alboots101
Established Member
I think Vermaelan is key to all our central defensive issues.
alboots101 said:I think Vermaelan is key to all our central defensive issues.
DJ_Markstar said:I don't agree that he is technically poor and I think he has a wonderful passing range for a CB, although he needs to become more reliable on that front. I agree with the OP on the remaining points.I also think his pace is massively underrated.
All in all, there is a very classy defender lurking in there waiting to come out - but he is too inconsistent right now.
Have to agree but I think it's to simplistic to say bring in a defensive coach etc etc. A defensive coach wont improve Djourou reaction time or dull his ability to somehow slip whilst wearing lead boots...or moving like he's got them. I do agree about Song though and him getting caught too far upfield but it's more than that, we have to regress in order to progress, our players are adaptable enough, enough with the trying to play silky football, play two upfront, tell Song if he moves 2 inches past the halfway line he'll explode..or someone will shave his precious hair.viper_001 said:The Koscielny dilemma? How about the Arsenal defensive disaster? We could have a time machine and have a prime CB pairing of Beckenbauer and Tony Adams and we'd still ship goals... why?
1 - Zonal marking. Garbage garbage garbage. Why do we even attempt this?
2 - High defensive line with no pressing from the midfield? No tracking back from the wingers and strikers? Let's not try to be Barcelona if we can't get the basics right.
Those two very glaring holes are what will plague us until we get to the root of them. Neither have to do with signing new players, but bringing in a defensive coach and playing to our strengths. We can still play a passing style, but if we want to ship less goals we'll have to be defensively compact and make our plays from the back. Song needs to stop thinking he's the black Zidane, and we need to start man marking on set pieces.
Right now our off the ball movement is disgusting. Hopefully we pull it together this season.
cuban said:I really rate this guy...and eventough I agree this is bit of a dillemma (in a way that Kos divides opinions) I don't really agree with some observations in a opening post...
he is surely not weak technically...for me his main weak points are that he tries to play perfect pass out of defence and carry the ball out himself which ends up in giving the ball away in dangerous area more often than I would like and then his positioning and marking at set pieces...even in the air he doesn't really have that many problems from the open play...but he struggles with set plays...wether that is down to our system or lack of contrentation or something else I don't know...
he is also bit naive at times and yes...bit inconsistent...right now he is maybe suffering from new partner (as is Mert)
all in all I think that he is far from being our being our biggest problem defensively...for me he is 3rd best defender at the club
law90026 said:If he was a good DM or Wenger saw potential, wenger would already be playing him as a DM. Few players can just change positions mid-way through their career and flourish.