BrainOfLevy
Michael Carrick
Ok, what I want to say and the reason for the thread title is that I think it is plain to see we were utterly terrible today. Some of the most rigid, unimaginative football I've ever seen. Quite embarrassing watching MOTD and seeing literally every other team being able to fashion out some decent football and yet we were just so utterly incapable of doing it.
And yet, this gives me hope. We were so bad, so so bad, and it simply can't come down to the fact that we have bad players. We had Lennon and Bale providing width, a midfielder proven to score goals in this league in Sig, a Brazillian international in Sandro, and a great back 5. And we weren't bad in the sense that Norwich were cutting us apart at will like last season either, because they weren't. We were bad because we contributed to making it an absolutely eerie game, a game where we created literally nothing, and managed to stifle it ourselves. And this tells me, that is is simply a system thing. It is the players getting used to it. It is a manager figuring out how best to implement it. And once that happens, we should be fine.
This brings up the debate about relying on a system vs relying on the individual. Today it seemed like we were relying on the system and it wasn't working. One thing Harry has shown, and I think what today has shown, is that for all the knowledge you can learn about tactics. For all AVB's extra preparation, for all his rehearsed combinations and attention to detail, if you play 2 players in central midfield that are inclined to sit and give the ball simply without carrying it themselves, then you will struggle to create chances. Harry did well, in that if he wanted a team to attack, he'd play attacking players. If he wanted a team to defend, like at the San Siro, he'd set up a defensive team.
But there are pitfalls to that approach too, so people that have been saying that a system is some mythical thing that doesn't exist shouldn't speak too soon. We saw last season that purely relying on the individual means that when the team confidence is low, and they don't have their rehearsed combinations to fall back upon, creativity can look just as bad as it did today.
So both approaches have their merits. We just need our system to start working. This could have always happened - an initial bedding in period for new methods, especially considering our players were used to playing with individual freedom and are now being told to follow more instructions. But it doesn't mean those instructions are wrong. It's frustrating to drop points that we should be taking, and today was like watching a Ramos game at it's worst. But we have good players, it just needs to click. With Ramos, we did not have a good side.
There is an argument to say that some adjustments need to be made tactically. I think if we are going to play 2 sitting players that can't carry the ball naturally, our full backs have to bomb on and attack that space. They are both capable, but so many times today, especially first half, Benny seemed reluctant. We seem to be setting up similarly to Emirates Marketing Project, and their full backs get forward well all the time. I think playing two of Parker, Livermore, or Sandro at home to weak opposition isn't going to work also, unless our full backs are able to push on well. However we were able to cut apart West Brom last week with the same sitting combination, so maybe the issue was somewhere else. We also deserved the win at Saudi Sportswashing Machine, but maybe this system with these players is naturally set up to play well away from home.
Maybe one of the reasons it isn't clicking is anxiety, as AVB says. The book on AVB talked about how the Porto fans had to come to accept that passing back to the keeper was a necessary move. Our fans don't seem to have accepted that yet, and our players don't seem to want to put Brad under that pressure. But if we are to be a possession side, we need to do it. The alternative is to try and force balls into spaces where our players are unable to receive them, as happened all too often today. I remember one time we did have some possession, we willingly used Brad, and the crowd moaned. But 2 seconds later space had opened up for Sig, who was able to drive forward, and we fashioned a chance out of it. A pass wasn't on, so we went back and allowed for more movement. This created space and allowed us to create a chance. As good a shot stopper as Brad is, I think Lloris will be vital in giving us more confidence in a patient game. So many times today we couldn't get the ball down and play simple passes...against Norwich at home. It was amazing really. So many times we saw Defoe battling for flick ons in the air...unbelievable. It's again, so unbelievably bad, so utterly against good football sense, that it makes me think that once things click we should start flying.
