Davinson Sanchez

[Guido 🇺🇦]

Even Mourinho publically stated the defenders aren't good enough individually after the game

Only reason we have a good defence is due to our shape, let's be honest. We have PEH/Sissoko babysitting these guys all game and concede few chances.

Sanchez is honestly the worst CB we've had for ages. I even prefer Chiriches to him.

Total headless chicken

Yes!! Our shape is to set up and defend, it's what we do, game after game after game. Our defence literally spends almost the entire game defending. You will therefore see more players defending, more chances created by the oppo. We concede an ave of over 13 shots per game, one of the worst in the league. It's how we are set up.

Yet despite this we have the best defence in the league, ergo we defend well.

Kane and Son are just as effective in attack, yet they are worshipped.

My post is not about individuals, Sanchez isn't the best defender. But the irony is you are all slagging off the defenders (ALL OF THEM) for being the best in the league at what they do. Just as Kane and Son are the best in the league at what they do.

You are all barking up at the tree your God has told you to.

 

[Skooch]

He's just deflecting now. It's what Mourinho does.

He tried to sign Dier at Man Utd. He got 31 year old Alderweireld to sign a brand new deal. He signed new right and left backs in the summer. Has the second best defensive record in the league.

Yet is only NOW moaning about individuals in the defence.

Its like his comments before where he was saying how he doesn't tell the players to NOT attack when we go 1-0 up etc.

Yet nothings changed. Either players are not following his orders yet not getting punished for it. Or he's bullshitting and they're following his exact instructions and falling short because of them, which he won't admit.

The thing I love about the sudden "Mourinho over Spurs players" love in by some on here is the fact that by saying there is nothing Mourinho can do, or it's not Mourinho's fault, his big adoring fans are basically saying he's a shit manager who can't change things or get results.

 

[Shotgunofmichalebrow]

It's quite incredible that we have the 2nd best defence in the league, yet reading the thread on every one of our defenders it simply doesn't reflect their performances. You lot absolutely hate them all, you slate each and every one of them!!

Why don't you take a step back and think why you are doing this, what's causing you to lose your shit? Maybe the manager is playing you all, his blaming the players routine is infectious, your anger at dropping points needs to be targeted and Jose knows this, so before the fingers get pointed towards him, he makes sure he directs some of you to his chosen culprits. He's set you all up like prime suckers.

I agree almost entirely with you. I wonder seriously what people are watching. After a game they are on here to pick on the players they simply don't like. If we don't win it will be Aurier's or Sanchez or Deir's fault no matter how they played. Our problems have nothing to do with the personnel, its the tactics and set up simple as that.

 

[Skooch]

I agree almost entirely with you. I wonder seriously what people are watching. After a game they are on here to pick on the players they simply don't like. If we don't win it will be Aurier's or Sanchez or Deir's fault no matter how they played. Our problems have nothing to do with the personnel, its the tactics and set up simple as that.

Unlike the bulletproof Hojberg who went on a wee mental revenge mission, got yellow carded, then performed like an invisible shirt as man after man ran past him as his stupidness forced him to avid tackling.

Mind you, the manager sat back and thought "Nah, all's good"

 

[StripiestPilot]

Mourinho hasnt JUST realised our defenders' abilities individually though. He's been around them for over 12 months now.

So why does he continue to put pressure on them to see out games at 1-0 when it's a fact that the more pressure a defence is under, the more mistakes will be made.

He seems to think the higher chance of a win comes from protecting our weak defence and limiting what the opponent can do rather than trying to play more progressively and exposing our defence in the process.

I think, based on what these defenders have shown, he’s not completely wrong but he hasn’t found the right balance. Our defensive statistics have massively improved compared to last season and we did need to improve that area.

Being compact and playing on the break is fine, but we aren’t doing that very often. In the second half of matches we let opponents have the ball and stay in our half. It’s as if he tells them to stop playing at HT.

Our defence is nothing special but I don’t believe it’s so bad that we can’t risk leaving our half in case a team like Fulham, Wolves or Palace creates a chance. We can surely find a better balance between defence and attack. We still have Hugo back there, if he has to make a few more saves to get our attackers a few more chances then we need to do it.

