Full backs - when are ours going to deliver?

[Pirate55]

One of the most disappointing things for me this season is the output from our full backs.

Both Walker and Rose have blistering pace and often get themselves in great crossing positions, yet they almost always fail to deliver a telling cross. Walker's delivery seems so much better for England and Rose was Sunderland's Player of the Year last season principally for his attacking contribution.

Yet for us, neither has performed yet. Any suggestions as to why not?

If we could get them delivering like say Baines and Coleman, then we would have two fantastic weapons for the rest of the season. They both have thunderous shots too. A few more goals from them wouldn't go amiss either.

This could be the key to our final games. How do WE get the best out of them and get them to deliver for US?

 

[Roland Beurre]

When are they going to deliver?

Between 9.30 and noon tomorrow, probably while you are out ...

Rose managed a couple of good crosses against the Barcodes, but, I agree, Walker seems to be going through a phase of hitting the first man.

I understand Walker's preference for a low, driven cross when on a breakaway, but he could do with mixing in a few chipped deliveries when we have the opposition under siege.

 

[Klinsmania]

Walker's crossing is very poor for a professional footballer, it's pretty poor for a park footballer to be honest, and is the biggest aspect of his game that requires development in my view. I think Rose's crossing has improved and is far more reliable, but I think the main problem seems to be that nine times out of ten we don't have enough targets in the box for either of them to aim at.

 

[Yiddo]

Our full backs have always been our weak links. I think that is one of the reasons we have never made that step up, along with not being ruthless enough when coming to fan favourites that are not quite good enough for the team.

 

[Gutter Boy]

Walker already does and Rose never will.

Specifically though, they will never be effective in an attacking sense while we persist with an orthodox winger.

Walker can never overlap Lennon, because Lennon is already hugging the touchline. There's more potential for it to work on the left with Siggy/Chadli/Eriksen there, but Rose just isn't really capable enough.

The way to effectively utilise attacking fullbacks is in a 4-3-3, with say Eriksen and Lamela as the inside forwards in front of a trio of Sandro, Paulinho and Capoue/Dembele.

 

[Yiddo]

Walker already does and Rose never will.

Specifically though, they will never be effective in an attacking sense while we persist with an orthodox winger.

Walker can never overlap Lennon, because Lennon is already hugging the touchline. There's more potential for it to work on the left with Siggy/Chadli/Eriksen there, but Rose just isn't really capable enough.

The way to effectively utilise attacking fullbacks is in a 4-3-3, with say Eriksen and Lamela as the inside forwards in front of a trio of Sandro, Paulinho and Capoue/Dembele.

Even when they have the space they can't deliver. I would love to see how many assists other full backs in the prem would get if they had the space the likes of walker has.

 

[AdamB]

Walker has been very good this season - he's still young and therefore has room for improvement but to buy someone better and with better potential would cost us £20m+. If Walker's crossing was better, he'd quickly be snapped up by Barca or Real

Rose I agree is somewhat limited. I would prefer to have Benny at LB or upgrade

 

[Rorschach]

Walker has been very good this season - he's still young and therefore has room for improvement but to buy someone better and with better potential would cost us £20m+. If Walker's crossing was better, he'd quickly be snapped up by Barca or Real

Rose I agree is somewhat limited. I would prefer to have Benny at LB or upgrade

I agree with this post pretty much, but Benny has been pretty poor when I've seen him for QPR this season. Not motivated really.

 

[AdamB]

I agree with this post pretty much, but Benny has been pretty poor when I've seen him for QPR this season. Not motivated really.

Would you be motivated if you were a regular in teh PL and then suddenly loaned out to a championship team?!? I'd be pretty ****ed off!

 

[Armenia Spur]

Benny and Charlie was our last decent pair of full backs. Charlie was slow, but he was tactically aware enough not to get caught out too often, and he provided the perfect backup for Lennon to his thing on the wing. And Lennon has a good defensive work ethic too so that right side was on lock down with those 2. And Benny I find is good going forward and defending and chips in with a couple of goals now and then.

 

[Gutter Boy]

Even when they have the space they can't deliver. I would love to see how many assists other full backs in the prem would get if they had the space the likes of walker has.

Maybe our system contributes to this? In 4-4-2 Ade and Soldado are perhaps too orthodox and are easily picked up by a CB. 4-3-3 would give Paulinho more licence to come in late, whilst the opposite inverted wide player can exploit the channel between CB and FB. You can't cross afterall if you don't have anyone in space to aim for.

