I´ve read a number of theories to why we´re being shit this season. It´s time Jens delivered some quality stuff on this board so here goes. :lol:
Our two biggest concerns are
1. We concede too many goals from set pieces
2. We´ve started to lose the midfield battle against teams
To me the number 1 is directly related to the fact that we´ve lost many 6 ft players the last few seasons. Crouch, Sissoko, Hyypia and Alonso were all very useful when it came to defending corners and free kicks. The problem isn´t as much having lost them as having replaced them with short arses like Insua, Lucas, Mascherano and Benayoun. I don´t buy that zonal marking is inferior to man marking in any way. Why would a manager of Rafa´s pedigree use it if it was no good?
The number 2 is a result of us having replaced Alonso with a small man like Lucas. Alonso was a physical presence in midfield who never was going to be overrun, not by anyone. Even though Lucas is a talented player, the same can´t be said about him.
So to solve these two problems what should Rafa do? To me it´s clear: Bring in a couple of tall guys to replace some of our small men, and bring in a physical presence to boost our hurting midfield!
What do you say people, am I out of line or do I have a point?