I'll have a stab. Let them have the ball, invite possession so they move further up the pitch. Then counter attack them at speed.
Explain like I'm 5
- Thread starter Rosco
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I'll have a stab. Let them have the ball, invite possession so they move further up the pitch. Then counter attack them at speed.
It depends on the game, the personnel and opposition. You can identify weaknesses on the day, via players having a poor game, players who are picked and that have certain weaknesses etc. It's a bit more complex, you can set yourself up against the opposition's standard style, but there are other factors to consider.
There's no "optimal strategy". Obviously there are standard practices, like watching the opposition games and exploiting certain things, standard tactics to overcome certain strategies, but there's not really a set in stone system that can be utilised against every system, that's all a bit too Football Manager.
As good as they are (or can be), I wonder what would've happened had Hazard been out injured most of the season.
but when he's fit, and he has been, they have the right combination to make it work. Last season we had a fighter upfront in Suarez, coupled with speed and movement upfront. Which in general opened up the best of teams and worked well against relegation fodder, because we let them play infront of us and then hit them. So as I said to Rosco, in that sense, there's not set way of combating "bus" teams, it's a combination of factors. If you're playing shit or lack fundamental parts to your set up, then many teams do struggle, regardless. If you look at Chelsea, they buy like for likes in reserve, look at Drogba for Costa, etc.
Go to four minutes in Ross.
So there's no theory on the best way to break down two lines of four defending deep?
I find that hard to believe.
Thanks.
Of course there are theories, like I said, last year we let teams have the ball infront of us and drew them out, then hit them on the break. There are tactics that work but like anything, you have to have players to do it.
Just go back to step one.
So loosely we should be:
Giving possession to the other side to draw them out.
When they do drop deep we attempt to use the full width of the pitch, if the full.back comes out to meet our wide player we're going to work towards the space he's vacated - whether that's by passing to someone moving into it or beating him.
I would also stick the try to force a goal by going for it early so they have to come out and play in there.
I don't see why we can't do those thIngs.
It's if they continue to play narrow and allow us to swing.crosses in and shoot from distance that I think we need to consider whether we're equipped to do it
So loosely we should be:
Giving possession to the other side to draw them out.
When they do drop deep we attempt to use the full width of the pitch, if the full.back comes out to meet our wide player we're going to work towards the space he's vacated - whether that's by passing to someone moving into it or beating him.
I would also stick the try to force a goal by going for it early so they have to come out and play in there.
I don't see why we can't do those thIngs.
It's if they continue to play narrow and allow us to swing.crosses in and shoot from distance that I think we need to consider whether we're equipped to do it
I don't even have to watch that to know what happens four minutes in.
I would fucking boss mastermind if I had peppa pig or Ben & holly as a subject.
It's all about how quickly the players think, and are aware of what the others are doing I feel
So say Lovren has the ball, a player will drop deep like Coutinho, but he will be tracked by the opposition. There are no wingbacks to pass to either as they usually get closed down quickly and the ball goes back to Mignolet who hoofs. Therefore Lovren hits a pass long or Mignolet does, and half of the time we waste possession
If we move the ball quicker in succession, we can run rings around them, but the overlaps have completely stopped in front of the attacking players. Glen Johnson for all his faults, is boss at this. He makes that run in behind which is difficult to defend against. The issue here being that his final ball is often shit cos we take so long to get players into the box.
Maybe we've tanked, ran out of energy and can no longer get men forwards like we ought, or we've just got lazy and think we can walk it in by keeping the ball and taking on 10 men. It's not fucking working though
So say Lovren has the ball, a player will drop deep like Coutinho, but he will be tracked by the opposition. There are no wingbacks to pass to either as they usually get closed down quickly and the ball goes back to Mignolet who hoofs. Therefore Lovren hits a pass long or Mignolet does, and half of the time we waste possession
If we move the ball quicker in succession, we can run rings around them, but the overlaps have completely stopped in front of the attacking players. Glen Johnson for all his faults, is boss at this. He makes that run in behind which is difficult to defend against. The issue here being that his final ball is often shit cos we take so long to get players into the box.
Maybe we've tanked, ran out of energy and can no longer get men forwards like we ought, or we've just got lazy and think we can walk it in by keeping the ball and taking on 10 men. It's not fucking working though
Well there's another bus arriving at Anfield on Saturday so I hope we come up with some solution soon. Oh and Atkinson is the ref just to add to the problems.