 

[daveyboy88]

It's quite incredible that we have the 2nd best defence in the league, yet reading the thread on every one of our defenders it simply doesn't reflect their performances. You lot absolutely hate them all, you slate each and every one of them!!

Why don't you take a step back and think why you are doing this, what's causing you to lose your shit? Maybe the manager is playing you all, his blaming the players routine is infectious, your anger at dropping points needs to be targeted and Jose knows this, so before the fingers get pointed towards him, he makes sure he directs some of you to his chosen culprits. He's set you all up like prime suckers.

it clearly isnt the second best defence in the league. we might not have conceded many but thats due to the set up and having hojbjerg protecting them.

 

[Skooch]

it clearly isnt the second best defence in the league. we might not have conceded many but thats due to the set up and having hojbjerg protecting them.

Probably Harry Kane is our best defender.

 

[Guido 🇺🇦]

it clearly isnt the second best defence in the league. we might not have conceded many but thats due to the set up and having hojbjerg protecting them.

It's the 2nd best in the league, fact.

We play with pragmatism, it's boring as fuck but it's how we play and it requires our defenders to do a lot of defending, it's what we spend the vast majority of the game doing. The fact we spend most of the time defending and have the best record in the league shows we are good at doing it.

Very good high-pressing teams (we were one once) have very good defensive records but do their defending high up the pitch (and usually have the ball) and don't rely on their defenders doing defending actions around their own box.

Our defenders defend and do so almost every game.

 

[Mbulelo Mabizela]

Basing opinions off stats can lead people to believe our defence is good.

Truth is that our full backs struggle defensively and our cb's lack pace, except for Sanchez, he lacks everything else though.

 

[The Mercurial No.10]

If we're still fucking debating if he's good enough, then he's clearly not.

 

[Kingjewell2017]

He’s not good at all he ball watches all the time ,his positioning is terrible he’s always gets caught out of position and then try’s to use his pace to get back and makes stupid fouls .

 

[Shotgunofmichalebrow]

Unlike the bulletproof Hojberg who went on a wee mental revenge mission, got yellow carded, then performed like an invisible shirt as man after man ran past him as his stupidness forced him to avid tackling.

Mind you, the manager sat back and thought "Nah, all's good"

Brilliant spot. But as you say he can not be criticised.

 

[daveyboy88]

It's the 2nd best in the league, fact.

We play with pragmatism, it's boring as fuck but it's how we play and it requires our defenders to do a lot of defending, it's what we spend the vast majority of the game doing. The fact we spend most of the time defending and have the best record in the league shows we are good at doing it.

Very good high-pressing teams (we were one once) have very good defensive records but do their defending high up the pitch (and usually have the ball) and don't rely on their defenders doing defending actions around their own box.

Our defenders defend and do so almost every game.

how is it a fact. youre basing it off goals conceded. that doesnt mean its the best defence at all, our midfield is set up to be defence minded and protect a poor backline, hence why we dont have much possession in games. the defence is pony, if they didnt have so much protection from midfield they would leak like fuck.

not to mention with the actual ball we have a load of donkeys back there. dier, sanchez and aurier.

 

[todd1882]

It's the 2nd best in the league, by 1 particular metric and within any intellectually honest exchange would neither be used nor accepted as the full picture of reality upon which to base further conclusions, fact.

FTFY Guids. No need to thank me my man. Always here for you.

 

[peter merison]

how is it a fact. youre basing it off goals conceded. that doesnt mean its the best defence at all, our midfield is set up to be defence minded and protect a poor backline, hence why we dont have much possession in games. the defence is pony, if they didnt have so much protection from midfield they would leak like fuck.

not to mention with the actual ball we have a load of donkeys back there. dier, sanchez and aurier.

To be fair to all of our defence if you are put under pressure for 80% of the game you are bound to make a mistake or concede a goal, its the law of averages.

 

[Guido 🇺🇦]

how is it a fact. youre basing it off goals conceded. that doesnt mean its the best defence at all, our midfield is set up to be defence minded and protect a poor backline, hence why we dont have much possession in games. the defence is pony, if they didnt have so much protection from midfield they would leak like fuck.

not to mention with the actual ball we have a load of donkeys back there. dier, sanchez and aurier.

