As I said earlier, I don't think there is a genuine belief that we are going to score with every attack. We are just going through the motions at times. But looking a little closer, I think it is often just a numbers game. We wonder why the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea don't struggle to score even though teams are camped in their own area.
Well let's look at a few examples here of yesterdays game with Chelsea and us.
I think the full backs of late have not done enough to overload the flanks giving us a chance to change the angle of attack and get to the byline. We can see here:
Andros is doing what he does, driving at the opposition. Here we don't have Walker up in support on the outside, and Lewis is drifting in too. And for me Soldado is also perhaps a little too easy to mark here. He likes to look for the little give and go's. Occasionally it might be better to hang off the last defender and get on his blind side so he doesn't know where he is. Ok so this is a counter attack, but part of the problem is we are so eager to get at them, particularly Andros that we don't wait for that support to arrive. I don't think we get enough numbers into the box either.
Let's look at a Chelsea example v City:
So Ivanovic and Shurrle are both on the flank so they can work a good position. But look how many numbers they have in the box. And better still, look at the positions they take up. In between the lines and off the shoulder of their man. It already looks like a dangerous situation.
And it's something the constantly do well. Here's another example:
When we do get wide and in similar positions up the pitch look at our forwards in the box. Soldado's position looks good but Defoe and Eriksen could push up here. Hull would struggle to deal with that many numbers in the box.
Here's another example:
Two men in the box, this looks better. But there needs to be a genuine belief from Soldado and Defoe that they will get on the end of the cross. Perhaps they aren't confident that ball will be delivered by Townsend here. (This is actually where he crashed into the boards).
Here's the pen incident. At least we have two in the box and a few lurking behind. I think Eriksen should be a little further forward or perhaps off the shoulder of the last man.
I think as long as we do get numbers in the box, and Paulinho is good at doing this, timing his runs and making it 2 or 3 in the box, then we need some composure and quality to pick out a man.
Far too often I feel we labour yet don't commit enough into the box or there isn't a genuine belief of those in the box that they will get on the end of a cross or if the cross is even coming. Or we have been too narrow. The full backs are absolutely key to this.
