In regards to your last paragraph. I think that everyone has to come to terms with that.
The Kane project is winding down and we need to look ahead of that. A new project needs to start helmed by players like Dejan, Sarr, Richarlison and Romero.
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Manager Antonio Conte
- Thread starter Fattynomates
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The Kane project is winding down and we need to look ahead of that. A new project needs to start helmed by players like Dejan, Sarr, Richarlison and Romero.
Really well put.
A decade ago, the PL tactic was just to buy good foreign players that didn’t want real or Barca.
Then poch helped start the pressing fad. Slowly, PL teams realized this was an effective strategy as it created high quality chances.
What’s good against pressing? Well pressing becomes useless if you don’t even try and possess and you just sit back in a low block, defend and counter. so teams started doing this. I’m not saying this strategy only started 5 years ago… but it’s never been so pronounced and every single team can defend like this now… even top teams.
So now every team is sitting back. So now you need a tactic that can break down a set defense. So you get managers that can train intricate passing patterns but also allow players to improvise.
And now teams are pressing, playing a low block, and playing attacking patterns every game. And if a team can only do 1 or 2 of these well, they won’t consistently get results.
Conte is stale. Our press is laughable. We can counter but can’t defend consistently. We rely on the individual talent of kulu or Kane to break anyone down.
We need to find a manager with modern tactics… not one who is history. And preferably a flexible one that can adapt because the leagues tactics will change in the next 5 years. But conte is the least flexible manager I’ve ever seen.
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The next wave in tactics will be something that only makes sense in 5-subs football. Not quite sure what that is, but I'm certain we're playing a different game now in a way that hasn't been awakened to yet.
Very niche
I think pressing will be part of it, but with deliberate use of particular players for only 45 minutes. Perhaps you have a very aggressive midfield press that is deliberately burning out 3 midfielders, who then are always only playing the first or second half.
Also, just like we saw crossing return after teams focused on denying throughballs and box entry through the middle we'll probably see someone creating sequences that open shooting chances in the box via something else. Could be an overload through the wings, or could be some way of moving defenders out of the centre to create an opening there again.
Also, just like we saw crossing return after teams focused on denying throughballs and box entry through the middle we'll probably see someone creating sequences that open shooting chances in the box via something else. Could be an overload through the wings, or could be some way of moving defenders out of the centre to create an opening there again.
What the hell is that?
That makes a certain amount of intuitive sense as the cardiovascular demands on players gets higher and higher.
The thing I wonder about is some sort of concept whereby the game state determines the team on the field.
Like, if you go 1-0 up, it's an automatic trigger, even in the first half, to make this pre-determined set of four subs (always saving one for injury or time-wasting), but if you go 0-1 down, then that means THIS set of four subs.
So you've got a Level Team, a Trailing Team, and an Ahead Team, essentially. Smoothing out those workloads some way or other over the course of the season.
Teams would need to be deeper than they are now, but doesn't that seem like where we're heading?
All or Nothing
Just keep saying this to yourself over and over and over
New coach = clean slate.
Clean slate for Royal
Clean slate for Dire
Clean slate for Lloris
Clean slate for Sessegnon
Clean slate for Davies
Clean slate for PEH
Clean slate for Lucus
Clean slate for Son
Clean slate for Winks
Clean slate for TND
Clean slate for Rodon
Clean slate for GLC
Yes we've been shit but can you imagine 2 more years of another new coach sussing all these frauds out again?
New coach = clean slate.
Clean slate for Royal
Clean slate for Dire
Clean slate for Lloris
Clean slate for Sessegnon
Clean slate for Davies
Clean slate for PEH
Clean slate for Lucus
Clean slate for Son
Clean slate for Winks
Clean slate for TND
Clean slate for Rodon
Clean slate for GLC
Yes we've been shit but can you imagine 2 more years of another new coach sussing all these frauds out again?
There are some good points here.
I actually think Conte wants his teams to be tactically flexible and able to adjust the right moments of the game. Hence we go so hot and cold in periods of games. He has players that are attempting to manage the game but a lot of them aren’t able to (Benta and Perisic do understand imo).
Contes issue is that even though he understands when and can identify players that can, this season he’s not showing any ability to teach players how to do it and the club hasn’t signed him the players in key positions that can. CB and RWB as prime examples
I would argue that we can't even counter properly anymore either. Teams were overly cautious against us because of it but that ship seems to have sailed.
Maybe it's tied to Son's inability to be any kind of a threat, lack of Kulu for a while, or our midfield constantly being overrun that is forcing so many bad transition balls that we're constantly turning over possession.
There's also teams being allowed to hack Kane to bits every time he comes short to get the ball, but that's a whole other story.
The brilliance of Son and Kane over the last 4-5 years have masked our extreme deficiencies as a team.
Now that Son's form is in free fall and not remotely the same player he was, we're seeing us play a brand of football that's nowhere near good enough.
We've said time and time again, you take Son and Kane out of the team and we're a mid table team. Well, one of the two players has gone missing this season and we look like just a top 6 team even with Chelsea and Liverpool playing some of their worst football in recent moment AND even after we spent all that money. This is who we are.
It's never been about the manager. It's never been about tactics. It's always been about our bang average players and how piss poor our recruitment has been.
Now that Son's form is in free fall and not remotely the same player he was, we're seeing us play a brand of football that's nowhere near good enough.
We've said time and time again, you take Son and Kane out of the team and we're a mid table team. Well, one of the two players has gone missing this season and we look like just a top 6 team even with Chelsea and Liverpool playing some of their worst football in recent moment AND even after we spent all that money. This is who we are.
It's never been about the manager. It's never been about tactics. It's always been about our bang average players and how piss poor our recruitment has been.
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With 5 subs now something like this has become all the more viable......
Certainly more chance of it being impactful than using 2 or 3 of your subs in the 88th minute (Ahem, Antonio!).
When Conte signed, my Chelsea mate said exactly this. But he seems to be the opposite, even not making subs when they see elementary
Thing is, I was all on board for waiting it out until he could put together a team that could do it. After the gutless way he talked down his own team and talked up our biggest rivals to cover for his own fuck ups, he can either sign the contract and find the balls to fight, or he can fuck off.
Can’t see another post game interview making excuses for player errors and talking about how amazing the opponent is
It could still all be a masterful game of poker which shakes ENIC to their very foundations (and kicking Levy's ass like the baying crowd believed they wanted) and propells us to the league next year.....
...But it's not, is it.
Either Conte's gone soft or he's just killing time here.
I assume you are talking about the rule change from 3 to 5 subs and totally agree. Going into this year, I expected earlier subs as you now get more. There’s less risk in early subs as you don’t have to worry about running out due to injuries. And earlier subs mean more intensity for shorter intervals.
But conte has had pretty much the exact same subbing pattern as last season. So he’s basically ignored the rule change instead of using it to his advantage. Instead of this low energy, useless first half, throw in Richarlison, Gil, and whoever and press them for 30 or 45 minutes. Then make changes at half. But no, it’s 65 minute sub then an 80 minute one followed by giving Gil 2 minutes and Spence 30 seconds.
I haven't seen anyone really make big changes in their substitution patters.
More commitment to getting your best bench option or two in on the stroke of the hour mark maybe, but nothing more avant garde than that.