Do we play?
a) A low-block
b) Mid-block
c) High-press

On the whole we are best described as a low-block team, on account that we frequently choose to sit deep and look to play on the counter. (Of course, there are exceptions game by game to this, where it could be said we're a mid-block side, or if we come up against Bulgarian farmers who win the battle of no you have the ball battle).

But under the direction of Jose FC we are a passive low-block team. This in itself means we choose to defend. We are a defensive team. We spend more time defending than we do attacking. We allow teams in areas where we let them have the ball, like out wide and +25yrds out, if the oppo wants to lob a cross in then fine, it's low % we deal with that as we are often 7vs2/3, we are expecting a cross, these are our acceptable terms to limiting out exposure to risk. We don't mid an oppo shot from 25yrds (we will, of course, attempt to block or ensure those too are rushed and hurried so will be closed down).

(City are a high-pressing team, as we once were, and as a direct consequence when done well both them and us were known to have held the best defensive record's in the PL whilst playing this way. But neither of us defending deep, without the ball with defenders. It was achieved by having the ball high or winning it back high up the pitch).

Our defenders defend on account that this is what we do for the vast majority of most games.

 

[Guido 🇺🇦]

FTFY Guids. No need to thank me my man. Always here for you.

The full picture is we are a low-block, passive, defensive, boring, dull, unimaginative, soul-destroying, no you have the ball, clusterfuck of a team. By order of the dinosaur.

 

[daveyboy88]

To be fair to all of our defence if you are put under pressure for 80% of the game you are bound to make a mistake or concede a goal, its the law of averages.

thats whats going to happen when you have donkeys at the back, sissoko or winks..or both! in midfield, and son up top...you wont keep the ball much. hojbjerg needs ball players around him or he gets suffocated too. thats why its paramount mourinho gets a quality CM in this window

 

[Guido 🇺🇦]

thats whats going to happen when you have donkeys at the back, sissoko or winks..or both! in midfield, and son up top...you wont keep the ball much. hojbjerg needs ball players around him or he gets suffocated too. thats why its paramount mourinho gets a quality CM in this window

We play this way deliberately!!! The dinosaur doesn't want the ball, he wants the other team to have it, this is his entire philosophy! (In his eyes, the team with the ball is the team that's going to make the most mistakes. Ergo he sees the team without the ball making the fewest).

 

[halothagod]

I think the person saying that if Toby puts in that performance he doesn't get criticised as much is absolutely correct BUT Sanchez has been doing it time and time again and IMO has regressed a lot this season. I've picked out a few instances from the game where his positioning and decision making was really poor to show this.

GOAL

This is the goal, not entirely his fault but if Toby is in this position he would shuffle across to the area highlighted to close off the run earlier and allow one of Winks/Hojbjerg to drop in. Alternatively Dier could come across then Son drops in for the spare man on the far side. Failing to do this allows him to be in the situation to get beaten in a 1v1.

OTHER EXAMPLE 1

In this passage of play he shows one of his worst habits, pushing up in sitatutions where he doesn't need to and allowing space in behind. Here he can either properly push up on Loftus-Cheek and win the ball, or stay put alongside Dier and let one of the midfielders handle it. He does neither, and gets caught in no mans land.

That lapse in judgement allows this situation to develop, where Cavaleiro has acres of space to make a run into once Lookman gets the ball.

Luckily for him here the ball wasn't quite up to scratch and he was able to use his pace to shut him off, but you can see with a better pass how this situation would have forced a goal.

OTHER EXAMPLE 2

This is from a goal kick, again here he pushes up and loses out. For a player of his height and physicality, he really is horrendous in the air and ideally we should have Dier going up for this or one of the midfielders (at least then if Sissoko for example loses the aerial duel we aren't exposed at the back).

On his way back into position here he is sidetracked by another little duel, again he should probably sit off and let one of the midfielders close him down but instead he goes into a duel he is never going to win and leaves Dier to come across - this leaves a huge gap between Dier and Reguilon so that Reid could have easily have pushed up and been in on goal.

Luckily for this one Cavaleiro strayed offside but look how diabolical Sanchez's positioning is here as a result of his previous error. He leaves Dier out to dry and allows the runner in behind. Along with that he just ball watches and lets Lookman over his shoulder too.

He’s fucking wank.