rodgers wrote: ↑Fri Nov 03, 2023 7:11 pm
PauliAlonso wrote: ↑Fri Nov 03, 2023 9:37 am
roger diesel wrote: ↑Tue Oct 31, 2023 11:57 am
How does that make sense?
If you leave one up around half way as the outlet option, the other team will always leave 2 back to mark him (plus their keeper).
So there will be max 8 up from the opposition for the corner, with 9 defenders plus a keeper.
So who is unmarked exactly?
PauliAlonso wrote:
It's even less than that. If we keep all our players in the box (ignoring the GK for now), we'll probably have a 10v6 (opponent will have two players on the halfway line, at least one of the edge of the box for second balls, and then the corner taker - leaving 6 in the box). From our 10 players, four will probably be zonal. This leaves 6 others to man-mark the opponents and try to block their runs. To take one of those City players out to stand on the halfway line for an unlikely counter attack, leaves one opponent unmarked. To even it up, we could leave two City players on the halfway, as the opponent will then keep a third player back (for a 3v2 on the halfway). But leaving one up top makes little sense. And if the priority is to defend the corner, then of course it's an option to keep all players back. Personally, I'm in favour of leaving two players on the halfway line but, again, it comes down to what the manager sees as likelihood of creating a good counter attack, versus not conceding a goal.
That's entirely contingent on four defenders probably being zonal.
Yes, it's theory. It's how many teams do it though. There are still different variations to consider; the opponent on the edge of the box also is usually marked, in case of runs into the box or offering the short option. Point is, you can generally defend the corner better and cover most bases by keeping all players back, or by leaving two up top. By leaving only one up, there are more possibilities for the opponent. RH clearly wants all players back and is sacrificing the chance of an unlikely counter in order to do it.
He's being pragmatic but is being criticised for it, unfairly IMO. You might not like his methods but they are working - our record this season is almost identical to last season (which isn't ideal) but would undoubtedly have been better without the injuries to key players at key points in the season.
We now have two 2nd place finishes in a row, something that hasn't been done since Stephen Kenny's first stint here. We have more points in the season that any time in the last 12 years (except 2016) and conceded the fewest amount of goals in a season in all that time. I have never been so confident in a Derry manager's ability to win us a league, as I am with Ruaidhri. The people who want rid of him need their heads checked.