Tactics Under Maresca

[Matt]

 

Can't seem to edit my post above for whatever reason.

 

But also, don't worry Enzo, yesterday was positively like watching on fast forward compared to the dirge we've been accustomed to watching. (Even at the start of the second half)

[marbles]

1 hour ago, Gravel said:

Who is rocking this touchline top best?

 

Enzo or the notepad chapstick charlatan?

 

 

 

Dude, get over him. 
He doesn’t want you back.

Edited 7 August 2023 by marbles

[The Year Of The Fox]

20 hours ago, Wasyls Pec Deck said:

Early days, but I get the impression as wel that he’s more outspoken and doesn’t sugar coat things. As an example, in one of LCFCTV interviews were the questions are ridiculously loaded he had one about how fit the players and how good the tour has been… he started his response with “Anyway… it is what it is, I’m doing the best in the midst of this circus.” The bit in Italics I am paraphrasing, but he’s not like a Rodgers that talks in vague Brentisms or someone who gives on the fence non answers. Even today when asked about McAteer, he said was good but he needs to be braver. Honesty and not some bullshit PR answer is so refreshing. He seems like a pretty black and white kinda guy.

In fairness Rodgers was excellent at slagging off the players publicly 

[Simmo86]

53 minutes ago, Matt said:

Who on earth was frustrated, impatient or moaning about yesterday?!

 

Yeah we didn’t come out in the second half firing at the start of the half but we got back up to speed and turned it around.

 

Even I as an advocate against possession based football (the slow, laborious, type of nonsense of what we’ve seen in the last few years - which is totally different to what we saw yesterday) enjoyed and having nothing against how we played yesterday!

 

It was fast, it was forward, it was exciting and attacking!

 

There were a couple of times where I thought Hermansen could have played quicker, there are times where its needed to slow the game down but there was one instance where Mavididi was free and needed playing quickly but that is literally my only criticism - even at that it’s no biggy.

Not a sideways ball, backwards balls, notepad or silly clap in sight.

 

The juries still out whether it continues but based on yesterday, I can’t say anything against it.

All I heard around me yesterday when we were doing our slow, patient build up was people yelling ‘Get it forward’ then must of the time 3 or 4 passes later we’d broke through the lines after said patient build up. Was bloody frustrating!

[Simmo86]

On 05/08/2023 at 21:58, LinekersLugs said:

read it again and know this 

 

the journalist thinks Enzo is captain Manering

 

that will give you a 100% different slant on the article

 

 

 

 

He couldn’t wait to get the digs in on Twitter post match!

[LinekersLugs]

6 hours ago, CosbehFox said:

LL with his ears to the deck judging from the journalists bitter tweets post match 

I have drank with him and also knew what he was trying to do in that article .. Pep roasted this lad in the car park at man citys training ground once and the numpty reported Pep to the Premier league 😂😂😂

[LinekersLugs]

3 minutes ago, Simmo86 said:

He couldn’t wait to get the digs in on Twitter post match!

He is vile, Enzo is a marked man, but still people read that initial article and thought it was a positive slant , it was dripping in sarcasm and set up 

 

@Ric Flair you need to get that particular journalist on your podcast 😂😂

[Simmo86]

2 minutes ago, LinekersLugs said:

He is vile, Enzo is a marked man, but still people read that initial article and thought it was a positive slant , it was dripping in sarcasm and set up 

 

@Ric Flair you need to get that particular journalist on your podcast 😂😂

Just with him or others aswell do you know?

[Matt]

3 minutes ago, Simmo86 said:

All I heard around me yesterday when we were doing our slow, patient build up was people yelling ‘Get it forward’ then must of the time 3 or 4 passes later we’d broke through the lines after said patient build up. Was bloody frustrating!

Yeah i've seen alot of people saying this.

 

As i've said (Many times ) and was discussing with @StriderHiryu last week, I clearly don't and didn't like what we've been doing for years, it's nonsense in my opinion, I understand there is a time and a place for slowing the game down, likewise a patient build up, but recycling the ball on end, ad libitum, passing it round the back time after time, without making any attempt of going past the halfway line or going forward, only a matter of time until we make a mistake gifting the opposition, I just don't get it.