So what I'm trying to say, is keep the faith guys. We were bad today, no denying it. But we deserved a win - or at least a draw if you want to call it that way - at Saudi Sportswashing Machine and did create chances against West Brom. It isn't a case of us having bad players, and it isn't a case of us having a defensive manager. I highly doubt AVB in his team talk tells the players that he wants them to clear the ball hurriedly and hope JD wins the flick on. But that is what is happening. It's a clear sign of a team in transition. We are trying to be a new team, while we are still used to being the old team. And so at the moment, we are nothing. We are an awkward mish-mash of players. Not really giving too much away in terms of territory and possession because they have always known how to follow instructions defensively, but they are learning to do something new with the ball, and they aren't comfortable with it yet.
I'm really optimistic that because we are learning a system, once it clicks we can be ready to exploit it. The problem with the reliance on the individual is that when in bad form, the only way you can really get out of it again is to hope for a result that allows confidence to return. But when relying on a system, you know you can always fall back on it and this can give you confidence and consistency, as long as you have the confidence to play it well in the first place. Our players just don't look like they know what team they are supposed to be yet. Are they a possession team? It doesn't look like it, with their reluctance to use the keeper and the inclination to still try and find Defoe, Lennon and Bale as quickly as possible. But it seems like that is where AVB wants us to go, the players just need to get comfortable doing it. A deeply ingrained system within a club is probably why Arsenal can lose key players every summer and still finish in the top 4. It's why Swansea look like they aren't going to miss Rodgers at all. We can get the benefits of that too with a bit of patience.
So I'm sorry for the length, but I really wanted to get my thoughts down. We were shocking today. It was a terrible, rigid performance with the ball and it was depressing to sit in my seat watching it. And yet, because of the reasons we were bad, because it is so obvious what we are trying to do, I can still see cause for optimism and I think you all should too. It isn't because we have bad players. I don't believe it is because our manager is clueless. I simply believe we are working towards something and if we stick it out, it will bear fruit if we have some patience.
And yet, this gives me hope. We were so bad, so so bad, and it simply can't come down to the fact that we have bad players. We had Lennon and Bale providing width, a midfielder proven to score goals in this league in Sig, a Brazillian international in Sandro, and a great back 5. And we weren't bad in the sense that Norwich were cutting us apart at will like last season either, because they weren't. We were bad because we contributed to making it an absolutely eerie game, a game where we created literally nothing, and managed to stifle it ourselves. And this tells me, that is is simply a system thing. It is the players getting used to it. It is a manager figuring out how best to implement it. And once that happens, we should be fine.
This brings up the debate about relying on a system vs relying on the individual. Today it seemed like we were relying on the system and it wasn't working. One thing Harry has shown, and I think what today has shown, is that for all the knowledge you can learn about tactics. For all AVB's extra preparation, for all his rehearsed combinations and attention to detail, if you play 2 players in central midfield that are inclined to sit and give the ball simply without carrying it themselves, then you will struggle to create chances. Harry did well, in that if he wanted a team to attack, he'd play attacking players. If he wanted a team to defend, like at the San Siro, he'd set up a defensive team.
But there are pitfalls to that approach too, so people that have been saying that a system is some mythical thing that doesn't exist shouldn't speak too soon. We saw last season that purely relying on the individual means that when the team confidence is low, and they don't have their rehearsed combinations to fall back upon, creativity can look just as bad as it did today.
So both approaches have their merits. We just need our system to start working. This could have always happened - an initial bedding in period for new methods, especially considering our players were used to playing with individual freedom and are now being told to follow more instructions. But it doesn't mean those instructions are wrong. It's frustrating to drop points that we should be taking, and today was like watching a Ramos game at it's worst. But we have good players, it just needs to click. With Ramos, we did not have a good side.
