Everton (away) Tuesday 13th December, 7:45

[SPARKSY]

Groundhog day lads

Speaking of which we still have trips to Spurs, Liverpool, Chelsea and Stoke - 4 grounds where we regularly put in shambolic or underwhelming performances. Would be surprised if we win at any of them. Certainly didn't manage to improve our diabolical league win record at United despite them being all over the shop.

Saw a stat last night that said we've only played one team from the top half away from home so far - united at OT (remember that shitfest?.......despite the late redemption)

The worst is yet to come......

That's what worries me. I just don't see many, if any, wins from those games. The season is playing out as always, we beat the lower half teams and all in the garden is rosy.
Come up against the top half teams and

[Henry Norris 1913]

db10 honestly mate i think you're getting confused here. i'm not saying ozil has to play like robbie fecking savage- the ball was in a contestable area and he didn't challenge- ducked right out of the way, then had the audacity to bemoan his team mates from not saving it.

if he going to take up a defensive position in our box when defending late on in a game, he needs to put in a challenge, there is no good him being there otherwise. i don't believe even we train our players to stand in the box and not try to win the ball when it is going straight to an everton player. it was a huge reason of why we lost when we really should have at least held out for a draw.

[Redarmy]

db10 honestly mate i think you're getting confused here. i'm not saying ozil has to play like robbie fecking savage- the ball was in a contestable area and he didn't challenge- ducked right out of the way, then had the audacity to bemoan his team mates from not saving it.

if he going to take up a defensive position in our box when defending late on in a game, he needs to put in a challenge, there is no good him being there otherwise. i don't believe even we train our players to stand in the box and not try to win the ball when it is going straight to an everton player. it was a huge reason of why we lost when we really should have at least held out for a draw.

I don't like this Zonal marking either at least not the way we implement it....very vulnerable to a late runner into the box, with no one picking up...

[Nos89]

The more I watch Sanchez's free kick the more I believe he intentionally aimed it to nutmeg Williams .

[DB10GOONER]

db10 honestly mate i think you're getting confused here. i'm not saying ozil has to play like robbie fecking savage- the ball was in a contestable area and he didn't challenge- ducked right out of the way, then had the audacity to bemoan his team mates from not saving it.

if he going to take up a defensive position in our box when defending late on in a game, he needs to put in a challenge, there is no good him being there otherwise. i don't believe even we train our players to stand in the box and not try to win the ball when it is going straight to an everton player. it was a huge reason of why we lost when we really should have at least held out for a draw.

If you watch it again, the ball and the guy that scored were both behind Ozil. At the point where he receives the ball we then had 2 CH's and a keeper between the scorer and the goal but rooted to the spot watching the ball arc in. If that was a proper man to man marking system I'd agree that Ozil should have at least gone with him or made a challenge as the scorer ran past Ozil to get in there. That would have been his responsibility, absolutely. But in our piss-poor version of zonal marking all of our players just stand there in their zone and watch as the oppo players run past them. So for me the CH's and the keeper and the idiot manager that implements zonal marking are far more to blame than an attacking midfielder told to hold his zone out on the edge of the box.

[northbank123]

For their winner our only three half-decent headers of the ball (being Giroud and our two CBs) were standing on each other's toes.

Whatever your thoughts on zonal marking that's not how you do it.

[DB10GOONER]

For their winner our only three half-decent headers of the ball (being Giroud and our two CBs) were standing on each other's toes.

Whatever your thoughts on zonal marking that's not how you do it.

The simplistic zonal marking we use doesn't work. I saw a good interview with Lee Dixon and he was talking about the little known fact that under GG we sometimes employed a version of zonal marking. But he emphasised it was a flexible version and did not mean just standing there in your zone watching the oppo run at you. He said they would know in advance who on the oppo team would make the late run into the box and either Adams Bould or Keown would run with them to challenge. Which of course means that GG had done his homework and - what the fuck - actually set the team up to counter the team we were playing against!! Mad stuff, I know! Dicko also said (and I totally agree) that for zonal to work you have to have disciplined and intelligent players that are flexible and well versed and trained in the system.

[A11M11]

Zonal can work providing you have at least one or two that attack the ball. The rest can play statues