 

I didn't see any of that yesterday, there was an element of slow, patient build up, but it was through the lines, forward, attacking, it was with a purpose, as I mentioned, I thought Hermansen could have been abit quicker at times yesterday but that's nothing more than a side note.

[Dr The Singh]

Not a fan

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

24 minutes ago, The Year Of The Fox said:

In fairness Rodgers was excellent at slagging off the players publicly 

Oh yes, but in a snide way that questioned their professionalism 

[StriderHiryu]

@Matt most of our supporters are still entrenched in football thinking from the past, sad to say. I hear groans and “it’s just Brendan ball all over again” multiple times from where I sat in the ground. It’s not because supporters are thick but because many of us when we were young were educated to believe football was predominantly a physical game about winning the individual battles. I’ve given the story before that as a kid I used to get told off for trying to play it on the deck to fashion opportunities in a more structured way. That’s how it was and old habits die hard. Football isn’t just about where the ball is. There is so much more going on at any point in time. 
 

As football has become so massive commercially, the stakes are so high that every aspect has become optimised and that’s why the game has completely changed. 
 

Maresca’s point is totally correct, you can’t just create good chances out of nowhere, you’ve got to move opponent’s around and find the pass when it’s there. Whenever the ball is played to Vestergaard or Coady pause the match and look at the positions all players are in. Often times they will do nothing because they are building the mental picture in their head. You could liken this to chess where a player is thinking about what move to make rather than just moving the first piece that comes to mind. 
 

The HUGE difference with Maresca is that when it’s time to go, it’s bang, bang, bang, quick, quick, quick back-to-front football. Some of the moves are amazing to see come together and they create chances. Brighton often have 65% possession plus, but yet their moves look like counter attacks. It’s because they move it so lightning quick. Our best moves had this aspect to them and it was at times exhilarating. But to the layman they won’t see this happening. That’s kind of the point of this forum topic, to help explain it but also for us all to learn together!

[Guest lcfc80]

1 hour ago, Simmo86 said:

All I heard around me yesterday when we were doing our slow, patient build up was people yelling ‘Get it forward’ then must of the time 3 or 4 passes later we’d broke through the lines after said patient build up. Was bloody frustrating!

Had the same in the east stand, people moaning about watching the same as when rodgers was here. not sure what they were watching tbh

[Max Power]

It didn’t seem slow and ponderous at all. The way we moved through the thirds was rapid and very exciting. There will be plenty of times this season where we are up against 11 behind the ball and it will be hard work but it won’t be boring by design under Maresca. 

[Big_Nige]

1 hour ago, LinekersLugs said:

He is vile, Enzo is a marked man, but still people read that initial article and thought it was a positive slant , it was dripping in sarcasm and set up 

 

@Ric Flair you need to get that particular journalist on your podcast 😂😂

The guy works for the Daily Mail. Automatically makes his opinion and anything he writes complete and utter baseless garbage 

Edited 7 August 2023 by Big_Nige

[DionDublinsThirdLeg]

The one thing that impressed me more than anything else yesterday was the Choudhury sub and then reverting Ricardo to a natural full back after 2-1. That may seem odd to some, but that sub alone tells me that Maresca is willing to adapt his principles to get success. I had initially worried that wouldn't be the case, but that sub told me if he feels he needs to, then he will make us less fluid. At the start of the second half we did have a spell that was reminiscent of last season, where it felt as though off the ball our players had no clue where they should be. But then the final 20 minutes Coventry looked very tired, which I'm hoping was because of the way we had controlled most of the game up to that point. Kind of like how a boxer invests early into the body to benefit later in the fight.

 

Were we excellent? No.

Did we look better than last season? Yes, without a doubt.

 

Compare the performance to the ones against Stockport, Gillingham or even MK Dons last season. We were fitter, sharper and looked like we had far more of a plan yesterday. In terms of our technical quality and fitness, we looked far superior to Coventry. But you could also see that they had spent much longer together under the same manager, which narrowed the gap.

For example Doyle and Mavididi have had virtually no time to gain an understanding, yet you could see they both had a level of quality above anything Coventry had in those positions. Besides Hamer, who would offer us something we don't have (Until perhaps Casadei joins), they didn't have anyone that I'd take here, and that togetherness and understanding they had defensively, is something we should get overtime. 

