There is something wrong with our defence

[aRdja]

Sadly, Agger had blown up before the end of last season.  He'd gone as a top class defender.

 

Don't think so. He just had an average year.

[Bjornebye]

I'll tell you what is wrong with our defence

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Its shit

 

 

 

There I said it. 

[stringvest]

Fine. 

[FanchesterCity]

*dons flak jacket*

 

My honest opinion is that you spent so long attacking last season that you've forgotten how to defend. And that's a similar story at City.

 

You have a style, and it's a great one going forward. Last season it won you most games. You'd score more than the opposition, and it made for fantastic viewing.

 

But if the goals dry up, or you face better team and find yourself having to defend, you're rusty as hell.

 

I'm not one to sing Chelsea's praises, but they can play both ways... in a manner Liverpool (and City) can't. They can park the bus when they need to, and they can attack when they need to.

In that respect, but City and Liverpool are one trick ponies.

 

Last year, Liverpool usually started games well, and often scored. If a team managed to get an equaliser, Liverpool would come back and get two more. Effectively they said 'that's what you get if you come at us... we'll kill you on the break'. So teams would be reluctant to come at you.

 

At the moment you don't have that. There's nobody up front to punish the opposition for trying to have a go at you. So inevitably, they'll keep having a go at you... and the team have just gotten out of practice at dealing with it.

 

- Honest opinion. I suspect some won't like it, but it's fair view I'd say.

[Jairzinho]

Completely unfair. We're excellent at defending.

[Einch]

Not having that at all. We are shit at defending and are getting worse by the week.

 

We don't press in any meaningful way and look like a bunch of fools when a ball is played into the box.

[Jairzinho]

Not having that at all. We are shit at defending and are getting worse by the week.

 

We don't press in any meaningful way and look like a bunch of fools when a ball is played into the box.

 

Is this a reply to me?

 

Give one example where we haven't defended well.

[WhiskeyJar]

No heart and no logic. 

[Pureblood]

Whoever started the thread "Do we have chronic and insurmountable defensive issues?" was asking a valid question, in my opinion.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Whoever started the thread "Do we have chronic and insurmountable defensive issues?" was asking a valid question, in my opinion.

insurmountable? Not at all. Should have bought Fernando and Matic, isn't it?

[sh#t waffle]

Sadly, Agger had blown up before the end of last season.  He'd gone as a top class defender.

Agreed. People are forgetting that he looked awful at times. And before anyone says that this was down to Rodgers' defensive ineptitude rubbing off on him, Rodgers does not have the ability to make a player suddenly unable to beat Roberto fucking Soldado in a race having had a five yard head start on him.

[stringvest]

Whoever started the thread "Do we have chronic and insurmountable defensive issues?" was asking a valid question, in my opinion.

 

Well, it's a question, but it's a silly one.  Defensive issues can be resolved.  Therefore, they are not insurmountable.  We just do not appear to be making any effort to do so.  

[Pureblood]

insurmountable? Not at all. Should have bought Fernando and Matic, isn't it?

Not sure how Fernando would make Rodgers suddenly capable of sorting out a watertight defence, or give Mignolet some testicular fortitude, but whatever floats your boat.

[JoeyJones65]

Defensive issues can indeed be resolved. However our defensive woes have gone on for an unacceptably long period of time now, suggesting that Brendan Rodgers doesnt seem able to get to grips with the problem. Hence the urgent need for a defensive coach worth his salt.

 

Meanwhile, we have Hull City and Newcastle coming up. Would love nothing more than a couple of good wins and clean sheets but we know thats not going to happen, we have no cutting edge and what with our shaky (kindest word I can think of) defence's serious and ongoing issues I would not be in the least bit surprised if we only get 2 points from those two games.

 

After that will come the small matter of a trip to the Bernabeu. Barring a miracle, I foresee Madrid, with Bale back, and with no distracting game immediately following, giving us the kind of dry bumming that'll make the 3-0 at Anfield seem like a handshake by comparison.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Not sure how Fernando would make Rodgers suddenly capable of sorting out a watertight defence, or give Mignolet some testicular fortitude, but whatever floats your boat.

*shakes head*

 

It wo...

 

Actually, you'll never get it.

[Pureblood]

*shakes head*

 

It wo...

Actually, you'll never get it.

Out of your depth.

[stringvest]

Out of your depth.

 

haha!  fucking hell.

[Nightcat]

How can people argue that our main problem Is not our defence.

 

Defence has cost us the title last season, our first title in more than two decades.

[Einch]

Is this a reply to me?

 

Give one example where we haven't defended well.

 

Not you. The post above yours. Franchester.

[stringvest]

Our defence is terrible, there's no getting away from that/  It's been terrible for the longest time.  But the midfield has been poor for the last 18 months or more, and because we've lost the movement and threat from the attack, the midfield needs to step up.  If they're offering no protection for the defence, no supply to the attack, no goal threat, and no ability to retain the ball, then fixing the defence in isolation isn't really going to improve matters that much.

[Moo]

Our defence is terrible, there's no getting away from that/ It's been terrible for the longest time. But the midfield has been poor for the last 18 months or more, and because we've lost the movement and threat from the attack, the midfield needs to step up. If they're offering no protection for the defence, no supply to the attack, no goal threat, and no ability to retain the ball, then fixing the defence in isolation isn't really going to improve matters that much.

Apart from it not being ideal to change too much at once anyway fixing the defence would be a start, a bloody good one. For years we've been told by anyone with a good knowledge of the game "start at the back" and that beautifully went out of the window last year, but it won us nothing, it's clearly not sustainable and will probably never win us anything. So Brendan needs a slight re-think, and a little bit of help. I hope he's not too arrogant to accept that.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

The defence needs protection from midfield. The defence needs to stop making so many stupid, basic errors. Johnson can fuck off. Skrtel can follow him, too. Mignolet either needs to sort his shit out or take his brilliant saves and shit everything else elsewhere. What doesn't need to happen is us to change the way the back four operates, just how they react to situations - individual not structural. The vast majority of the goals we concede fall into that category. If they had 2008 Alonso and Mascherano in from of them, they'd look a lot less shaky. Get a midfield set-up that understands how to defend, get Sakho in the back four, get somebody who can actually organise a defence in there next to him, and then we'll be much better. That's without even thinking about tactical changes or this fucking annoying 'get a defence coach' thing that seems to have caught on like wildfire.

[ratcatcher]

Oh dear. Someone not practising what they preached.

[TheDrowningMan]

Rodgers cannot set up a defence. It's that simple.

[ratcatcher]

Rodgers cannot set up a defence. It's that simple.

 

Nothing a good defensive coach wouldnt fix. He, like other good managers, doesnt have to be an expert in all coaching aspects. Oh and our shitness in defence goes back through a number of managers not just rodgers.