There is an argument to say that some adjustments need to be made tactically. I think if we are going to play 2 sitting players that can't carry the ball naturally, our full backs have to bomb on and attack that space. They are both capable, but so many times today, especially first half, Benny seemed reluctant. We seem to be setting up similarly to Emirates Marketing Project, and their full backs get forward well all the time. I think playing two of Parker, Livermore, or Sandro at home to weak opposition isn't going to work also, unless our full backs are able to push on well. However we were able to cut apart West Brom last week with the same sitting combination, so maybe the issue was somewhere else. We also deserved the win at Saudi Sportswashing Machine, but maybe this system with these players is naturally set up to play well away from home.
Maybe one of the reasons it isn't clicking is anxiety, as AVB says. The book on AVB talked about how the Porto fans had to come to accept that passing back to the keeper was a necessary move. Our fans don't seem to have accepted that yet, and our players don't seem to want to put Brad under that pressure. But if we are to be a possession side, we need to do it. The alternative is to try and force balls into spaces where our players are unable to receive them, as happened all too often today. I remember one time we did have some possession, we willingly used Brad, and the crowd moaned. But 2 seconds later space had opened up for Sig, who was able to drive forward, and we fashioned a chance out of it. A pass wasn't on, so we went back and allowed for more movement. This created space and allowed us to create a chance. As good a shot stopper as Brad is, I think Lloris will be vital in giving us more confidence in a patient game. So many times today we couldn't get the ball down and play simple passes...against Norwich at home. It was amazing really. So many times we saw Defoe battling for flick ons in the air...unbelievable. It's again, so unbelievably bad, so utterly against good football sense, that it makes me think that once things click we should start flying.
So what I'm trying to say, is keep the faith guys. We were bad today, no denying it. But we deserved a win - or at least a draw if you want to call it that way - at Saudi Sportswashing Machine and did create chances against West Brom. It isn't a case of us having bad players, and it isn't a case of us having a defensive manager. I highly doubt AVB in his team talk tells the players that he wants them to clear the ball hurriedly and hope JD wins the flick on. But that is what is happening. It's a clear sign of a team in transition. We are trying to be a new team, while we are still used to being the old team. And so at the moment, we are nothing. We are an awkward mish-mash of players. Not really giving too much away in terms of territory and possession because they have always known how to follow instructions defensively, but they are learning to do something new with the ball, and they aren't comfortable with it yet.
I'm really optimistic that because we are learning a system, once it clicks we can be ready to exploit it. The problem with the reliance on the individual is that when in bad form, the only way you can really get out of it again is to hope for a result that allows confidence to return. But when relying on a system, you know you can always fall back on it and this can give you confidence and consistency, as long as you have the confidence to play it well in the first place. Our players just don't look like they know what team they are supposed to be yet. Are they a possession team? It doesn't look like it, with their reluctance to use the keeper and the inclination to still try and find Defoe, Lennon and Bale as quickly as possible. But it seems like that is where AVB wants us to go, the players just need to get comfortable doing it. A deeply ingrained system within a club is probably why Arsenal can lose key players every summer and still finish in the top 4. It's why Swansea look like they aren't going to miss Rodgers at all. We can get the benefits of that too with a bit of patience.
So I'm sorry for the length, but I really wanted to get my thoughts down. We were shocking today. It was a terrible, rigid performance with the ball and it was depressing to sit in my seat watching it. And yet, because of the reasons we were bad, because it is so obvious what we are trying to do, I can still see cause for optimism and I think you all should too. It isn't because we have bad players. I don't believe it is because our manager is clueless. I simply believe we are working towards something and if we stick it out, it will bear fruit if we have some patience.
In addition to becoming used to the system, what we lacked for the entire first half was a central midfielder running into space, always looking to get on the ball, being able to turn possession into attacking passes (as both Rafa and Modric were excellent at). We then lost a bit of faith in ourselves it seemed, got nervous, which obviously influenced our passing game (it was slick as fudge in the first half against WBA, with the exact same team). You're always going to struggle when your own fans gets on your neck - it's a terrible habit by spoiled fans (even though we really shouldn't be), that I really hope we stop immediately.
