Go back to a low block and Oleball counter-attacks? How do we stop our slow defence and midfield from being exposed?
What can we do about the team's lack of pace?
- Thread starter Blood Mage
- Start date
I think we desperately need to look after the ball better.
Slot said that last month. Cole Palmer also said that there are so many spaces behind fullback area
I swear pace and physicality has been a problem for a decade. Why do we sign the most unathletic players we can find?
Let the next manager rebuild the squad with pacy midgets
The thing that still pisses me off no end is the fact that EtH was interviewed and quoted as saying Pep underestimated the pace and physicality of the English premier league in his first season. This was BEFORE EtH joined us. Then he goes and signs fecking immobile/slow players for huge money: Antony, Lisandro, Casemiro, Eriksen (free), Amrabat (loan) to name a few.
So how can he be that stupid that he supposedly didn’t learn that lesson/take his own advice? I mean it just doesn’t make any sense.
We've paid a fortune for some of these lads and we're stuck with them whether we like it or not. So I think we have to find a way of playing that doesn't leave them so exposed.
The ghost of LVG past.
I agree, especially from midfield forwards. It feels like the defense can keep hold of it to a good level but the moment the ball goes anywhere near Bruno or whoever's playing advanced 8 it becomes a lottery and ETH chaos ball reigns supreme once more.
Is Yoro fast because Maguire, De Ligt, Martinez and Evans have about 80 pace combined, and Martinez is 50 of that.
Rocket-skates
He's fairly quick but let's hope his injury hasn't affected that like it seems to have with Martinez.
Maguire, Evans, Lindelof, Eriksen, Casemiro will all hopefully be gone by the summer, and we just have to pray our signings to replace them are up to a better physical standard. Their replacements may also push the likes of Martinez/De Ligt to the bench too.
We absolutely have to prioritise players who are not past their physical prime or slow, at CB in particular we should only be signing players with pace.
We absolutely have to prioritise players who are not past their physical prime or slow, at CB in particular we should only be signing players with pace.
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Yes he is quick, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's a starter by the end of the season.
It's not lack of pace, it's lack of hard work, graft and commitment.
Laziness is the best word to describe most of them.
Laziness is the best word to describe most of them.
Try watching the replay back at x1.5 speed. Problem solved.
City are not fast.
It's intensified by the ridiculous way we play. As in, wide open gaps, leaving players isolated.
Either sit more compact as a unit, or press together as a team/play higher up the pitch and Onana plays sweeper.
Either sit more compact as a unit, or press together as a team/play higher up the pitch and Onana plays sweeper.
What, before Sunday?
Can we get them to run faster?
What lack of pace? Dalot, Mazraoui, the left backs if they ever pull through their comas, Yoro, garnacho, Rashford, amad, hojlund all have plenty of pace. Ugarte can cover ground, Mainoo is quick with the ball but a bit labored off of it, Mount can cover ground really well... And so on.
The reason there is acres of space in our team is all about the team set up. There are much slower teams who don't have the issues we do. It's purely tactical and the shit show ten hag has them doing.
The reason there is acres of space in our team is all about the team set up. There are much slower teams who don't have the issues we do. It's purely tactical and the shit show ten hag has them doing.
Were not particularly slow, we have plenty of players that can carry themlseves. It's the system thats the problem, we could have a squad full of Micky Van de Vens and we wouldnt be able to cover the acres of space we give is this set up. Its not about phyisicality its about tactics.
In key positions they are. Haaland, Doku, Savio, Gvardiol, Walker, Ake and Akanji (for CBs).
The ones that aren't are generally top-tier technically/tactically.
In our entire team the only players that you could say are above average physically for their position are Dalot, Hojlund and Rashford. With the latter two it's very questionable if they use their physical tools anywhere close to their potential.
You guys never thought Casemiro + Eriksen is not a problem? With Dalot on the left, this is guarantee hole for 1min before cover is available.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Yoro doesn’t play at all, considering his injury. I fear a new Malacia.
The composition of our team been so unbalance for so many years. Squads after squads we build been ridden with names but not qualities for the composition of the team. We need CBs that have pace, strength, physicality to screen the defence. The same with wingers, fullbacks, and midfield.
Its ok if the players that has these qualities but just good enough with their technical levels. Our teams looks so out of pace for a long times and so easy to play through.
Its ok if the players that has these qualities but just good enough with their technical levels. Our teams looks so out of pace for a long times and so easy to play through.
Ye we have our FBS playing as wingers and they don’t get back quick enough. But pep also plays with high or inverter full backs. The difference is he has Walker who is rapid and can get back. Also they don’t lose the ball often. But it’s one of the reason Ole had a lot of success against pep because you need to play deep and counter against city when they leave spaces.
I was quite impressed with Evans speed of sprinting while covering whole pitch and getting back before Porto players.
First point of call, stop sign8ng Dutch players from the Eredevise which is considerably slower than the EPL. It’s becoming obvious that ETH is comfortab’e with players he can communicate with in Dutch, probably enough reason to move him on quickly. Maybe it’s becoming obvious that the EPL is a bridge too far for him. Not sure there is an excuse for the INEOS appointees not to see that.
Yes the lack of pace talk is a red herring. The attack would compete with any in the country for speed. The full backs are fine etc.
Just because the centre backs aren't the lace of Tottenham's guy doesn't make it our biggest problem.
Our centre backs and our central midfielders are slow, I don’t know how you can dispute that. There’s massive spaces because of tactical issues, but their own lack of pace exacerbates that.
We routinely have a midfield three Mainoo, Eriksen, and Fernandes playing in front of De Ligt and Martinez. There’s not a lick of mobility in that entire middle area.