For teams parking the bus, one of the key strategies is to keep your width. One way would be to play with 3 attackers high up the pitch at all times, this keeps the fullbacks pinned back but also out wide which should leave bigger gaps either side of the CB's for runners to run into.
It would also mean that the wide midfielders either stay out wide to assist the fullbacks or tuck in leaving the FB 1v1 with the attacker.
I would advocate going 4213 - with the 3 at the top staying high up and wide with Coutinho as the one to feed the through balls and also to potentially use his ability in 1v1 situations against the CB.
It would also mean that the wide midfielders either stay out wide to assist the fullbacks or tuck in leaving the FB 1v1 with the attacker.
I would advocate going 4213 - with the 3 at the top staying high up and wide with Coutinho as the one to feed the through balls and also to potentially use his ability in 1v1 situations against the CB.
All our successes over the past decade have come when we've gone all out to score in the first 15-20min of games and then aimed to control the game thereafter.
Rafa managed to do it on the back of a solid and organised defence and defensive midfield, and Mr Rodgers did it last year by have a blistering attack and Steven Gerrard starting attacks from deep midfield.
Before that, we had success with Houllier and a much more defensive approach, aided by the magic formula of Gerrard + Owen = goal. ie: hit them on the counter.
I think our current squad and manager are best suited to the former approach. Press high, press in packs, right from the kick off. Quick forward passing and attacking in numbers in the first 15. The aim is to score, to disorient, to throw doubt into the minds of the opposition regarding whatever tactics they came out with for the day.
The other thing that happens when you clearly set out to score in the first 15-20min, is that you naturally start the game with urgency. I'm sick of seeing us suddenly wake up in the last 10min of matches realising we need to score goals and sometimes putting the opposition under pressure with relative ease. Do that at the start, send players out hungry to score first and fast.
With Coutinho, Sterling, Ibe, Sturridge, Lallana, Henderson, Markovich and Origi, and I think we have the pace and width necessary. We need another real goalscorer along with Sturridge, but other than that I think we're fine up front (backed up with a lot of promising youngsters).
We seem to have forgotten how to control a game once we go up though. Mr Rodgers early talk of death by football seems to have been forgotten in the aftermath of Luis Suarez showing an easier way to win football games. We need some of those principles back, and I think we lack a player who can control the tempo and flow of a game for us. We need an Alonso, a Didi, a McCallister, or a Molby.
Lucas and Allen are both capable of it, but don't do it consistently enough. Can doesn't strike me as the sort. I have high hopes that Rossiter could do it in a few years.
Rafa managed to do it on the back of a solid and organised defence and defensive midfield, and Mr Rodgers did it last year by have a blistering attack and Steven Gerrard starting attacks from deep midfield.
Before that, we had success with Houllier and a much more defensive approach, aided by the magic formula of Gerrard + Owen = goal. ie: hit them on the counter.
I think our current squad and manager are best suited to the former approach. Press high, press in packs, right from the kick off. Quick forward passing and attacking in numbers in the first 15. The aim is to score, to disorient, to throw doubt into the minds of the opposition regarding whatever tactics they came out with for the day.
The other thing that happens when you clearly set out to score in the first 15-20min, is that you naturally start the game with urgency. I'm sick of seeing us suddenly wake up in the last 10min of matches realising we need to score goals and sometimes putting the opposition under pressure with relative ease. Do that at the start, send players out hungry to score first and fast.
With Coutinho, Sterling, Ibe, Sturridge, Lallana, Henderson, Markovich and Origi, and I think we have the pace and width necessary. We need another real goalscorer along with Sturridge, but other than that I think we're fine up front (backed up with a lot of promising youngsters).
We seem to have forgotten how to control a game once we go up though. Mr Rodgers early talk of death by football seems to have been forgotten in the aftermath of Luis Suarez showing an easier way to win football games. We need some of those principles back, and I think we lack a player who can control the tempo and flow of a game for us. We need an Alonso, a Didi, a McCallister, or a Molby.
Lucas and Allen are both capable of it, but don't do it consistently enough. Can doesn't strike me as the sort. I have high hopes that Rossiter could do it in a few years.
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