Manager Watch: Ange Postecoglou

[arunspurs]

Think he needed to be a bit more diplomatic and could have answered the question better. Something along the lines of 'always disappointing to concede from two pieces and we'll have a look back and see where we can improve' would probably have sufficed if he didn't want to full out acknowledge we have an issue with defensive set pieces.

Sometimes can be a bit stand offish and stubborn in his answers when questioned on certain things and don't think that'll help him in the wrong run. This is the highest level Ange has managed at and up against teams/managers who will exploit every little weakness which maybe wasn't the case in previous jobs.

I dont care what he wants to say in front of cameras, if his team is showing in action they are addressing the problem.
15 days of no football and we turn up with a worse zonal marking nonsense and lost the game by 35 minutes.

 

[Sp3akerboxxx]

Why all the knicker wetting about the manager not publicly admitting what our glaring weakness is (and throwing one of his coaches under the bus at the same time)?

Because all the evidence on the pitch is showing that he's not acknowledging our glaring weakness in training, let alone in the press conferences.

 

[Trix]

Well first of all I haven't said we don't need a better set piece coach and I haven't said zonal marking is ok. I said we also need better quality players to defend them as well as just a new coach. We don't have good enough quality when marking for me. It's not like none of them are marking at the corners either. It's that they're not strong enough at it. How many can we honestly say are strong in the air in this team or stay tight to their marker? City and Arsenal have done well to play a centre back at full back to allow an extra man in the air. Add to that Rodri/Rice who add that extra physical presence. We simply don't have enough quality defending them either, even if we go man to man. One thing Conte was good at was set pieces and he not only had a set piece coach but he had more physicality in his squad. Even swapping Son for Kane in our box makes a big difference.

It is basically what you said, saying players need to take more responsibility and basically leave their assigned role to do something else. In zonal marking that can't happen.

The whole point of zonal defending is that every player has a specific task. If they left their position to deal with someone on the keeper it leaves a massive hole where no one is positioned because everyone else stands their ground. It's very much all or nothing, so no player would do that because you are automatically at fault if they then scored from where you should have been stood.

Trust me I have no issues sounding out individuals when they are at fault but with these instructions they are just pissing against the wind constantly.

 

[mil1lion]

We were strong defending set pieces when gio vio was here. I would agree with you if it was 2 or 3 games but not over a course of a season. The players are clearly doing what they are instructed to do which has been pretty all season and it’s been poor

But I said we also need a set piece coach as well. I think the players still need to do better in these situations. People can say they're following instructions but intelligent players spot where the danger is and make adjustments. They still have to think for themselves on the pitch. If you set up in a zone and the opposition set 4 or 5 players back post then someone needs to organize and get players blocking them or putting pressure on them. I think we lost intelligence with Perisic and Kane gone, we're now younger due to our club philosophy but we lack leadership and it shows at set pieces.

 

[mabolsa_ritchey]

He can’t seriously believe that it’s not a priority and we have issues that need addressing elsewhere?! I don’t know the numbers admittedly, but let’s say for arguments sake we’ve conceded 14 goals from set pieces. Working on that one area would get us closer to the leaders in the goals conceded column. Don’t even need to change the gung ho approach either, so it wouldn’t go against his main principles.

 

[bungle4]

It’s one thing acknowledging it’s poor, is another not doing anything about it or, replying ‘no’, when asked if it’s a big issue.

Why would he say yes? What does it serve to help the situation?

Why do you say we're not doing anything about it? I'd bet a lot of work is going into it but not coming to fruition yet. Vicario is elite in many ways but dominating his 6 yard area isn't one of them which makes it very difficult to suddenly solve any weaknesses from set pieces.

 

[Tucker]

You're picking up on the wrong point completely.

All i was responding to was the comment that suggests he's forced to pick players.

He's not forced to pick Maddison or Son or Bissouma. But he picks them anyway.

The only reason I mentioned youth was because that option is there but he hasn't utilised it. I'm not saying it had to be this exact game.

Laughable that you would think I meant that. Genuinely laughable.

If you didn’t mean it, maybe you shouldn’t have written:

“He could pick some one from the youth set up”

I mean it’s understandable that people think you mean he should pick a youth player when you say that, don’t you think?

 

[Whazam]

We had 2 shots on target all game. Raya had barely had a tap to do until he passed it to Romero, other than catch the crosses we carressed into the box.

We were good, Arsenal sat in, they were fully aware of out struggles to break down a solid organised defence and our ability to concede on the counter attack.

Well, I think we would both agree our best chances resulted in shots off target (Son's, Romero's etc.) so not sure we could blame our tactics for that.

They sat back because we were more aggressive in the first half and forced them to it. And they managed to capitalize on that once, when we should have had a penalty.

 

[spurs mental]

If you didn’t mean it, maybe you shouldn’t have written:

“He could pick some one from the youth set up”

I mean it’s understandable that people think you mean he should pick a youth player when you say that, don’t you think?

If you read the posts that followed you'd understand that's not what I meant

 

[Trix]

But I said we also need a set piece coach as well. I think the players still need to do better in these situations. People can say they're following instructions but intelligent players spot where the danger is and make adjustments. They still have to think for themselves on the pitch. If you set up in a zone and the opposition set 4 or 5 players back post then someone needs to organize and get players blocking them or putting pressure on them. I think we lost intelligence with Perisic and Kane gone, we're now younger due to our club philosophy but we lack leadership and it shows at set pieces.