I'm not saying Walker is an especially competent crosser, but we're not set up to even give him a chance.

Maybe like how as a club we ruin goalkeepers and dead-ball-takers, we also do the same with crossers? As Lennon and (still never had an assist) Townsend are just as bad. It'll be interesting to see if Chadli improve things as he looks to have the technical competence to hit a cross.

 

[Mumorn]

I don't think Walker has delivered this season at all. He has still been caught out of position numerous times, continues to put in GHod awful balls that are embarrassing for a professional footballer. He HAS been better than he was last season though. He is still a good option to have on the counter and his pace is always a threat, also gets him out of a lot of holes defensively, if he never had pace he probably wouldn't be a Premier League footballer so he needs to make the most of his coaching and improve.

Rose however, isn't good enough for us. Ekotto is a better full back and I'm surprised he wasn't recalled. I thought it was pretty obvious AVB didn't really see Ekotto in his plans, Ekotto isn't a wing back where he'll go up and down the flank and deliver crosses. He is however a very talented full back and was one of our best passers at the club. I hope we look for a new left back in the summer, but I do feel if we keep Sherwood, we keep Rose.

 

[Pirate55]

Walker already does and Rose never will.

Specifically though, they will never be effective in an attacking sense while we persist with an orthodox winger.

Walker can never overlap Lennon, because Lennon is already hugging the touchline. There's more potential for it to work on the left with Siggy/Chadli/Eriksen there, but Rose just isn't really capable enough.

The way to effectively utilise attacking fullbacks is in a 4-3-3, with say Eriksen and Lamela as the inside forwards in front of a trio of Sandro, Paulinho and Capoue/Dembele.

I don't agree with this. They have both proved they can do it - Walker with England and Rose with Sunderland. They get into great positions for us, but just don't find the right cross.

 

[milo]

I suspect that this may be because our expectation of the number of goals coming from crosses is far higher than the number that actually do.

The full back getting forward is useful for creating space by making the opposition full back have to decide which man to track, as much for delivering a ball into the box. Both Rose and Walker are quite good at doing this.

 

[diego_maradona]

I suspect that this may be because our expectation of the number of goals coming from crosses is far higher than the number that actually do.

The full back getting forward is useful for creating space by making the opposition full back have to decide which man to track, as much for delivering a ball into the box. Both Rose and Walker are quite good at doing this.

True. But IF either had a decent delivery we would be so much better off for it. Sagna for instance is probably one of the best crossers in the league. It is a huge weapon. Danny Rose speciality is to do really well to get to the by line then absolutely smash it in low and hard and typically straight into the keepers hands. Walker on the other hand will balloon it over everyone. Actually to be fair, Walker has actually got a decent cut back when he gets his head up and looks

 

[Pirate55]

Maybe our system contributes to this? In 4-4-2 Ade and Soldado are perhaps too orthodox and are easily picked up by a CB. 4-3-3 would give Paulinho more licence to come in late, whilst the opposite inverted wide player can exploit the channel between CB and FB. You can't cross afterall if you don't have anyone in space to aim for.

I'm not saying Walker is an especially competent crosser, but we're not set up to even give him a chance.

Maybe like how as a club we ruin goalkeepers and dead-ball-takers, we also do the same with crossers? As Lennon and (still never had an assist) Townsend are just as bad. It'll be interesting to see if Chadli improve things as he looks to have the technical competence to hit a cross.

Wrong. I remember Townsend putting a peach of a cross right on Paulis head in one of the European games.

 

[milo]

Maybe our system contributes to this? In 4-4-2

Have you watched us recently?

 

[Gutter Boy]

Benny and Charlie was our last decent pair of full backs. Charlie was slow, but he was tactically aware enough not to get caught out too often, and he provided the perfect backup for Lennon to his thing on the wing. And Lennon has a good defensive work ethic too so that right side was on lock down with those 2. And Benny I find is good going forward and defending and chips in with a couple of goals now and then.

Agree. Although I rate Walker, I do miss Corluka and think we let him go a season or two too early. A real thinking-man's defender. And BAE was always criminally underrated.

 

[Gutter Boy]

Have you watched us recently?

4-5-1/4-2-3-1 has some of the same problems as 4-4-2 though - particularly overcrowding on the flanks if the FBs push on. The positioning of the second wave is less predictable than in 4-4-2, but often a #10 is not who you want leading that group in (compared to a roving #8 like Paulinho).

 

[Gilzeantoscore]

Rose was Sunderland Young player of the year. Neither are much chop IMO. My views on Cactus Head are well documented.