The Swansea Goal. Who should have picked up the scorer?

[blue lewj]

Who's man was the goalscorer?

Morrison looks as though he is mirroring his running but bizarrely from about 3 yards away nearer the goal with players between him and the man.

Bennett comes into contact with him which suggests maybe he is the one looking after him but then doesn't stay touch tight lets him pull away from him and then loses him which results in the Swansea lad getting past him and being in acres of space as both Bennett and Morrison react way too late.

We touched on this man to man marking in the Premier League on here. We simply cannot do it effectively. We either lose our man and let him get a run on us and a free header (I think Bennett did it at Newcastle away last season where he looked at his man three times then let him run past him) or we stick to them and follow them into ridiculously deep positions (see Spurs home last season where Son and Kane pulled out defence to the four corners of South Wales).

For me it is not working. Hasn't worked for some time and the sooner we get players attacking the ball in a zonal set up the better. Hull's second away this season showed a glaring downside to it. Our player seem just too slow or unwilling to challenge the man sufficiently to stop chances.

It also doesn't take any genius to carve out chances. A half decent ball in the mixer and a willing, brave runner who catches just one defender flat footed. One is all it takes as the rest are marking their man.

Anyway, who should have picked up the goalscorer?

[Eric the Half a Bee]

More to the point, there were 6 players near the ball and not one of them had the sense to spot the massive gap in the middle. They weren't all man marking as there weren't enough white shirts there. Not one of the spare men took responsibility to see where the danger was. Lazy.

[the other bob wilson]

Who's man was the goalscorer?

Morrison looks as though he is mirroring his running but bizarrely from about 3 yards away nearer the goal with players between him and the man.

Bennett comes into contact with him which suggests maybe he is the one looking after him but then doesn't stay touch tight lets him pull away from him and then loses him which results in the Swansea lad getting past him and being in acres of space as both Bennett and Morrison react way too late.

We touched on this man to man marking in the Premier League on here. We simply cannot do it effectively. We either lose our man and let him get a run on us and a free header (I think Bennett did it at Newcastle away last season where he looked at his man three times then let him run past him) or we stick to them and follow them into ridiculously deep positions (see Spurs home last season where Son and Kane pulled out defence to the four corners of South Wales).

For me it is not working. Hasn't worked for some time and the sooner we get players attacking the ball in a zonal set up the better. Hull's second away this season showed a glaring downside to it. Our player seem just too slow or unwilling to challenge the man sufficiently to stop chances.

It also doesn't take any genius to carve out chances. A half decent ball in the mixer and a willing, brave runner who catches just one defender flat footed. One is all it takes as the rest are marking their man.

Anyway, who should have picked up the goalscorer?

I think we're marking zonally or at least partially so, because most of our big men can be seen on the edge of the six yard box these days and it seems to me that they are marking areas, not individuals. What I saw with the goal was Bennett stood absolutely still as Wilmot ran from behind him to a position a yard in front of him - Bennett was not trying to prevent another opposition player from heading the ball and, to my mind, should have tried to contest the cross with the scorer.

So, I blamed Bennett for that part of the goal (there were plenty of other City players who could be criticised though), but TLG has said that he thought Sean Morrison was apologising to his team mates after the goal for letting his man go, so all of the above might be rubbish in terms of us using zonal marking - I still say Bennett should have done better mind.

[Hilts]

What was criminal the same player was in yards of space with a free header not long later.

[NYCBlue]

Morrison was just jogging along and watching the ball. He didn't attempt to do anything.

[blue lewj]

I think we're marking zonally or at least partially so, because most of our big men can be seen on the edge of the six yard box these days and it seems to me that they are marking areas, not individuals. What I saw with the goal was Bennett stood absolutely still as Wilmot ran from behind him to a position a yard in front of him - Bennett was not trying to prevent another opposition player from heading the ball and, to my mind, should have tried to contest the cross with the scorer.

So, I blamed Bennett for that part of the goal (there were plenty of other City players who could be criticised though), but TLG has said that he thought Sean Morrison was apologising to his team mates after the goal for letting his man go, so all of the above might be rubbish in terms of us using zonal marking - I still say Bennett should have done better mind.

I'm not sure if he is apologising or pointing to the glaring gap nobody seemed willing or able to run into.

[Trigger]

We have definitely been marking zonally at times from set pieces, if not all season.

Doesn't really matter what system you put in place when everyone is so flat footed as the ball comes in.

There was another later on in first half where the guy is completely free for a long time just inside the box but no one gets near him.

Set pieces in general have taken a huge downturn over the last 2 seasons.

[dembethewarrior]

Says it all when us fans can’t even agree on what it is we’re doing.

[NYCBlue]

I have to stop watching it, it's doing my head in. But I just don't understand what Morrison is doing. Everyone else seems to be man-marking, he's just lurking beyond the back post. The cross comes in and he moves like a snail towards the goal, then just watches the ball glide by him. That's the type of ball Bamba volleys half way up the pitch. Incredible to think that we could have got a point from that game if we'd defended that set-piece.

[Hilts]

I have to stop watching it, it's doing my head in. But I just don't understand what Morrison is doing. Everyone else seems to be man-marking, he's just lurking beyond the back post. The cross comes in and he moves like a snail towards the goal, then just watches the ball glide by him. That's the type of ball Bamba volleys half way up the pitch. Incredible to think that we could have got a point from that game if we'd defended that set-piece.

Or if Whyte had converted a chance he really should have put away.

Swansea really werent that good. Messed up loads of good positions.

[Bobby Dandruff]

Who's man was the goalscorer?

Morrison looks as though he is mirroring his running but bizarrely from about 3 yards away nearer the goal with players between him and the man.

Bennett comes into contact with him which suggests maybe he is the one looking after him but then doesn't stay touch tight lets him pull away from him and then loses him which results in the Swansea lad getting past him and being in acres of space as both Bennett and Morrison react way too late.

We touched on this man to man marking in the Premier League on here. We simply cannot do it effectively. We either lose our man and let him get a run on us and a free header (I think Bennett did it at Newcastle away last season where he looked at his man three times then let him run past him) or we stick to them and follow them into ridiculously deep positions (see Spurs home last season where Son and Kane pulled out defence to the four corners of South Wales).

For me it is not working. Hasn't worked for some time and the sooner we get players attacking the ball in a zonal set up the better. Hull's second away this season showed a glaring downside to it. Our player seem just too slow or unwilling to challenge the man sufficiently to stop chances.

It also doesn't take any genius to carve out chances. A half decent ball in the mixer and a willing, brave runner who catches just one defender flat footed. One is all it takes as the rest are marking their man.

Anyway, who should have picked up the goalscorer?

I have only watched it a couple of times (and that is enough thanks...) but Bennett is definitely standing and watching....