I don't think you understand the point and premise of zonal marking I'm afraid.

 

[Bobbins]

Jesus Christ, how can anyone watch that game and not see progress?

The set-piece defending is pathetic and it's insane we haven't done anything about it, but my God, that was one of the most unfair results I've seen this season.

We completely dominated them, created the best chances (did they do anything of note except for Saka's goal?), were unlucky with some crucial decisions, and were by far the better team.

This is honestly dangerous thinking.

We didn't "completely dominate them" - they allowed us to have the ball in areas where we create very little danger, and they exploited our specific weaknesses.

Exactly what Newcastle and Fulham both did to us.

Viewing Arsenal allowing us to have the ball as us dominating is really going to screw your objective view of a game. Not realising it's by design is naïve. Inventing that we created chances apart from a couple of headers and declaring they didn't do so themselves is wilful denial of what you watched.

 

[JayB]

It is basically what you said, saying players need to take more responsibility and basically leave their assigned role to do something else. In zonal marking that can't happen.

The whole point of zonal defending is that every player has a specific task. If they left their position to deal with someone on the keeper it leaves a massive hole where no one is positioned because everyone else stands their ground. It's very much all or nothing, so no player would do that because you are automatically at fault if they then scored from where you should have been stood.

Trust me I have no issues sounding out individuals when they are at fault but with these instructions they are just pissing against the wind constantly.

This is the key issue. The harassment of the goalkeeper completely disrupts the zonal marking scheme because you can’t take a man out of his zone to protect the goalkeeper. It calls for a wholesale change to the defensive philosophy and we’ve not responded to it. That cannot go on next season, it simply has to change.

 

[Tucker]

If you read the posts that followed you'd understand that's not what I meant

Oh so I need to predict what you’ll write in the future now too.

Ok

 

[Styopa]

We were good, Arsenal sat in, they were fully aware of out struggles to break down a solid organised defence and our ability to concede on the counter attack.

In fairness, we would all be pointing our defensive frailties if we cruising at 3-0 and the match ended at 3-2. It’s happened in here before.

That’s no excuse for the disappointing way we went 3-0 down today.

But conceding 2 when they were 3-0 doesn’t really suggest Arsenal had it all under control in the second half.

 

[13VanDerBale13]

Why would he say yes? What does it serve to help the situation?

Why do you say we're not doing anything about it? I'd bet a lot of work is going into it but not coming to fruition yet. Vicario is elite in many ways but dominating his 6 yard area isn't one of them which makes it very difficult to suddenly solve any weaknesses from set pieces.

Because it’s clearly a MAJOR issue ?
Denying it’s not, is only going to infuriate fans, when we keep conceding goals from set pieces.

A lot of work may be happening behind the scenes, but clearly this set up isn’t working & needs rectifying in the summer with new faces.

 

[spurs mental]

Well, I think we would both agree our best chances resulted in shots off target (Son's, Romero's etc.) so not sure we could blame our tactics for that.

They sat back because we were more aggressive in the first half and forced them to it. And they managed to capitalize on that once, when we should have had a penalty.

They sat back the same way v City away. The difference being City are far better at suffocating a team than we are. It was their game plan from the off. You could see it, I even mentioned it a few weeks ago that I thought Arteta would come to us and do the same thing.

2 shots on target is not good enough.

 

[spurs mental]

Oh so I need to predict what you’ll write in the future now too.

Ok

Not, instead of biting immediately, read the replies and see if anyone else has said the same as what you think. That's what most people do.

 

[mil1lion]

It is basically what you said, saying players need to take more responsibility and basically leave their assigned role to do something else. That can't happen.

The whole point of zonal defending is that every player has a specific task. If they left their position to deal with someone on the keeper it leaves a massive hole where no one is positioned because everyone else stands their ground. It's very much all or nothing, so no player would do that because you are automatically at fault if they then scored from where you should have been stood.

Trust me I have no issues sounding out individuals when they are at fault but with these instructions they are just pissing against the wind constantly.

I think you can play a bit of zonal and have players defend a few areas of the pitch but for sure you can't go full zonal. My only argument in terms of the players is that whether instructed or not you still have to adjust in a game. You can't just follow orders and not respond to what is happening within the game. It's basically what happens when a player gets sent off, tactics can go out the window but the players have to adjust to the change. It's the same for set pieces, quality players take charge of a situation. The 2nd set piece was the worst because they should have adjusted to them flooding the far post the 2nd time. They can't wait until half time so they get a new set of instructions. I think it says a lot about how we improve after half time that the players are maybe too reliant on their instructions and not adapting in game.

 

[Ribble]

Because all the evidence on the pitch is showing that he's not acknowledging our glaring weakness in training, let alone in the press conferences.

What if he is doing things in training and they're just shitting the bed on the pitch? That would point to there being problems other than set piece training, no?

 

[Trix]

In fairness, we would all be pointing our defensive frailties if we cruising at 3-0 and the match ended at 3-2. It’s happened in here before.

That’s no excuse for the disappointing way we went 3-0 down today.

But conceding 2 when they were 3-0 doesn’t really suggest Arsenal had it all under control in the second half.

There were certainly a lot of positives too today. I think they are being overlooked due to the result, and we will probably see them more clearly on reflection.