What our opponents' fans are saying

[Sweech]

By Spanish people and commentators

As I said its one of the reasons why so many spanish teams play former wingers as fullbacks. You only have to look at Barca's latest signing to find that he has spent the 95% of his career as a RW in la liga and segunda

Good to know you speak Spanish, I'll see if you can translate some of the transfer speculation for me.

Also most teams play ex-wingers as fullbacks.

 

[kitchen]

Yeah, the key being "get behind" is going to be very difficult when the aim of parking the bus is staying "behind the ball".

Don't be silly. Defend excessively deep and you're opening up to long shots all day. It takes a bit of movement and pace to get behind.

City regularly break down teams like that with their fullbacks.

 

[Sweech]

Don't be silly. Defend excessively deep and you're opening up to long shots all day. It takes a bit of movement and pace to get behind.

City regularly break down teams like that with their fullbacks.

Check the City forum where they bemoan teams who sit deep on them.

Remember they too also had a 0-0 against Leicester City and against Aston Villa.

 

[chrissivad]

Creating width isnt just about getting the ball out wide, its about stretching the back line of the opponent to make gaps and spaces where we can try and exploit.

If you let the fullbacks sit in then then your giving them less space they need to defend and we just get clogged up with the number of bodies in the way

 

[idontgetit]

How do you beat parked buses? Width. You need real quality from the fullbacks making overlapping runs (particularly in our system with inverted wingers) and you need to get in behind them.

Unfortunately it takes real footballing quality to break down a well organised team with two banks of four, but it takes far less quality to defend like that and counter. You just need pace, directness and hustle. Hence Leicester are where they are.

The thing is I remember us getting in behind Leicester wide plenty of times and it never being dangerous, there's not much to aim at in the box

 

[Ironskullll]

Great post. How though do you play against a team that defends deep with organised banks of four on the edge of their box and then counters super fast and aggressively with decent players? I argued before that a big fucker up front like Benteke is the answer, because it just makes it so uncomfortable for them defending all the balls that will come in to the box if you sit deep. Got a load of neg for that as people obviously didn't agree

And yet two of their three goals against us last week were from set pieces where we fucked up. Seems like we dealt with them reasonably well otherwise. I do think they got a tad lucky in that respect - are they getting a lot of goals from set pieces?

 

[muppetman]

Tactical discussions on how to beat teams that park the bus are great, just not for this particular thread?


Had a quick look at a couple of Sunderland boards and they are all blaming the German defender and Fat Sam for taking off Cattermole. Not a lot of credit for us but that's OK.

 

[idontgetit]

And yet two of their three goals against us last week were from set pieces where we fucked up. Seems like we dealt with them reasonably well otherwise. I do think they got a tad lucky in that respect - are they getting a lot of goals from set pieces?

We dealt with their offence extremely well actually. With counter attacking teams you've either got to mark their outlets completely out of the game (which is hard with all the space they have and our fbs pushing up) or stamp on any attacks before they begin. We were particularly good at the latter all game which is something we've struggled a little with beforehand. One instance we didn't do it properly was in the play where Walker made the god awful backpass, it all started with Eriksen making a half-arsed press at the other end of the pitch and giving them a chance to play the ball forward.

We couldn't beat their defence though. Crazy possession, tons of shots, shit tons of corners....nada

 

[slartibartfast]

I think the way you beat a park the bus team is first and foremost play at a high tempo.
Tippy tappy football with 90 sideways passes looking to thread the ball through the eye of a needle is difficult.
Get crosses in, get the ball in the goal area, make them fk it up.
And actually shoot from outside the box.
Sooner or later you'll get a deflection or they'll make a mistake and you'll score.
Just keeping possession and playing from side to side in front of them will yield nothing imo.
Also, when they do attack and we win the ball back, fkin go at them quick before they settle back into their goal area.
Counter the counter.
Even today Sunderland attacked, Lloris had the chance to get it up the park but oh no we cant do that. Wait until they've got 11 back in their own half, now throw the ball out. Why we do that makes no sense to me but who am I to say whats best.
Theres what Id do anyway for what its worth.

edit Sorry @muppetman Good point lol. I always fkin forget what thread I'm on when people change subject. Easily led lol.

 

[Shadydan]

To beat teams who park the bus you need to follow the Barca/Bayern blueprint, obviously we can't do they cause we don't have the players so I think you need to play with a lower block and play them at their own game.

