TBF your first choice midfield wasn't available to shield your advancing fullbacks because they were being used in defence to compensate for your missing injured cbs. So both your attacking and defending suffered. Right now y;a'll are just back to your default settings pre the injured cbs. Plus Klopp has encouraged your midfield to get more involved in creativity than before
How to defend these cutbacks?
- Thread starter RedDevilCanuck
- Start date
I've said for ages we should focus more on cutbacks in our own attack.
I've always thought for the longest time now that a cutback is far more effective than a cross into the box. It's much harder to defend and your attackers are coming onto the ball with often a clear shot at goal which is imo much more effective 9 times out of 10 than a header.
We don't seem to make the most of it, rather than focus on defending them we should be coaching the attack to make the most of them ourselves.
Defending them I suppose would involve playing defensively with CDM's helping the backline and actively defending/looking for cutbacks. You need extra bodies to defend it.
I've always thought for the longest time now that a cutback is far more effective than a cross into the box. It's much harder to defend and your attackers are coming onto the ball with often a clear shot at goal which is imo much more effective 9 times out of 10 than a header.
We don't seem to make the most of it, rather than focus on defending them we should be coaching the attack to make the most of them ourselves.
Defending them I suppose would involve playing defensively with CDM's helping the backline and actively defending/looking for cutbacks. You need extra bodies to defend it.
Less about permanently marking them - the fullbacks give the team width and as you say man marking will leave you open centrally. You have to be in a position to stop the cross though.
We did it under fergie. Ceate an overlap, it forces theopposition to change shape of pull their wingers back. It’s also one of the most effective ways of scoring lots of simple goals and is hard to defend against if rehearsed
Yeah agree. Pep’s city have won titles doing it basically, so many of their goals come from it.
Yeah we are on the same page, you want to make your full back cover ground once a switch occurs in order to at least deter the easy cross. It's not easy though! Over 90 minutes a few will still get through.
Its the entirety of Pep's philosophy and it works so well because of overloads.
You have a standard back 4 and 2 dms positioned in green and the way Pep attacks as red you get.
-wg-fb-mf-cb-cb-st-fb-wg-
----fb---dm--dm--dm---mf---
In the case of current City across the front that's Grealish, Bernardo/Gundogan, Foden, Jesus across the top. With Cancelo, Rodri, and KDB just behind. The overloads between around the opposition fullback are clear to see and while its usually 4 vs 3 against at the back, its why ball hogging and denying the counter is so important. You are outnumbered and even when teams play with essentially another cb or midfielder coming deep which they mostly do. Its still 7 v 7 and the team without the ball has to be switch on for 90 minutes. One mistake, one person gets beat or caught out of position and the overload is always on. Pep will also always leave City a man short at the back, if there is another green in that little space, Kyle Walker or Laporte will also pop up in there. You will always end up defending with one of the fullbacks overloaded and a man down vs City, always. Its why we are so vulnerable to be beaten with 1 pass ala the champions league final. Pep essentially makes sure there are at least 14-15 players in the final 3rd at all times.
Liverpool essentially do the same but there fullbacks get where Cities wingers are, their wingers where Cities mf and st are, their striker slightly further forward than Rodri in the above and their midfielders pretty much where Cities lfb, and right sided mf are. Its brave to a fault and Liverpool have essentially gone back to heavy metal football this season but despite Liverpool being more direct against packed defences, or 6/7 men back, both teams essentially occupy the same positions and make the same runs. Big difference being Salah in particular doesn't look for cutbacks as often as he's so good he can make space and finish more often than not.
As for how to defend it, you defend it with bravery instead of cowardice most teams show. First off, you push wingers right up and limit the fullbacks getting involved ala Southampton did to City, or Chelsea in the CL final, you limit their numbers and take away the passes they can usually play blind because the extra players aren't there. Chelsea did this really well in the CL final with Mount and Werner in particular and with 2 attacker pinned back and Chelsea's 3 cb and midfield sitting relatively tight City couldn't play their common patterns, rhythm was broken and were incredibly toothless. Chelsea were extremely quick in transition and exploited Cities dm pushing up Gundogan in this case for the pass through for Havertz winner, running from out where the fullback was to inside with a big hole in midfield where a dm should be sitting. In comparison in the league game this season they sat 5 defenders back kept the midfield back and allowed Cities fullbacks the freedom of the bridge till they went behind and while the goal wasn't a cut back it came from pretty much the same overloads.
