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Why we need a defensive coach.

philip

Well-Known Member
Jan 4, 2009
1,347
2,490
After another really frustrating loss we lick our wounds and look ahead to the next game. Pochettino and the Spurs fans are justifiably proud of the way our very young team played against a team full of expensive world class players.
We point to the fact four academy players started yesterday (Kane, Mason, Bentaleb, Townsend), and that another three young English players were bought as youngsters (Walker, Dier & Rose) as signs that Spurs are building a team the proper way. Our starting eleven had an average age of just 23!

That is all well and good and those are all good points. Like practically all Spurs fans, I'm very happy with the job Pochettino is doing. The squad is young, strong and the signs from our academy are of an even better bunch of players joining the first team squad next season including the likes of Tom Carroll currently at Swansea and Dele Ali who looks first team material already.

However, the reason why we lost the game yesterday and why we're not already in the top four is not because our young team isn't good enough. Its because of defensive errors. The first goal yesterday was the result of two defensive errors. Firstly, Chadli poor positioning and tug on the Chelsea players shirt. Secondly, it was that we set up our defense zonal, as with many free kicks, rather than man to man as we do at a corner. This was pointed out yesterday during half time analysis. That free kick was from way out wide and was always going to be delivered into the danger area like a corner. The goal came from our defenders marking the space (zonal) rather than marking their danger men (man to man).

Time and again we give away goals, not from amazing play from the opposition, but from defensive mistakes. We've come from behind the most this season - because we've had to! We've let in more goals than all of the rest of the top 10 and more than West Brom. Hull in 15th have let in the same amount of goals as us and Aston Villa, in 19th have let in just one more!
We've kept just 6 clean sheets in 26 league games, and four of those came in the first 7 games!

For comparisons sake, Liverpool's rise up the table, leapfrogging Spurs, has largely been the result of a 10 game run in which they kept 6 clean sheets!

Scoring-wise, we've actually outscored everyone outside the current top four! Scoring goals isn't our problem. Its our defense thats letting us down.

We need to sort out our defensive woes. This doesn't mean signing new defenders. Defending has to be done as a team. we've seen plenty of examples where the opposition has scored because the midfielders or winger hasn't tracked him or switched off.

Defensive coaching has to be our priority. We've got 14 games left to the season with just 1 game per week most weeks. The players are fit enough to be drilled. That famed second training session should be all about defending.

if we stop conceding goals, we can get top 4. Lets do it! COYS
 
Jun 4, 2007
97
52
We may need a defensive coach, though most likely someone with strong coaching credentials and international and now domestic experience at the back at the very top of the game is there already. Pochettino?

The first goal yesterday wasn't due to zonal marking but rank individual errors. We had four players waiting to head the ball away but it seems no-one talked or Rose didn't listen. There was no Chelsea player near them in football terms. Indeed, the ball went right where we wanted it, maybe due to zonal marking.

We need to defend better from set pieces, like a hell of a lot of teams, good and poor ones, but it seems as likely due to personal aberrations rather than a choice between man to man or zonal marking.

Marking man to man at set pieces never stopped goals being scored. People are less likely to point this out when it happens as in England, traditionally, we marked man to man.

I don't think either system is best, depends on the players you have.

If they knocked that free kick in 10 times we'd have cleared it easily 9 times. That's football.
 
Last edited:
Jun 4, 2007
97
52
In open play we do not have real ball winning centre mids, and they both bomb on, but I prefer this as it gives us more going forward.

As our full backs bomb on a long ball in to space down the flanks is an achilles heel but no system is perfect and the central defensive pairing is not without issue. But Dier, Fazio (who'll we see much better from next season imo) and Vertoghen are good enough. Poch'll sort them.

I'm not saying the opening post is necessarily wrong, I'm certainly no tactical genius,and at my time of life just want to see the ball go round and us play like it's 1961. An interesting read it was, and I'll be interested to see what Windy and others say.
 

buckley

Well-Known Member
Sep 15, 2012
2,595
6,073
I watched us yesterday and I have to say being at the new Wembley is not a patch on the old Wembley
however I have watched spurs since 1951 and exept for a couple of years of g.graham we have always tried to win and then win with style
what has stood out for me yesterday and in the mourino years in general is that he puts out a team that,s main aim is not to lose
whereas we put out a team that has the aim to take the game to the opposition to try to win
I thank god I am a spurs supporter for this fact
I would not pay a penny to watch a team that is sent out with its main aim
not to lose
I still don't understand how mourino gets all the plaudits he does when he has all the money needed all the players needed to put out a team that tries to outplay the opposition
you don't see really good teams like real,barca,Bayern etc going into matches with the aim of not losing ;no they play to attack and win
boring boring boring Chelsea
if mourino the eye gouger had sent his team out to attack they may or may not have won
be sure if he had sent out an attacking team we would have seen a much much better game
not since Nicholson and burkenshaw have I been so optimistic
Pritchard,carroll,onyomo,winks,ali, these players will help to propel us to the top the only thing that we need to spend cash on is a striker or two
 

