Defensive problems returning ?

[Guest Kev]

Are we letting in too many goals at the moment, we've not had a clean sheet in 9 games (5 from last season and 4 from this), with the defence now consisting of Aurelio and Agger for the next few games, we need to score a few goals I reckon to win matches.

 

Thoughts ?

[Guest Jack Bauer]

In most of those games we've conceeded only one goal though, so its only two goals.

[Benitez]

How many of the goals conceded where down to defensive errors though? How many of those nine games did we lose?

[owenthomas]

How many of the goals conceded where down to defensive errors though? How many of those nine games did we lose?

off topic: i've got a bone to pick with you mrs.. ..go into the general - can you see the thread about Barca vs Seville??

 

on topic: not overly concerned at the moment.. other than the Aurelio not tracking Hulse against Sheffield Utd i can't remember the last goal conceded that was a defensive f*** up (though my minds dulled by the fact i've been in work on average of 12 hours per day for the last 3 weeks )

[Benitez]

off topic: i've got a bone to pick with you mrs.. ..go into the general - can you see the thread about Barca vs Seville??

 

 

 

no. Forgot it was on

[owenthomas]

no. Forgot it was on

well, if you didn't see it either then

 

 

i went mad before when i realised it was on.. i thought "why no fkin thread on the board to remind me!".. you got the blame!

[R A Softlad]

How many of those nine games did we lose?

 

That would be none.

[Benitez]

well, if you didn't see it either then

 

 

i went mad before when i realised it was on.. i thought "why no fkin thread on the board to remind me!".. you got the blame!

 

 

 

just put it down to early season rustiness! I'm just getting into the swing of checking what games are on

[hideNseek]

We should still be looking to concede 0, even if we win all games 6-0.

[DazzlaJ]

 

That would be nonce.

 

And that would be glitter

[Ombudsam]

we haven't been a s solid defensovely this is true. I think the components of the team still need to gel. I think we are going to have to play better over the next few matches than we have in the last few to get anything

[Guest lollyfi]

love sammi & carra but feared for our future. not now.

agger is not only a replacement for sammi but a progression.

i worried about agger but i see him as a young man with old head....our future. totally impressed ....pray he carries on this path...star..christ he's so young yet watching that sky interview he won't be phased by the stardom...hooray ..

[John am Rhein]

I'm with Kenny on this one. He said that in his experience the team that scores most goals wins.

 

And this was Kenny, so if you argue you're a heretic.

 

What he's forgetting is that the team who concedes most goals loses.

[Nerik]

The main problem is that we are rarely seeing the same back 4 at the moment. Riise and Carra ar out at the moment, Finnan was out for a while, Aurelio is new, Agger is relatively new. A back four needs to be pretty stable and they will get tighter as a unit. When all fit I am sure we will see Finnan-Carra-Sami/Agger-Riise most games.

[Bootle Buck]

Too early to start worrying. The lads are just getting back into it and the concentration will beback after a few games. A good hiding of the blues**** will settle the nerves.

[Poolfrog]

Are we letting in too many goals at the moment, we've not had a clean sheet in 9 games (5 from last season and 4 from this), with the defence now consisting of Aurelio and Agger for the next few games, we need to score a few goals I reckon to win matches.

 

Thoughts ?

 

Yes but didn't we win all but 2-3 of those and they were draw? I'll only be bothered if we concede more than we score

 

 

There's no doubt in my mind we are looking defensively 'rusty' and look decidedly uncertain. I was thinking exactly the same thing before this thread.

 

Hopefully this is down to early season rustiness, but I do fear that we won't be able to rely on our defence as much as last season. Hyppia has been a rock for us but it looks like he's on his last legs and it may take a while for agger to bed in, so we might have to be very patient.

 

I believe you posted this after one league game? So if we'd kept a clean sheet at Sheffield I suppose you'd be saying that it looks set fair for us to have a fantastic season defence-wise?

[Leo No.8]

Ah, you know the season has really got underway when Kev starts worrying.

 

This month Kev will be mostly worrying about defensive problems returning following 9 games without a clean sheet, who Bianca will choose out of Calum and Leo following their love island romances, bomb attacks in Turkey, Jayne Middlemiss, the increasing instability of the Telecommunications market, the greenhouse effect, Darrell Hair, the rarity of available copies of 'Fly Fishing' by J.R. Hartley, flared trousers and GM crops.

 

[Poolfrog]

love sammi & carra but feared for our future. not now.

agger is not only a replacement for sammi but a progression.

i worried about agger but i see him as a young man with old head....our future. totally impressed ....pray he carries on this path...star..christ he's so young yet watching that sky interview he won't be phased by the stardom...hooray ..

 

A lot of people seem to have forgotten that when England got battered 4-1 by Denmark, Agger played at CB for them and had over-rated Fatboy Rooney in his pocket, so it's not like we're not sure if the lad can play and we've bought him not knowing if he's going to be good at the highest level

[Shadow Moon]

I don't think there is any real concern with the defence. It has been 'below par' recently for 2 reasons:

 

1. We are playing a more attacking and expansive game

2. Lack of a settled back four

 

We will get better at the first one (and will learn to tuck in better) and the second one will come soon, fitness permitting.

I notice that Bascombe makes the same argument as point (1) in his latest match report, stating that the increase in attacking verve, possibly at the expense of less clean sheets, is deliberate on Rafa's part.

[Dominus Maximus]

We are also more aggresive...

[Dominus Maximus]

We are also more aggresive...

 

Meant to say, we are more offensive, and of course that will cost more at the back..