West Brom - Post match

[Le Renard]

Great win, but hang on to your hats because in the last few weeks, we've seen what the championship can do to you, it is a bloody meatgrinder.  I will book an appointment with my cardiologist very soon!

[SecretPro]

Nice interview from their Manager, he seems like a nice guy 

[Tanya]

12 minutes ago, Lillehamring said:

You do understand that after teams score the opponent usually step it up?  Especially a form team, in front of their home fans.

 

What? Oh my goodness I never thought of that. Please elaborate, you giant football brain savant who isnt patronising at all. My goodness. 

 

Of course the opposition will step up you codswaddle. That is a given. If that is the case you keep the ball, probe, play the angles and still go for it when the gaps inevitably arise. You play like you have been for 75 minutes. You dont suddenly get frazzled and play scared. 

 

At the very least you keep the ball. You should also try and score too because 1-0 is an awfully slender lead.

 

Also this is twice in one week we went negative after we score late. I am very very glad we won. I am sure Enzo didnt like how passive we were for those 20 or so minutes. 

Edited 2 December 2023 by Tanya

[egg_fried_rice]

Just now, SecretPro said:

Nice interview from their Manager, he seems like a nice guy 

classy bloke, good manager.

[cityfanlee23]

8 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

I think this is completely wrong to be honest. And completely misunderstanding "the philosophy."

 

The whole point of passing it around between Winks, Vestergaard and Hermansen right inside our own box is to try and draw teams out so they aren't parking the bus so that we CAN move quickly through the opposition. 

 

The idea that Maresca doesn't want us to counter attack quickly is completely false and rather silly given the entire point of our build up is to try and create chances to counter. It's not like Rodgersball where we pass the ball sideways a thousand times in front of the opposition box is it? 

 

"Completely against the philosophy" would be something like bringing on a seven foot striker and lumping it at his head from every goal kick. 

 

Please can we fvck off with this myth thag Enzoball is negative or slow or anti fun or anti excitement. Maresca wants us to score quick, efficient goals exactly like that but you can't do it when 99% of the teams in the league are terrified of us and tend to have most of their team sat in their own box refusing to move. 

 

Fundamentally it sounds great, but in reality we had multiple occasions today where we either had Ndidi creating an overload for Fatawu or WBAs right back out of position and Enzo was shouting instructions to pass it backwards then applauding it according to LCFC commentary. 
 

It seems counter intuitive for Enzo to not want us to attack when WBA are in a vulnerable position so I don’t think he genuinely wants that, but at the same time I think Enzo seems like a perfectionist who wants to counter in a very specific way, created by the passing, and when chances that were not a direct result of drawing players out arise he doesn’t think it’s valuable to attack them. 
 

It makes no sense for him to not want to attack but it also makes no sense for him to be visibly applauding Fatawu passing the ball backwards when he has a defender out of position with Ndidi in the channel ahead of him on his own.

 

 

[Lionator]

After watching them last Saturday I thought we nullified West Brom well, they really didn't offer that much. 

 

I said in the match thread that as long as we control the ball, we don't concede chances, and we were a lot more disciplined today compared to Wednesday.

 

It's such a massive win as the next 4 games look very winnable. 10-12 out of those and we're buzzing.

[sbfox]

11 minutes ago, filbertway said:

Jumpers for goalposts

Muddy knees

Marvelous

 

love the attitude of this team to be fair but not on board onboard style at all.

 

Burnley are on for a record 8 losses at home today. Its hard to see anything but a similar outcome for us if we go up and play teams capable of punishing the chances and dangerous positions we constantly gift teams.

 

Still hoping we see some adaption from Enzo, being so predictable can't be a positive.  Theres a lot I like about him but im worried he's so far married to this style that we won't see the necessary adaption.

 

As I'm typing this, I just heard Enzo say the win was completely deserved 100%. I genuinely feel like I'm living in an alternative reality 😁

 

You are. Absolutely fantasy land. 

[LCCFox96]

Get in! That’s a huge result and a gritty performance to follow up the late disappointment and sloppy showing on Wednesday. 
 

Two excellent and different team goals as well. The first beautifully crafted and typical of Enzoball with the wide players stretching the play, the number 8 driving on and standing up the cross to the back post for the opposite number 8. The second a ruthless counter attack, using quick and snappy passing to exploit the space in behind. 
 

A brilliant response and a hugely important win. Hopefully Ipswich, Leeds and the chasing pack slip up too.

[Lionator]

1 minute ago, SecretPro said:

Nice interview from their Manager, he seems like a nice guy 

I wanted him as manager when his name got floated around in summer.

[FoxyJim1987]

Shouldn't The Hawthorns technically be ours now we've won there so many times.

[StriderHiryu]

2 minutes ago, Dahnsouff said:

Bit rude not to shout another phoenix, isn’t that right Mr Vestergaard   

 

 I cannot quite understand how he has become quite so pivotal

Yep definitely, he was a contender for MOTM, but hard not to give it to KDH after the goal and assist. 

 

But I don't think it is as insane to think Vestergaard would be like this. He's basically a CDM playing as a CB because he's massive. Probably because he's not mobile he can't play as a sitting 6, though I think he might be quite good in a classic 4231 as a sitting pivot. In a system where you totally dominate the ball, he is excellent with his feet. Some of his passing was absoultely brilliant too. Jannik always had this ability, but was never used in a style or system to really show this outside of Germany. Him and Winks are good examples of players that are great in this system, but proven to be lacking badly in other systems. 

