meaning he was isolated and was always going to struggle to create chances on his own.

[BlyBlyBabes 0]

Sorry about the mess in my OT which arose from trying to use the bullet function! Anway here it is again hoping that it comes out better organised.

Issue #1. We have more or less stopped pressing aggresively high up the field. Play Holt for first 60/70 min & Morison for final 20/30 min.Start with Jackson instead of Hoolahan/Bennett Issue #2.  Our running off the ball for each other has declined alarmingly. Is the cause physical/mental? With only 38 matches & most players resting during international breaks it is hardly likely to be physical. Maybe the players have relaxed too far mentally after our better than expected start to the season? Anybody agree? OTBC

[yellowbib 0]

Personally, I would start with Morison and bring on Holt for the last 30 mins or so. Thought we had the right team out today, just beaten by a better team. Agree that bennett shoud be on the bench but can''t see how you can leave Hoolahan out, hes too instrumental to us.

[Wooftie 0]

We''ve always only really pressed, especially big teams in our own half. They can pass it about the back four all they like, they can''t hurt us from there. Only if we''re chasing the game and we need the ball back is it necessary to expend all our energy chasing shadows. Especially against Arsenal, they should be able to keep the ball all day in the back four if only one or two people press. If any more press we leave ourselves open to men off the ball to run into space. At the end of the day, we''ve lost by one goal to an Arsenal side who have won their last 5 league games on the trot. It''s not as if we were battered and it should have been five or six. Pressing all their back four would have been suicide.

I would like to see Holt starting again, I thought aside from our goal, Morison didn''t have the best of games. He had a few too many poor touches in good attacking positions for me. But how can you drop a guy who has been scoring plenty of goals? That''s the problem Lambert has now.

[Aggy 755]

I''m a massive stickler for playing extremely high. I hate seeing players drop deep. But against Arsenal I was expecting us to stay that bit deeper, you''ve got to with players like Walcott ready to latch onto anything over the top. But as a general rule, I''d agree we''ve been a bit too deep the last few games.

One thing I don''t like, is that we don''t seem to have much organisation, or a "plan" at the back. Today we were playing fairly deep. Yet sometimes we seemed to hold a line, whilst others we just completely didn''t. There were times too when 3 players stayed up and one went with someone rather than letting them go. We just look completely unorganised at the back.

I actually thought Morison had a reasonable game. Perhaps not one of his best recently, but he still looked a class act at times.

[Lambert is King 0]

[quote user="Wooftie"]We''ve always only really pressed, especially big teams in our own half. They can pass it about the back four all they like, they can''t hurt us from there. Only if we''re chasing the game and we need the ball back is it necessary to expend all our energy chasing shadows. Especially against Arsenal, they should be able to keep the ball all day in the back four if only one or two people press. If any more press we leave ourselves open to men off the ball to run into space. At the end of the day, we''ve lost by one goal to an Arsenal side who have won their last 5 league games on the trot. It''s not as if we were battered and it should have been five or six. Pressing all their back four would have been suicide. I would like to see Holt starting again, I thought aside from our goal, Morison didn''t have the best of games. He had a few too many poor touches in good attacking positions for me. But how can you drop a guy who has been scoring plenty of goals? That''s the problem Lambert has now.[/quote]

Why do you think Lambert has a problem his description of Morison today was a top top player was he lieing to us ? We have yet to win a premier league game when Holt starts ? Strange really when Morison was outstanding and not scoring people were moaning because he does not score. Now he scores the rest of his game is not good. Come Jan I suspect we will be looking at big bids for Morison. Dont force the guy out.  

[William Darby 0]

[quote user="Lambert is King"]

[quote user="Wooftie"]We''ve always only really pressed, especially big teams in our own half. They can pass it about the back four all they like, they can''t hurt us from there. Only if we''re chasing the game and we need the ball back is it necessary to expend all our energy chasing shadows. Especially against Arsenal, they should be able to keep the ball all day in the back four if only one or two people press. If any more press we leave ourselves open to men off the ball to run into space. At the end of the day, we''ve lost by one goal to an Arsenal side who have won their last 5 league games on the trot. It''s not as if we were battered and it should have been five or six. Pressing all their back four would have been suicide. I would like to see Holt starting again, I thought aside from our goal, Morison didn''t have the best of games. He had a few too many poor touches in good attacking positions for me. But how can you drop a guy who has been scoring plenty of goals? That''s the problem Lambert has now.[/quote]

Why do you think Lambert has a problem his description of Morison today was a top top player was he lieing to us ? We have yet to win a premier league game when Holt starts ? Strange really when Morison was outstanding and not scoring people were moaning because he does not score. Now he scores the rest of his game is not good. Come Jan I suspect we will be looking at big bids for Morison. Dont force the guy out.  

[/quote]Wouldn''t surprise me.  Morison''s name came up on Talksport a day or two back.  It was said he''s basically improved each game and will be a class act.