King for a week - Ledley's case for defence

[mawspurs]

Ledley King take a look at our defence – and he likes what he sees.

Read the full article at Official Site

 

[Redfap]

The signing of Toby Alderweireld really has made us look a different defensive unit to last season. He clearly has a great partnership/understanding with Jan who is having a career best year in my opinion.

Positively, Wimmer also has looked more than capable in the appearances that I have seen this season.

I think we got it right with the defense in the window.

 

[Chris_D]

The signing of Toby Alderweireld really has made us look a different defensive unit to last season. He clearly has a great partnership/understanding with Jan who is having a career best year in my opinion.

Positively, Wimmer also has looked more than capable in the appearances that I have seen this season.

I think we got it right with the defense in the window.

I do too. I think at some point, Dier will be one of our two centre backs but while Toby and Jan are doing well there and we have injuries in midfield it's as well for him to get match time there.

 

[FITZ]

Biggest test coming up for the CB's - how will they do with no Dier in front of them

 

[N17Jack]

I do too. I think at some point, Dier will be one of our two centre backs but while Toby and Jan are doing well there and we have injuries in midfield it's as well for him to get match time there.

I am not sure Dier will ever become a centre back again. Top quality DM's are a rare breed and Dier looks like a winner to me.

 

[UbeAstard]

I am not sure Dier will ever become a centre back again. Top quality DM's are a rare breed and Dier looks like a winner to me.

While he is outstanding as DM I don't understand all the talk that he will go back to centre back.

 

[Mullers]

Let in 2 goals last week, let in a late goal at Monaco, let in two late goals against stoke, let in a goal against Leicester a minute after we scored. I'm not really seeing anything special at the moment. Come back to me in another 10 to 15 games and we'll see how things are going then.

 

[Japhet]

As much to do with playing a midfielder with a defensive mind set as anything IMO. Doubt they would have faired much better than our CBs last season in the same situation tbh.

 

[Sweetsman]

Let in 2 goals last week, let in a late goal at Monaco, let in two late goals against stoke, let in a goal against Leicester a minute after we scored. I'm not really seeing anything special at the moment. Come back to me in another 10 to 15 games and we'll see how things are going then.

We've gone from having one of the leakiest defences to the joint best. If you don't see that then you're blind, or for reasons best known to yourself, you don't want to look at that way.

 

[davidmatzdorf]

Let in 2 goals last week, let in a late goal at Monaco, let in two late goals against stoke, let in a goal against Leicester a minute after we scored. I'm not really seeing anything special at the moment. Come back to me in another 10 to 15 games and we'll see how things are going then.

Passing over the obvious fact that we have the joint-best goals-against record in the league, the improvement is visible on the pitch - it's the organisation, the preparedness when we lose the ball.

Last season, pressing high up the pitch, at least several times a match we would see the defence fail to get back into any kind of formation when we lost the ball. Someone - and it was all of them, at one time or another - would always be out of position and the net effect was headless chickens. We had a defence full of good defenders who were managing to play bad defence.

It's still a work-in-progress, as the mental lapses you have listed show, but the defence is visibly more organised at the transition and Lloris has far more protection than last season.

Part of this is having Dier - not just him personally, I mean having a dedicated defensive midfielder. Part of it is Vertonghen and Alderweireld being more on the same wavelength than the last season's all-sorts pairings involving Vertonghen, Kaboul, Chiriches, Fazio and Dier. Part of it is that the fullbacks do not have to play so far up the pitch, because we have more pace on the flanks of the attack. But some of it is just better awareness and teamwork. Even Walker's positioning has been more reliable (although not Trippier's) and he has had to rely less on pace to cover for himself.

 

[Mullers]

We've gone from having one of the leakiest defences to the joint best. If you don't see that then you're blind, or for reasons best known to yourself, you don't want to look at that way.

Passing over the obvious fact that we have the joint-best goals-against record in the league, the improvement is visible on the pitch - it's the organisation, the preparedness when we lose the ball.

Last season, pressing high up the pitch, at least several times a match we would see the defence fail to get back into any kind of formation when we lost the ball. Someone - and it was all of them, at one time or another - would always be out of position and the net effect was headless chickens. We had a defence full of good defenders who were managing to play bad defence.

It's still a work-in-progress, as the mental lapses you have listed show, but the defence is visibly more organised at the transition and Lloris has far more protection than last season.

Part of this is having Dier - not just him personally, I mean having a dedicated defensive midfielder. Part of it is Vertonghen and Alderweireld being more on the same wavelength than the last season's all-sorts pairings involving Vertonghen, Kaboul, Chiriches, Fazio and Dier. Part of it is that the fullbacks do not have to play so far up the pitch, because we have more pace on the flanks of the attack. But some of it is just better awareness and teamwork. Even Walker's positioning has been more reliable (although not Trippier's) and he has had to rely less on pace to cover for himself.

The joint best along with Arsenal, Man City, Crystal Palace and Watford. With Crystal Palace and Watford in the mix for best defence, what it tells me is that it's very early days. I wouldn't deny for a moment that we look a bit stronger defensively and that Dier and TA have a big help in that. But I won't be getting carried away all it takes is a bad game or two for the euphoria to die down.

 

[Sweetsman]

The joint best along with Arsenal, Man City, Crystal Palace and Watford. With Crystal Palace and Watford in the mix for best defence, what it tells me is that it's very early days. I wouldn't deny for a moment that we look a bit stronger defensively and that Dier and TA have a big help in that. But I won't be getting carried away all it takes is a bad game or two for the euphoria to die down.

I wasn't getting carried away, but these are green shoots of recovery. I look forward to your response in ten games' time.

 

[newbie]

Let in 2 goals last week, let in a late goal at Monaco, let in two late goals against stoke, let in a goal against Leicester a minute after we scored. I'm not really seeing anything special at the moment. Come back to me in another 10 to 15 games and we'll see how things are going then.

Only let one in against city and United though massive improvement ( I know Aguero forgot his shooting boots)

 

[Mullers]

Only let one in against city and United though massive improvement ( I know Aguero forgot his shooting boots)

That one goal we let in against united cost us the game though.