Locotoro

Prince of Zamunda
Sep 2, 2004
9,326
13,915
As I said to my Chelsea supporting mate, Chelsea's victory on Sunday wasn't because they were better than us. It was because they were more experienced than us.
Our team will improve and will get to more finals and as the players learn each other's value and similar players are brought in to compliment them we will see the fruits of the club's labour
 

Maske2g

SC Supporter
Feb 1, 2005
4,257
1,726
If you look at the 4 goals conceded since Thursday. 3 of them are massively avoidable.

But, you can't coach a 20+ year old not to pass the ball to an on rushing forward, or try to turn a forward in your own penalty area, or call for a ball when the man in front of you is clearly overstretching for it, and you have time.

They learnt all these things before the age of 10. They are all poor poor pieces of individual play that would be embarrassing for a pub side.
 

mil1lion

This is the place to be
May 7, 2004
42,333
77,592
I don't think a defensive coach would make a lot of difference. We're conceding a lot of our goals due to individual mistakes. The zonal marking was not the problem for the first goal yesterday because the ball went straight to where our players were, we just didn't clear our lines properly.

One of our biggest problems however are the fullbacks not doing enough to prevent balls into the box. It has been a problem for a number of years now. There's not enough commited challenges to prvent the cross and too often players just stick a hopefuly foot out to stop the ball, just as Walker did for his own goal.
 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
57,387
If you look at the 4 goals conceded since Thursday. 3 of them are massively avoidable.

But, you can't coach a 20+ year old not to pass the ball to an on rushing forward, or try to turn a forward in your own penalty area, or call for a ball when the man in front of you is clearly overstretching for it, and you have time.

They learnt all these things before the age of 10. They are all poor poor pieces of individual play that would be embarrassing for a pub side.


Don't you mean 'can'?
 

newbie

Well-Known Member
Jul 16, 2004
6,051
6,342
After another really frustrating loss we lick our wounds and look ahead to the next game. Pochettino and the Spurs fans are justifiably proud of the way our very young team played against a team full of expensive world class players.
We point to the fact four academy players started yesterday (Kane, Mason, Bentaleb, Townsend), and that another three young English players were bought as youngsters (Walker, Dier & Rose) as signs that Spurs are building a team the proper way. Our starting eleven had an average age of just 23!

That is all well and good and those are all good points. Like practically all Spurs fans, I'm very happy with the job Pochettino is doing. The squad is young, strong and the signs from our academy are of an even better bunch of players joining the first team squad next season including the likes of Tom Carroll currently at Swansea and Dele Ali who looks first team material already.

However, the reason why we lost the game yesterday and why we're not already in the top four is not because our young team isn't good enough. Its because of defensive errors. The first goal yesterday was the result of two defensive errors. Firstly, Chadli poor positioning and tug on the Chelsea players shirt. Secondly, it was that we set up our defense zonal, as with many free kicks, rather than man to man as we do at a corner. This was pointed out yesterday during half time analysis. That free kick was from way out wide and was always going to be delivered into the danger area like a corner. The goal came from our defenders marking the space (zonal) rather than marking their danger men (man to man).

Time and again we give away goals, not from amazing play from the opposition, but from defensive mistakes. We've come from behind the most this season - because we've had to! We've let in more goals than all of the rest of the top 10 and more than West Brom. Hull in 15th have let in the same amount of goals as us and Aston Villa, in 19th have let in just one more!
We've kept just 6 clean sheets in 26 league games, and four of those came in the first 7 games!

For comparisons sake, Liverpool's rise up the table, leapfrogging Spurs, has largely been the result of a 10 game run in which they kept 6 clean sheets!

Scoring-wise, we've actually outscored everyone outside the current top four! Scoring goals isn't our problem. Its our defense thats letting us down.

We need to sort out our defensive woes. This doesn't mean signing new defenders. Defending has to be done as a team. we've seen plenty of examples where the opposition has scored because the midfielders or winger hasn't tracked him or switched off.

Defensive coaching has to be our priority. We've got 14 games left to the season with just 1 game per week most weeks. The players are fit enough to be drilled. That famed second training session should be all about defending.

if we stop conceding goals, we can get top 4. Lets do it! COYS

Good article but rose is an accademy player, I agree with you but our defence seem to make to many cheap stupid mistakes like passing to the opposition. I would love to get a top defencive coach, is poch a good defencive coach ? I think he could be given time.
 

