Center Half partnership

[Fox]

guys did the fact that our full backs sat in our half all day affect the solidness of the CBs?

It must have helped, Rafa must have told Jonno and Fabio to stay back, then we got a clean sheet, hmmm

 

[mark1975]

[quote author=Judge Jules link=topic=36711.msg971975#msg971975 date=1256577130]
Disagree. You need a fullback who can operate anywhere up or down the wing. Arbeloa could do that actually, but Johnson's much better at the attacking bit and (as yesterday showed) not nearly as ropey at defending as the current media bullsh!t would have anyone believe.
[/quote]

Yeah I thought he was excellent defensively yesterday and rarely caught out of position, it's definitely been an issue though since the start of the season, both fullbacks have left the defence wide open.

 

[Judge Jules]

Well, our defence as a unit hasn't been all that for a while now, so it made sense for Rafa to take counter-measures in such a massive game. We can still get the FBs bombing forward again if this now starts us off on a good run of form.

 

[madmax]

[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=36711.msg971992#msg971992 date=1256578395]
[quote author=Judge Jules link=topic=36711.msg971975#msg971975 date=1256577130]
Disagree. You need a fullback who can operate anywhere up or down the wing. Arbeloa could do that actually, but Johnson's much better at the attacking bit and (as yesterday showed) not nearly as ropey at defending as the current media bullsh!t would have anyone believe.
[/quote]

Yeah I thought he was excellent defensively yesterday and rarely caught out of position, it's definitely been an issue though since the start of the season, both fullbacks have left the defence wide open.
[/quote]

That still doesn't explain all the set plays that we were losing out on..

Yesterday, against some really good players in the air, against a team who have unlocked us more than once using a set-piece smash and grab goal, we looked like we were going to win everything in the air....

 

[manwithnoname]

Carra and Agger were both very good.

Insua wasn't, and isn't

Magic has been our player of the season so far*, a truly excellent player and I'm delighted with him

*ok, maybe Torres

 

[Skullflower]

do you rate 'caspar the israeli ghost' these days?

 

[manwithnoname]

Casper's done well.

Still too inconsistent for me; he has had some very poor games this season - not alone there - however, given the paucity of our offensive/creative options he is a useful squad member

 

[Stulikesdrums]

I think Yossi has proved over the last year that he is more than a squad member.

 

[Squiggles]

[quote author=Stu link=topic=36711.msg972099#msg972099 date=1256588793]
I think Yossi has proved over the last year that he is more than a squad member.
[/quote]

True, but in the first choice eleven, where does he belong?

LW - Nope, he's pretty shit there. Only if Riera's going through yet another ineffectual spell.
Behind Torres? Steven Gerrard
Kuyt - Rafa's love child.

He's unlucky really, but that's how it stands

 

[Farkmaster]

Agger's defensive heading is MUCH better than Skrtl's and he read the game perfectly. If Agger keeps up this form, he's the firm favourite.

Our CBs were the most startling improvement, although no one with half a brain thought Carragher didn't have that in him.

 

[Ryan]

[quote author=Brendan link=topic=36711.msg972033#msg972033 date=1256582094]
Casper's done well.

Still too inconsistent for me; he has had some very poor games this season - not alone there - however, given the paucity of our offensive/creative options he is a useful squad member Yes, but I'm a stubborn fuckwit and too proud to admit it on here.

[/quote]

 

[Ryan]

[quote author=Tinto link=topic=36711.msg971977#msg971977 date=1256577344]
[quote author=drizzt link=topic=36711.msg971970#msg971970 date=1256576465]
[quote author=Ryan link=topic=36711.msg971523#msg971523 date=1256522582]
It was no conicidence that we looked far more solid as a defensive unit with Johnson and Insua instructed to stay in our own half.

What you lose on the swings, you gain on the roundabouts.
[/quote]

18m for the best attacking full back in england only to tell him he has to play like Arbeloa doesn't even out IMO. If the full backs are going to sit, any old clogger could do that job and the money would have been better spent on a Silva/Striker/CM.
[/quote]

But you're not going to tell Johnson to sit in every match and you certainly won't against the canon fodder.

Yesterday's demand on Johnson was a defensive one and for a man who is supposedly England weak link and can't defend, he snuffed out apparently the player of the season so far with considerable ease. He contributed fully to our win yesterday and showed he can be defensively tight when the occasion demand. This bodes well for the future as we all know he can offer lots to the attack too.


[/quote]

Is correct.

 

[Farkmaster]

I thought it was one of Johnson's best games for us, in it's own way. Sometimes if you want to get up the flanks, you can, you know, use a forward to do it. That said, Johnson did make some runs, just judiciously. Our attacking players all favoured that side, and really picked on Evra, especially Yossi. This was partially because we were looking to identify a weakness and not allow Evra to overlap, and partially because we had decided that given that O'Shea offers nothing going forward, we could use Aurelio and Insua to double up on Valencia.

The tactics were dead on for the flanks, but our CB pairing played a monster of a game. The shot blocking was unbelievable.