 

The transfer links are promising too, with rumours of us being after another couple of wingers and another number 8. Too often for the past 'x' amount of years we as fans have recognised we've been short in these areas, and Maresca appears to see this too. We've had a big squad for a few years, but with very little options for us to actually use.

[LinekersLugs]

3 hours ago, Simmo86 said:

Just with him or others aswell do you know?

I do, and it’s not a singular issue 

[LinekersLugs]

1 hour ago, Big_Nige said:

The guy works for the Daily Mail. Automatically makes his opinion and anything he writes complete and utter baseless garbage 

Agree but their click bait is massive and they are toxic when they sniff pressure 

[Ric Flair]

4 hours ago, LinekersLugs said:

He is vile, Enzo is a marked man, but still people read that initial article and thought it was a positive slant , it was dripping in sarcasm and set up 

 

@Ric Flair you need to get that particular journalist on your podcast 😂😂

Hahaha he's actually interacted a fair bit at the back end of last season with a few of the lads on the pod. I will enquire, very interested how he can have such an opinion on Maresca yet. None of us really know what he'll do.

[Ricey]

Every time the crowd got frustrated yesterday about slow play, we found a route through the middle of the pitch within about 5 seconds.

 

That didn’t happen last season. It would have ended up with being played across the back line and then given away.

Hopeful these Neanderthals will soon shut up once this style of play really beds in

[STUHILL]

I think we rode our luck defensively and again looked vulnerable from set plays, with similar faults on show that we have seen all too long from certain players. 

I am not sure Coady alone can come in and change that. 

I hope Enzo can finally get to grips with why we are so poor at the back. I am all for a new style of football, but keeping the ball and attacking tactics will be pointless, if we concede so easily whenever there is a corner or freekick. 

Hope to see us begin to tighten up at the back over the next few games. 

[The whole world smiles]

In the period after we went a goal down I heard plenty of audible moans and groans around me. I actually think your giving them too much credit to suggest it's because they aren't used to the type of football or some sort of cultural thing. I grew up watching city in the 90s and new managers were definitely given more than 45 minutes of their first game before people started audibly moaning at the players. 

 

These people are some of the most negative, toxic and miserable individuals we have following the club you can find plenty of their like in match threads having a complete melt down at the first little bump in the road. The worst thing is that after the last 11 months or so they feel like their entire outlook has been vindicated and to a certain extent it was, the club from top to bottom really was as shit as they've been saying it is for years. That's why Sundays result was so important hopefully these big entitled babies will tow the line for a few more weeks at least and give Enzo and the player a bit of time to bed in. 

[STUHILL]

6 minutes ago, The whole world smiles said:

In the period after we went a goal down I heard plenty of audible moans and groans around me. I actually think your giving them too much credit to suggest it's because they aren't used to the type of football or some sort of cultural thing. I grew up watching city in the 90s and new managers were definitely given more than 45 minutes of their first game before people started audibly moaning at the players. 

 

These people are some of the most negative, toxic and miserable individuals we have following the club you can find plenty of their like in match threads having a complete melt down at the first little bump in the road. The worst thing is that after the last 11 months or so they feel like their entire outlook has been vindicated and to a certain extent it was, the club from top to bottom really was as shit as they've been saying it is for years. That's why Sundays result was so important hopefully these big entitled babies will tow the line for a few more weeks at least and give Enzo and the player a bit of time to bed in. 

It's the way of the world now. Happening at all clubs and in society in general. It makes going to games pretty unbearable at times. 

That's why, like you say, a win was so important yesterday. Enzo needs some wins on the board early so he can keep the most impatient, toxic fans quiet. 

We have a nice run of games now, so hopefully we can put another few wins on the board and get this positive hype train going! 

[Dan LCFC]

I thought the speed we were winning it back in the first half an hour was really impressive. I think there'll be the odd game where we've got it sewn up by about the 20th minute by going 2/3 up. We will go at teams quickly. But this of course will need fresh attacking signings to actually come to fruition.

[Dan LCFC]

1 hour ago, Ric Flair said:

Hahaha he's actually interacted a fair bit at the back end of last season with a few of the lads on the pod. I will enquire, very interested how he can have such an opinion on Maresca yet. None of us really know what he'll do.

Sounds to me like he's catching strays because he doesn't like Pep. It is quite interesting how differently that article reads when you know this.