DEFchenkOE

Well-Known Member
Feb 13, 2006
10,527
8,052
It's annoying the goals we concede but no defensive coach can cut out individual players mistakes. The first goal yesterday was frustrating because of Chadlis foul and then Rose just being too short to head the ball out and instead flick it on which then ricocheted off our defender bouncing straight to Terry whose shot then deflected again before hitting the net. I know some teams do a mix of zone and man marking, but corners and free kicks will always be scored and conceded.

We were pretty unfortunate with the above chain of events imo.
 

tommyt

SC Supporter
Jul 22, 2005
6,166
10,978
The win over Swansea has made the current Southampton side a group of record-breakers – and it is the defence that should take a lot of credit for laying the foundations.

We’ve now achieved 55 points, the highest that Saints have accumulated in the Premier League and a wonderful milestone for everyone to be proud of.

Plaudits have rightly gone to our attacking trio of Adam Lallana, Jay Rodriguez and Rickie Lambert for providing so many goals and winning numerous games.

But they wouldn’t have had the opportunity without the solidarity of our back-line, who have been just as crucial in such a strong season.

Since the early part of the campaign, very little has been said about the excellence of Saints’ defence and I feel that this is the ideal time to give praise to those who have been at the back.

Saints have now managed 15 clean sheets in all competitions – an astonishing turnaround for those of us who can remember how dreadful we were defensively for much of 2012-13.

Credit for this must go to manager Mauricio Pochettino, who has focused on organising the defence since his arrival last year.

His methods were beginning to take effect by the end of last season – but now he’s completed their transition into a top-class defensive unit.

http://metro.co.uk/2014/05/04/southamptons-defence-are-mauricio-pochettinos-unsung-heroes-4718058/
 

tommyt

SC Supporter
Jul 22, 2005
6,166
10,978
The Argentinian had a difficult act to follow when he was appointed after the dismissal of Nigel Adkins, who had guided the club to successive promotions, but he has vindicated the faith put in him by the chairman, Nicola Cortese, by turning a decent team into one who are exceptionally dynamic, wonderfully enterprising and increasingly confident. "All the players have improved since I have been here," Pochettino said. "It is very satisfying for me to see their evolution in 10 months."

The most obvious difference is reflected in the team's defensive record – after nine league games last term Southampton had conceded 26 goals; at the same stage this season they have let in only three, making them the meanest team in the league.

Dejan Lovren, the centre-back who has forged a solid partnership with José Fonte since joining from Lyon in the summer, said that Pochettino, himself a former international defender, has been inspirational. "He gives us a lot of advice because he's an intelligent man," he said.

"Really I have a learned a lot from [Pochettino]. I didn't expect that I will learn something like this. We keep the line very high and I never play like this before. It's a little bit with risk but I think we do a very good job. Each day we talk a lot. Our philosophy is when we lose the ball we need to get it back very quickly. You saw that against Fulham, we lost the ball in the first half and they didn't have a chance to do anything. It was amazing."

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/oct/27/southampton-fulham-premier-league-match-report
 

philip

Well-Known Member
Jan 4, 2009
1,347
2,490
Good article but rose is an accademy player, I agree with you but our defence seem to make to many cheap stupid mistakes like passing to the opposition. I would love to get a top defencive coach, is poch a good defencive coach ? I think he could be given time.
Maybe Pochettino is good enough defensively and we're simply still in transition.
I disagree with the view that good coaching can't cut out the individual defensive errors. Those errors come directly through players switching off or of being hesitant about the best thing to do. Both of these can be eradicated through good coaching.

Btw Rose was bought at 16.
 

newbie

Well-Known Member
Jul 16, 2004
6,051
6,342
Maybe Pochettino is good enough defensively and we're simply still in transition.
I disagree with the view that good coaching can't cut out the individual defensive errors. Those errors come directly through players switching off or of being hesitant about the best thing to do. Both of these can be eradicated through good coaching.

Btw Rose was bought at 16.

He still came though our accademy, beckham was at spurs till 16yrs, sterling joined Liverpool older than 16. We still gave rose his chances and nurtured him therefore he is.
 

cookiemonster

Well-Known Member
Dec 29, 2005
2,715
5,834
Leak another 2 today

I can guarantee you if we are goals to ship 2 goals every game we will be going nowhere
 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
57,387
Lost count of the number of 'wonder' save Lloris has made. Can't imagine how poor our defensive stats would look without Hugo. We need a 'destroyer' in the middle of the park. Stambouli should get more game time IMO.
 

archiewasking

Waiting for silverware..........
Jul 5, 2004
7,848
11,668
Not sure about Stambouli, but thank goodness for Hugo. Without him and Harry we'd be deep in the poop.
 
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