City get away with it a lot because many teams are too scared shitless to press. When they are pressed, goals like the one on Saturday are a greater risk. You are asking the players who by definition, should be the worst technically in your team, to pass the ball around the last line of their defence under pressure. This week alone I’ve seen 3 goals conceded and that’s just in the games I watched. England, City and Arsenal. I could have told you that you don’t want Michael fecking Keane, Otamendi or Sokratis taking such risk. They are not the players to do it. None of them could dream of playing central midfield.
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@Lash, there is middle ground I think. Play it wide to the full back at least, or have Xhaka drop and collect it. I do appreciate that hoofing will likely cede possession, although I believe possession is likely to be ceded at some point regardless. The chances of you passing the ball the entire length of the field is very slim. Even if they don’t take it off your defenders, they will take it off a midfielder or forward. I think you are more likely to make it to the opponents goal in free play when you recover possession in the final third. Passing it from goalkeeper to centre forward is rare, and if you fail at GK or CB stage, you will often concede yourself.