EDIT: it’s poor recruitment, as always. I think the issue is resolved by selling some of the players we have and attempting to buy complementary profiles. You don’t, for instance, go out and buy a slower CB like De Ligt as a high profile first choice CB to go alongside your short slow first choice LCB.
Little common sense things like that need to be fixed.
We routinely have a midfield three Mainoo, Eriksen, and Fernandes playing in front of De Ligt and Martinez. There’s not a lick of mobility in that entire middle area.
EDIT: it’s poor recruitment, as always. I think the issue is resolved by selling some of the players we have and attempting to buy complementary profiles. You don’t, for instance, go out and buy a slower CB like De Ligt as a high profile first choice CB to go alongside your short slow first choice LCB.
Little common sense things like that need to be fixed.
Speed alone doesn't fix our problems. Many speed merchants can be very poor with the ball at their feet. Just look at Timo Werner. How many City players are slow? Quite a few. How many Liverpool players are slow? A number of them.
I'm not trying to discredit the importance of speed, but more important is whether our new recruits complement the strength and cover the weakness of our existing players. This develops a cohesive unit, where complementing "average" players lead to a "top team". Better cohesiveness will translate to a better and quicker transition from the back to the front and everyone will appear to be very pacey (even though technically they may not be very fast). Our recruitment drive is broken; therein lies our biggest problem.
Buying a random CB or a CM and trying to fit him into the squad only works if you are buying a world class player who is able to mould himself according to team structure. Buy a Malidini and he will fix most problems in the back, buy a Xavi and he will fix most problems in the middle, and buy a Ronaldinho and he will fix all problems in the front. And sadly we haven't acquired one world class player in his prime since Rooney/Ronaldo.
Fix our scouts and bring a proper DoF..
I'm not trying to discredit the importance of speed, but more important is whether our new recruits complement the strength and cover the weakness of our existing players. This develops a cohesive unit, where complementing "average" players lead to a "top team". Better cohesiveness will translate to a better and quicker transition from the back to the front and everyone will appear to be very pacey (even though technically they may not be very fast). Our recruitment drive is broken; therein lies our biggest problem.
Buying a random CB or a CM and trying to fit him into the squad only works if you are buying a world class player who is able to mould himself according to team structure. Buy a Malidini and he will fix most problems in the back, buy a Xavi and he will fix most problems in the middle, and buy a Ronaldinho and he will fix all problems in the front. And sadly we haven't acquired one world class player in his prime since Rooney/Ronaldo.
Fix our scouts and bring a proper DoF..
I definitely wouldn't say they are all fast. Doku, Haaland, and walker (not sure how much he's declined), the rest are not stand out fast at all. I would say outside those CBs, Haaland, and Doku they are not really any faster than what we have.
I think the problem is we have slow CBs and some slow midfielders. They have faster more athletic Cbs, but I wouldn't say notably fast CBs or midfield.
I think these Utd players need to be checked for asthma.
We just need to look at how much better every Liverpool player got once they were able to take the medication they needed.
We just need to look at how much better every Liverpool player got once they were able to take the medication they needed.
When he is fit he will be a guaranteed starter along with De ligt.
But but Ugarte benched Palhinha at Sporting...and Onana must've been signed by Aston Villa instead of a top European club for a good reason
Two midfielders who would've massively raised the physical flooring of the team, and then some of the reasonings some posters tried to convince themselves with that Ugarte is the guy to go for instead
As others have said it's just a matter of compactness and organisation. We need to play with an actual midfield and stop both fullbacks going so far forward.
You'll always have those moments where the opposition breaks the lines and runs straight at the defence. However if you have a solid midfield it'll limit the amount it occurs and force teams to go sideways rather than just run directly at our box.
You'll always have those moments where the opposition breaks the lines and runs straight at the defence. However if you have a solid midfield it'll limit the amount it occurs and force teams to go sideways rather than just run directly at our box.
I think he have a bigger issue with physicality than pace. Martinez is slow; but he also can’t fight for the ball like he used to. The other day Brennan Johnson was holding him off with ease and he’s hardly known for his strength.
We do need to alter the system to stop leaving so many gaps, I think Ten Hag doesn't want to go too pragmatic because we will stop scoring goals, but probably will still concede them.
We do need to alter the system to stop leaving so many gaps, I think Ten Hag doesn't want to go too pragmatic because we will stop scoring goals, but probably will still concede them.
Agree. There is a total lack of the mentality it requires to consistently win football games. Rashford is the best example. Does he lack pace? Obviously not. But he often fails to track back and it leads to goals conceded.
Give me organization, work rate, and focus over more pace.
We need to sort out the set up and positioning of the players so that they aren't constantly being isolated/ having huge gaps between them/too much ground to cover.
Having a whole team of rapid sprinters wouldn't fix anything. Our players aren't all 'slow', they are having to cover too much ground to get to where they need to be, it's as simple as that.
It's not as if every other team is going to have a squad of flyers and we're the one team that is picking up a bunch of players all pulling a piano, that's nonsense.
As an aside, it would be interesting to find out if our passing would improve, and our players get knocked off the ball less if they didn't have to sprint over large areas of ground trying to get to opposition players as often.
Having a whole team of rapid sprinters wouldn't fix anything. Our players aren't all 'slow', they are having to cover too much ground to get to where they need to be, it's as simple as that.
It's not as if every other team is going to have a squad of flyers and we're the one team that is picking up a bunch of players all pulling a piano, that's nonsense.
As an aside, it would be interesting to find out if our passing would improve, and our players get knocked off the ball less if they didn't have to sprint over large areas of ground trying to get to opposition players as often.
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