The critics will be out for Zonal again

[bertie]

)

Our stats conceding from corners are excellent. It's not zonal as such, just the players on the night (last night). Letting Ivanovic in twice in one game is criminal though

Absolutely. All I heard all day was "zonal marking... blah blah blah" . Disgracful defending to allow him score 2. Reminded me of when Pallister scored 2 at anfield in 1997 to all but end our title hopes. (oh... Roy Evans used man to man that day!!!) The retards on RTE rally got on me goat last night.

Anyhoo, I really think the defeat just boiled down to them wanting it more than us. Which to be honest, is a lot more worrying than a bad performance.

[Joe King]

Yesterday's game was proper zonal marking. It was one line zonal, six yard line and the other line was man to man which is ever so confusing. Personally, stick to one and don't make a hybrid of the two.

Another thing, no men on goalposts mean attackers don't crowd around the keeper - fair enough however in Europe, even the slightest of touches and the goalkeeper gets protection, there is some sort of convention in the European laws of football, not so much regarded in England, about the keeper shouldn't be disrupted when collecting corners, someone will correct me. Food for thought for Benitez.

[Havors]

we conceded from a corner against everton twice in two games... every set piece whether its a corner or free kick we look scared. And just watch how many players get caught flat footed everytime we concede.

Has somebody at the club not said... hang on a minute, we are piss poor at defending set pieces and it has cost us the league, CL and FA cup....??

PSV
Spurs
Blackburn
Hull
Newcastle
Everton x 2
Middlesborough
Chelsea

[Havors]

Absolutely. All I heard all day was "zonal marking... blah blah blah" . Disgracful defending to allow him score 2. Reminded me of when Pallister scored 2 at anfield in 1997 to all but end our title hopes. (oh... Roy Evans used man to man that day!!!) The retards on RTE rally got on me goat last night.

Anyhoo, I really think the defeat just boiled down to them wanting it more than us. Which to be honest, is a lot more worrying than a bad performance.

Thats what has dissapointed me more than anything, the attitude! even when we went behind there was just no desire, commitment or effort. 3-1 down meant we should have just threw everything at them gung-ho!

Disgraceful.

[Neil Young]

Thats what has dissapointed me more than anything, the attitude! even when we went behind there was just no desire, commitment or effort. 3-1 down meant we should have just threw everything at them gung-ho!

Disgraceful.

Oh yeah? You'd have risked losing more goals, would you? That would have meant the tie was definitely over and the psychological damage probably even worse.

We pushed on as best we could - leaving ourselves much more open at the back than usual - but we couldn't break through or, indeed, create anything much at all. I really think Chelsea deserve more than a little credit for making us play so badly.

[Redspin]

Devastated after the game and am trying to make sense of it. Obviously Essien bossed the game and Drogba made sh1t out of Carra and Skrtal, but what about the 1st 2 goals.

Just watching the analysis on RTE there and as expected the old Zonal Marking has been raised...

I have been trying to figure out how many goals we have conceded from corners so far this season before tonight, I think this is accurate:

PSV away
Hull home? (Was McShane's 1 from a corner?)
Newcastle away
Boro away

To me that doesnt seem like a lot to give away but maybe it is? every 2nd goal Arsenal give away seems to come from a corner, does anyone know if there are any stats on it?

Tonight looked like 2 players getting lazy and not doing their job in Stevie and Xabi. but maybe they did their part and it is the guys on the 6 that should have attacked the ball?

Hull's goal wasn't from a corner. The original kick was cleared and the ball went wide to be crossed into the middle again. McShane was still up in the box after the original kick, but by then the zonal marking formation had broken up, having done it's job on the original kick. Hence the goal wasn't the result of a flaw in the zonal marking system

Also, Boro away, the first goal was an own goal so it hardly counts as a flaw in zonal marking really. No Boro player got anywhere near the ball. Ditto Spurs away when Carragher put through his own goal from a corner kick

[Craig_H]

Surely if a defender puts through his own net in trying to defend a cross, it can be argued that the cross caused enough of a problem that he felt compelled to deal with it, despite the risk of scoring an own goal?