High Balls into Our Box

[shanks59]

When Sami doesn't play, do we struggle with high balls into the box? Discuss ...

[fyds]

Sorry, can't be ars*d.

[HeWonItFromBrock]

The 90's were a nightmare for this. Really started for me in 4-3 Palace semi Final in 90. Carried on until we had Scales, Ruddock and Wright at the start of Evan's reign. Came back towards the end when we had Matteo and Harkness/Kvarme playing centre backs for a while.

 

Sami stopped all that in an instant for me.

[shanks59]

The 90's were a nightmare for this. Really started for me in 4-3 Palace semi Final in 90. Carried on until we had Scales, Ruddock and Wright at the start of Evan's reign. Came back towards the end when we had Matteo and Harkness/Kvarme playing centre backs for a while.

 

Sami stopped all that in an instant for me.

This nightmare, is exactly what I see returning. Hope I'm wrong

[Bigal]

This nightmare, is exactly what I see returning. Hope I'm wrong

 

disagree, carragher, agger, paletta, riise are very strong in the air, have noticed a trend of people trying to get headers on finnan, but he rarely seems to get beat in the air

[cymrococh]

when we had Matteo and Harkness/Kvarme playing centre backs for a while.

sweet jebus.

[fyds]

sweet jebus.

I know - great dangers arise when awakening terrible, suppressed memories...

[Dee]

from what i saw last night Paletta was crap in the air - misjudged a lot of balls..

[Guest Anders Honoré]

from what I've seen paletta looks a bit crap. Tough tackling notwithstanding.

 

early days I know.

[Leo No.8]

For me we do struggle with high balls a little when Sami doesn't play.

 

For all their fantastic qualities both Agger and Carragher although being able to hold their own in the air, aren't particularly tall for centre-halves and wouldn't be what you could call dominant aerially. The likes of Ameobi have caused us a few problems so far this season and I can see it being an issue when Sami does retire or leave.

 

As for Paletta - well I was slated the other day for saying I didn't feel El-Zhar would prove to be a first team player on the initial evidence of his first performance, but this is the opposite.

 

Paletta has been pretty crap so far in all the senior games in which he's played, and really struggled last night in particular. Yet despite that I still feel sure he'll make it as he has the athletic ability and build of a centre half which can be moulded with good coaching. His distribution and judgement are areas which will improve with age and experience.

 

Football is at a stage now where you have to have the athletic ability to succeed. The days of Gazza are long gone - fantastic footballers will fail at the highest level now when they wouldn't have before because they don't have the pace or strength to give themselves the time and space to use their talent in the incredible speed of the modern game.