You have a standard back 4 and 2 dms positioned in green and the way Pep attacks as red you get.
-wg-fb-mf-cb-cb-st-fb-wg-
----fb---dm--dm--dm---mf---
In the case of current City across the front that's Grealish, Bernardo/Gundogan, Foden, Jesus across the top. With Cancelo, Rodri, and KDB just behind. The overloads between around the opposition fullback are clear to see and while its usually 4 vs 3 against at the back, its why ball hogging and denying the counter is so important. You are outnumbered and even when teams play with essentially another cb or midfielder coming deep which they mostly do. Its still 7 v 7 and the team without the ball has to be switch on for 90 minutes. One mistake, one person gets beat or caught out of position and the overload is always on. Pep will also always leave City a man short at the back, if there is another green in that little space, Kyle Walker or Laporte will also pop up in there. You will always end up defending with one of the fullbacks overloaded and a man down vs City, always. Its why we are so vulnerable to be beaten with 1 pass ala the champions league final. Pep essentially makes sure there are at least 14-15 players in the final 3rd at all times.
Liverpool essentially do the same but there fullbacks get where Cities wingers are, their wingers where Cities mf and st are, their striker slightly further forward than Rodri in the above and their midfielders pretty much where Cities lfb, and right sided mf are. Its brave to a fault and Liverpool have essentially gone back to heavy metal football this season but despite Liverpool being more direct against packed defences, or 6/7 men back, both teams essentially occupy the same positions and make the same runs. Big difference being Salah in particular doesn't look for cutbacks as often as he's so good he can make space and finish more often than not.
As for how to defend it, you defend it with bravery instead of cowardice most teams show. First off, you push wingers right up and limit the fullbacks getting involved ala Southampton did to City, or Chelsea in the CL final, you limit their numbers and take away the passes they can usually play blind because the extra players aren't there. Chelsea did this really well in the CL final with Mount and Werner in particular and with 2 attacker pinned back and Chelsea's 3 cb and midfield sitting relatively tight City couldn't play their common patterns, rhythm was broken and were incredibly toothless. Chelsea were extremely quick in transition and exploited Cities dm pushing up Gundogan in this case for the pass through for Havertz winner, running from out where the fullback was to inside with a big hole in midfield where a dm should be sitting. In comparison in the league game this season they sat 5 defenders back kept the midfield back and allowed Cities fullbacks the freedom of the bridge till they went behind and while the goal wasn't a cut back it came from pretty much the same overloads.
This is actually something for the football has changed thread. Going back to at least 15/16 with Bayern, Guardiola has been playing the 2-3-2-3 formation. Also called the WM, a formation last widely in use in the 1950s...
And again, after a near miss from Ronaldo
Arteta not on the caf, confirmed.
this is getting out of hand
Another cutback 
Stop the cross, track the runners.
Sack Fergie, sell Giggs
going to be greedy and count this one too. was the same as the first goal.
We score 2 yesterday and Arsenal get one.
Are headed goals, mazey runs and long range screamers a thing of the past?
Are headed goals, mazey runs and long range screamers a thing of the past?
We've scored a fair few of each of those this season.
To stop these kind of moves you cannot think on marking, because man marking is what causes those spaces to be available for the opponents to explore.
The ideal way to defend would be keeping the back 4 (or 3 depending the formation) on their shape to cover the goal areas, and do a more ball oriented press in order to cut passing solutions. Easier said than done, though.
The ideal way to defend would be keeping the back 4 (or 3 depending the formation) on their shape to cover the goal areas, and do a more ball oriented press in order to cut passing solutions. Easier said than done, though.