Centre Back conundrum | PASOTI
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Centre Back conundrum

cheshiregreen

✅ Evergreen
Jade Berrow 23/24
Feb 17, 2004
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cheshire
No Argyle game yesterday afternoon, so time to reflect and consider.

One thing generally agreed in these boards is we are pretty poor defensively, or a lot of the time we have been. So had a quick look back through this season to see what's happened in the centre of our defence.

Not a very straightforward picture, due to CBs being substituted and occasionally a 3 CB system operating, but, I think this summary indicates the early season chopping and changing to find a decent pairing. Some changes forced by injury of course.

This is League 1 games only. DA started in August with Edwards and Wootton (pairing 1). That changed for game 3 when Canavan and Wootton (2) started. In game 5 home to Posh both were replaced as we shipped 5 and Songo'o and Sawyer (3) finished game there. Next Edwards and Sawyer (4) one game before Edwards and Canavan (5) started together. These two have ended as the most utilised partnership but only played 2 games before Edwards and Wootton played once and then a run of 5 matches with Edwards and Grant (6) together.

That partnership ended and Songo'o and Canavan (7) played 6 games together ending after defeat at Shrewsbury but including the 5 goal defeat at Luton. Another outing for Edwards and Canavan followed by 2 more for Songo'o/Sawyer one for Edwards and Songo'o (8) on Boxing day.

A consistent run from Edwards and Canavan until Good Friday when Edwards and Jones became pairing nine. So apart from a wasted hour of my time we can see that the pair the manager presumably thought was his strongest in August have hardly played together. We can see the upturn post Christmas in form coincided with the same pair of CBs but so has the recent slump. We can also see Adams has made numerous attempts to find the solution. The only other conclusion I can reach is that we failed in our attempts to replace Bradley and additionally there have been a number of changes in both full back positions too leaving us with a porous defence and in our current predicament.

Happy Easter.
 

GreenThing

Administrator
Staff member
🏆 Callum Wright 23/24
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✨Pasoti Donor✨
🌟Sparksy Mural🌟
Sep 13, 2003
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Plymouth
I think the problem lies with our full backs. Our tactics (and this of many other teams) seems to be don’t lunge in with tackles, press the opposition wingers and position yourself so the only option is for them to pass backwards. To do this you need to position yourself well, if you leave too much space then the opposition will push you back into your own box, but get too close and he’ll skin you and you’ll be in no-mans land.

Most of the opposition attack our left and we either see Sawyer working his way backwards until their man is in a dangerous position, or chasing shadows.
 
Mar 16, 2009
1,082
652
London
Thanks for taking the time to work that out. Apart from lots of issues with our midfield this season, the centre back situation has definitely been our undoing. 9 different pairings proves that.

It seems the way forward is to be less predictable in our set up. When Lameiras returned to the side and we started our good run the difference was we could defend higher up the pitch, which in turn led to less chances for the opposition. Teams have gradually stifled us going forward by stopping Lameiras. And now there is consistently pressure on our back line.

We need a variety of formations.

We need to outwit the opposition by setting up as 3-4-3 (or 3-4-2-1) on occasions. 3-5-2 is too rigid but there are other formations we should prepare for too.

Until we can be less predictable we’re too easy to prepare against.
 

Tugboat

Cream First
🇰🇪 Welicar Donor
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✨Pasoti Donor✨
🌟Sparksy Mural🌟
Feb 24, 2007
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I think we need to go back to a 4-1-4-1 with Songo’o shoring up the inept back line.
 
Oct 18, 2010
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St Judes
What a mess it's been! Basically he's signed Wooton, Canavan, Grant and Edwards on the cheap and none of them have been good enough, surprise surprise!

This combined with Macey not being good enough it's no surprise we've leaked goals all season.
 
Oct 18, 2010
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St Judes
Tugboat":2c2j6x2d said:
I think we need to go back to a 4-1-4-1 with Songo’o shoring up the inept back line.
Agree with that. (He won't do it of course)!

We are far too predictable!
 
Mar 15, 2007
5,191
3,276
Plymouth
I’d like to see Canavan and Jones. Edwards is a liability. Zero awareness, sluggish, always got a mistake in him.