[AjcW]

Great to get the result! The subs thing is starting to bug me though 🤯

[sbfox]

1 minute ago, cityfanlee23 said:

Fundamentally it sounds great, but in reality we had multiple occasions today where we either had Ndidi creating an overload for Fatawu or WBAs right back out of position and Enzo was shouting instructions to pass it backwards then applauding it according to LCFC commentary. 
 

It seems counter intuitive for Enzo to not want us to attack when WBA are in a vulnerable position so I don’t think he genuinely wants that, but at the same time I think Enzo seems like a perfectionist who wants to counter in a very specific way, created by the passing, and when chances that were not a direct result of drawing players out arise he doesn’t think it’s valuable to attack them. 
 

It makes no sense for him to not want to attack but it also makes no sense for him to be visibly applauding Fatawu passing the ball backwards when he has a defender out of position with Ndidi in the channel ahead of him on his own.

 

 

A lot of this just isn't true. You've made it up in your head that Maresca is a "perfectionist", or that he only wants to score in a certain way, or that some direct options aren't "valuable". He has a philosophy sure, but you're applying your own bias to what you think you see and hear on the pitch. 

[Guppys Love Child]

35 minutes ago, Mickyblueeyes said:

I absolutely ****ing LOVE that the winner was scored in a style completely against the “philosophy” 

 

just play ****ing football!

 

love it.

I agree 100%. 

 

First and most importantly I'm Happy as hell we won. !

 

But it was refreshing for a 'split second' not to see 23 sideways passes before going forward and scoring,Yes yes I know it's not the Enzo way, and yes yes we can't play that way all the time, but the irony is brilliant.

I've never hidden the fact is dislike our playing style and the passing bore fest, we are subjected to, so a polar opposite style of playing  resulting in the the winner makes the goal and most importantly the victory a whole lot sweeter.

 

Just a thought...I wonder what with our attacking options would happen if we did it a whole lot more?    

 

[SecretPro]

Must say I'd much rather see West Brom go up than most in this league, especially Leeds.

[Lillehamring]

22 minutes ago, Delphine said:

Okey we get a good ball and a good result but Enzo should be more careful with his sub choices. Why we are taking Ndidi off and Casedei on?Why after we have made the first goal just a one change? We still had 4 changes. Just fresh ıt and seeking for the second..... 

Because ndidi hasn't played much and was clearly shattered.  Casadei came in and made a good clearance, linked up play, held up the ball 

[Simonb]

Leeds have started off well... then again they did it against Swansea and won

[hackneyfox]

30 minutes ago, Bilo said:

One of them is actively supporting whoever we play so Enzo gets the sack.

 

I'm fairly sure that stupidity on that level qualifies as a disability. 

Who is that?

[cityfanlee23]

Just now, sbfox said:

A lot of this just isn't true. You've made it up in your head that Maresca is a "perfectionist", or that he only wants to score in a certain way, or that some direct options aren't "valuable". He has a philosophy sure, but you're applying your own bias to what you think you see and hear on the pitch. 

Maybe, but if that wasn’t the case why does he applaud passing the ball backwards when Fatawu has their right back out of position and Ndidi had bombed forward unmarked? 
 

Surely if he just wanted to score he would be jumping up and down gesturing him forward rather than applauding passing it back? 

[foxsake]

Vital win! KDH with the pashunnn! Why is Mavididi such a mardy bum? 😄

[sbfox]

1 minute ago, Guppys Love Child said:

I agree 100%. 

 

First and most importantly I'm Happy as hell we won. !

 

But it was refreshing for a 'split second' not to see 23 sideways passes before going forward and scoring,Yes yes I know it's not the Enzo way, and yes yes we can't play that way all the time, but the irony is brilliant.

I've never hidden the fact is dislike our playing style and the passing bore fest, we are subjected to, so a polar opposite style of playing  resulting in the the winner makes the goal and most importantly the victory a whole lot sweeter.

 

Just a thought...I wonder what with our attacking options would happen if we did it a whole lot more?    

 

Not sure this is fair. With a 3-1 counter, there is ONLY one way to attack. No manager will coach that situation any differently, because there's no other way to coach how that situation unfolded. 

[Cincinnati Fox]

Winks could have so easily have missed that!

[WoodyFox]

 

[sbfox]

Just now, cityfanlee23 said:

Maybe, but if that wasn’t the case why does he applaud passing the ball backwards when Fatawu has their right back out of position and Ndidi had bombed forward unmarked? 
 

Surely if he just wanted to score he would be jumping up and down gesturing him forward rather than applauding passing it back? 

Because managers clap all sorts of bollocks. Happens all the time. Most of it is for morale. These are top level footballers, I don't think you need a manager telling them exactly where to play it.

[LCFCJohn]

There must be many on here seething at that goal at the end. Horrible counter attacking stuff 

 

Fantastic result, to win away at one of the better sides and inform in the league.

 

First half performance once again very drab and forgettable but I thought it picked up much earlier and the second half as a whole was quite enjoyable.

 

I loved both goals in different ways. The winner, love a goal like that and it was a middle finger up at those who sneer at anything other than 30+ pass goals.

 

The first goal, if we are not having overlapping full backs, we need that from the number 8’s like Ndidi did and had done just before as well, linking with Fatawu. And of course, the number 8 from the opposite side arriving in the box. Great goals, both of them.

 

We need to get this idea out of our hands and the arrogance some of our fans have that we can just wear sides out and we are invincible in the last third of the game. 3 games in the last 4, we have conceded in the last 10 minutes. 2 of those cost us and we got away with it today with a goal very much against what the manager wants.