 

[slartibartfast]

Tactical discussions on how to beat teams that park the bus are great, just not for this particular thread?


Had a quick look at a couple of Sunderland boards and they are all blaming the German defender and Fat Sam for taking off Cattermole. Not a lot of credit for us but that's OK.

Heard what Allardyce has to say and not sure what game he was watching.
Sunderland did absolutely fk all, played hardly any football and got what they deserved, fk all.

 

[Nav420]

So... what are the opponents fans saying???

 

[kcmei]

To beat teams which park the bus, the best way is to keep bombarding the ball into dangerous areas forcing them to make mistakes and make them panic

 

[fletch82]

So... what are the opponents fans saying???

I reckon there saying "feck that hurt" or maybe "ouch them jolly nice fellows down in the smoke gave us a thorough thrashing one may not sit down for a week it stings that much"

Or something like that anyway

 

[danielneeds]

To beat teams which park the bus, the best way is to keep bombarding the ball into dangerous areas forcing them to make mistakes and make them panic

It's also patience and wearing the defenders out, so they are mentally fatigued and make mistakes. For all Barcelona's class upfront - I've seen them have to to this plenty of times before they strike late for the win.

 

[Ionman34]

Ugh, the common "width" idea. You only ever hear this in England. I don't understand the English fascination with the idea, it's not like they can even give examples of it being true.

To highlight why it's not true, width gets you a cross into a box, crosses aren't high percentage plays and they're even less high percentage when the other team is packing the box full of players as they are when they park the bus.

To an extent you are right. However, width allows you to turn the defence and allows the opportunity to cross when they are backtracking. If the cross is from the byeline it should travel away from the goal, their defenders moving away, or static whilst ours can attack the ball.

That is the theory anyway and pace is key. If you don't get them turned when the cross comes in, they can set themselves and attack the ball. That is why the wing backs are so important. They can't be tracked and can break a solid line with a well timed run.

Whilst it may not necessarily be a high yield tactic, what it does is stretch defences. It creates doubt and can create more space through the middle, because you upset the solid banks as they reposition to cover.

It is an aspect of our play that needs to improve as it forces defences to think. Defenders don't like to think, they like everything in front of them and simple. When defenders have to think, they generally panic, even more so if they have to think whilst facing their own goal. More width, IMO, will force them to answer more uncomfortable questions than they can handle.

 

[squirrel]

Ugh, the common "width" idea. You only ever hear this in England. I don't understand the English fascination with the idea, it's not like they can even give examples of it being true.

To highlight why it's not true, width gets you a cross into a box, crosses aren't high percentage plays and they're even less high percentage when the other team is packing the box full of players as they are when they park the bus.

I think when a lot of pundits and even fans talk about width they are talking about the wide player having the ball
attacking the full back, but width can be the wide players staying close to touchline so the fullbacks get pulled out
leaving more room for runners and forwards to receive the ball.

 

[Sweech]

I think when a lot of pundits and even fans talk about width they are talking about the wide player having the ball
attacking the full back, but width can be the wide players staying close to touchline so the fullbacks get pulled out
leaving more room for runners and forwards to receive the ball.

It's still a misconception to think that "width" or any "width" is the key to breaking down any team that sits 10 deep. It's always going to be difficult to break down those teams. It's why Pulis and his like have a job, every team in the league has problems with teams like that.

 

[RickyVilla]

Convinced he's just a really good troll.

Takes one to know one

 

[mpickard2087]

width can be the wide players staying close to touchline so the fullbacks get pulled out leaving more room for runners and forwards to receive the ball.

Bingo.

Just because you add width to your game, and station a player into wide areas, doesn't mean they have to then automatically receive the ball. Just going out there opens up space in the centre of the park because its one less player standing on someone else's toes, and if it takes away an opposition player then its an extra bonus.

Staying wide also often allows you a better view of the game, and allows a player to pick and time their run to the opportune moment. Too often today everyone met in the centre wanting ball to feet and you have then ran out of options.

Henry was on Monday Night Football before Xmas I recall and was talking about these aspects when they were asking him about Guardiola and showed some really good examples of how you opened space with the positions he was expected to take up and not getting narrow too early.
Edit: Here is the video:



And these aren't concepts reserved for the top tier of football managers and players that are beyond the 99%, today you had Hoddle on commentary saying exactly the same, how a Spurs player had to be prepared to 'sacrifice' himself, pull wider and so create an option/space.



(Yes people I know its the wrong thread for this, but fuck it).