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Is Poch a defensive manager?

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VoiceOfThePoshSeats

VoiceOfThePoshSeats

I think we should give the man the benefit of the doubt in this transfer window. Its clear to me that Poch is more interested in a clean sheet than outscoring the opposition.

I do find it interesting that Wenger would bid 90m for Lemar, when he has plenty of speedy attackers. But ignore his crappy defence.

So let Woolwich and Liverpool need to 3 goals to win a game. We will be fine with 1-0 or 2-0 each week. I'm confident we can finish above them anyway. If Poch really thought we needed more creativity and goals, he would have bought it.

As for City, United and Chelsea. We just have to accept the fact that they can spend a couple hundred million per summer and we cant.
 
VoiceOfThePoshSeats said:
I think we should give the man the benefit of the doubt in this transfer window. Its clear to me that Poch is more interested in a clean sheet than outscoring the opposition.

I do find it interesting that Wenger would bid 90m for Lemar, when he has plenty of speedy attackers. But ignore his crappy defence.

So let Woolwich and Liverpool need to 3 goals to win a game. We will be fine with 1-0 or 2-0 each week. I'm confident we can finish above them anyway. If Poch really thought we needed more creativity and goals, he would have bought it.

As for City, United and Chelsea. We just have to accept the fact that they can spend a couple hundred million per summer and we cant.
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We scored the most goals in the league last year and lost no one from our attack.
 
He was a defender himself in his playing days so that is obviously his area of expertise. However that doesn't mean that he is just a defensive manager. He very much has a offensive plan for his teams, and it starts all the way at the back.
 
I think organisation, system etc does come first with Poch but what I like is we show no mercy when on top. Usually, so far this season being the exception, Mourinho teams shut up shop after 2 goals but we have no problem smashing the fuck out of shit sides when the chance occurs.
 
He definitely values the defensive side of things more than we are used to in a manager. I think he demands strong foundations and that comes with having ball playing centre backs that can act also as full backs striding forward if need be. His CMs are clearly told to protect the defence as opposed to support the attack and his full backs given license to bomb forward to help the attacking guys in the middle stretch oppositions defences.

If Kane, Alli or Eriksen one day go I'd be really intrigued about what kind of player he'd replace them with. Dele was one of his signings but he's a rare breed and with regards to a striker, the two he's got in so far in Janssen and Llorente are different to what Kane is. Maybe he's done that to offer options or maybe that's the kind of striker he likes in this formation.

To answer your question I think he's attacking, but never at the expense of a solid and well oiled defence. His defence is the most important and regimented part of his team as it allows the creative players to be more liberal and impulsive, which always makes it difficult for defenders
 
I don't see him as a defensive manager, nor do I view our signings that way. He sets the team up for a solid defence (evident by our strong showings in that department) but also demands attacking prowess from his defenders. Our fullbacks/wingbacks are very, very progressive and derive most of their value under Poch from their attacking threat - which is why we signed Aurier. Our CDs are also heavily involved in the attack, Jan and Toby both get quite forward at times and both play excellent attacking balls with their feet - Sanchez is more of the same, if not showing the potential to be even more of an attacking asset with experience playing in the midfield before.

It's the best of both worlds, Poch demands excellent defenders who can play interchangeably with the midfield and provide the team with serious attacking threat. That's why we concede fewer and score more. He's magic, yanno.

:pochsmirk:
 
I don't think Poch is a defensive manager, he is about dominating the opposition as a team. He cares about defense, but because it is part of the whole and the way we play our defenders are right up the pitch the base of our attack really. Fact is, if you have a shit defense you might win a cup but you won't win the title and even getting top four becomes difficult.

Although we bought some defenders this summer, one was a replacement for Walker, one an upgrade on Wimmer and one a youngster for the future, which is important given Jan is getting older and we could lose Jan or Toby in the next couple of years potentially. I don't think we've ever been good enough as a team to start thinking about the future before but I think that's what it is.
 
Not really, no.

We just dominate possession so much that often we're not troubled defensively - I still see plenty of times a season our defence looking uncomfortable. Mostly against teams who can keep the ball better than us (Man City and Liverpool mostly).
 
Against Burnley, it seemed we didn't want to lose the ball at all cost sometimes.

Until it actually mattered of course, then it was a game of hot potato!
 
Bloody hell. Do people really have to ask if a manager who looks to dominate possession, press and play a high line versus every damn team is defensive?

What am I reading?
 
Our defence needs strengthening for the following reasons:
1. Needs Walker replacement. Trip too slow and W-Peters not experienced enough
2. Backups (Wimmwer and CCV) not good enough
3. When play high line, Jan and Toby not the fastest. But they were helped by pacy full backs (Walker and Rose).

Attacks needs strengthened too. But good ones dun come cheap. No good ones no point...
 
I wouldn't say he is a defensive manager, he is just a lot better than the other managers. You see Liverpool signing Salah and Oxlade-Chamberlain just because they're available and still having a shocking defence. Poch sees our weaknesses and then just tries to plug those gaps before going for whoever is available, sometimes us as fans can be sucked in to wanting the big names that don't really fit our teams (myself included, I was losing my shit over Di Maria yesterday) but Poch is simply trying to improve the squad where he feels it is lacking. Sure we had the best defence last year but we struggled when we lost Toby due to injury and Dier isn't fantastic in central defence so we bought in Sanchez, then Aurier as a replacement for Walker. What I liked about Llorente is that Poch has pretty much indirectly admitted that Janssen has been a disappointment, I thought at one point he was going to be too stubborn to admit we need emergency back up for 'Arry just in case.
 
No. Seems a strange question to ask.
I am liking how he evolves, its great he has signed Llorente for example who is not fitting Pochettinio's normal younger profile of player. Shows that he is willing to change.
All he really needs is a better game plan for when we play teams such as Liverpool who seem to maul us in the midfield. Once our players are at their peak fitness and form, most teams can park 2 buses and they won't keep us out, but we do have a problem as Totti said with teams like Liverpool.
Solving that problem will be important I think for the champions league too.
Its kind of why I wanted a pace player. Would give teams something to fear if we have the option of dinking it over the top of their high line or slipped in behind for someone who can't be caught and can finish.
N'Jie and N'koudou show Pochettino probably thinks that way, but they both were not good enough.
If we do get that kind of player, needs to be good enough to make a difference when needed, but not such a big name like Di Maria that they're gonna want to start every game. Otherwise this would perhaps upset the team balance, which is in majority of games just fine.
Makes its extremely tricky to find that type of player. Perhaps 3rd time lucky?
 
I think he is more the opposite. While he buys great defenders and has great team shape, the team has a very offensive system. If you look at Dortmund and Athletico, the two teams we should model after, they are counter attacking teams vs big sides. It is the only way to beat the best clubs without spending like crazy.

The reason we struggle against top sides is because Poch is an offensive manager. While I admire his confidence, we would get more consistent results if we conceded possession, defended soundly, and hit teams on the counter.
 
No, we never sit back and always lool to dominate possesion. We don't stop attacking either when we're in front, the team is just brilliantly organized (by Poch)
 
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