Now, i wasnt one for jumping on the bandwagon, but...

[Craig_H]

SSN put up an interesting stat today.

I've never had a problem with our zonal marking system, i've always said that it's not the system, it's how well you perform it. And i still stand by that.

However, according to SSN, we have the highest percentage in terms of how many goals conceded have come from set piece situations. Ours is the highest in the PL.

It was something like 47% of all goals conceded by Liverpool, have come from set pieces.

Is there actually an issue there? Not with zonal marking, but maybe with how good we actually are at it?

If not, is that stat a concern at all? I dont like the idea of us being 'top' of that particular table.

[wiw]

We have maybe the 2nd or 3rd best defence in the league though don't we? We've conceded some soft goals, but you would expect a lot of them to come from set-pieces. We generally don't allow many shots against us, and teams play us with the aim of sitting back and nicking one from a set-piece

The less you concede the more the stat is skewed..anyway wasn't Utd's 45% ?

[Craig_H]

3rd best defence yes, behind the mancs (by 1 goal) and Chelsea (by 4 goals).

[TheElephantMan]

We're poor at defending from set pieces and we seem to have a problem with capitalising on corners. I don't know who's to blame, but we need to sort out both issues.

[Craig_H]

We're poor at defending from set pieces and we seem to have a problem with capitalising on corners. I don't know who's to blame, but we need to sort out both issues.

By saying you dont know who to blame, you might've answered this but i'll ask it anyway:

Are we poor at defending set pieces because we havent really got to grips with how to zonal mark effectively? Or is it down to something else?

[Red_Polo]

Can't tell much of anything from the percentage. Tell me the numbers conceded from set-pieces by all the teams and then we'll talk.

[Craig_H]

Oh well if Polo wont talk, might as well delete the thread

Nah, it's a fair point Polo. TBH, i dont have those figures to hand and SSN didnt actually put them up, so i dont know.

I think it's a bit naive to just dismiss the issue though, not saying that's what you're doing, but if we as a collective just said "No no, there's nothing wrong" and didnt look at the issue, i think that'd be too dismissive. It never hurts to analyze which areas we might be able to improve on.

[TheElephantMan]

By saying you dont know who to blame, you might've answered this but i'll ask it anyway:

Are we poor at defending set pieces because we havent really got to grips with how to zonal mark effectively? Or is it down to something else?

I really don't understand what the problem is? I said we're poor at defending set pieces, but we're actually very effective at defending from free kicks. It's just corners. Rubbish defensively and rubbish offensively. I think Gerrard really is the best player in the World right now, but his corners are woeful. It seems pointless earning a corner when Stevie subsequently takes it. We'd be better off with throw ins in the final third.

[red g]

15 out of the 16 teams thatqualified for champs leauge in 2004 used zonal marking, useless stat as much use as the one given

If it told us the percentage we conceded in relation to free kicks awarded to oppostion it may tell us something, all i know iss we have the 3rd best defence in the league so surely zonal marking is working?

teams concede goals, **** happens to blame it on a system that has proved very solid seems ridiculous to me.

[Joe King]

I mentioned on another thread - we have seem to have undertaken a hybrid of zonal and man to man marking and we seen the worst of both for both of Ivanovic's goals. I like zonal because players can't get blocked off and everyone is responsible for the zonal shifts rather than a player switching off and his marker has gone and scored.

Skrtel for me, hasn't got to grips with the system yet, either that communication or he is extremely dopey. Also, Reina comes and tries to collect everything, sometimes staying on the line is the better option. By coming off the line, all the attacker has to do is hit it on target and its in rather than aiming for a corner which is more difficult.

[Craig_H]

Whether zonal marking 'works' isnt the issue, it's whether we're as good at it as we could or should be.

The same player scored twice on Wednesday, by doing the same thing - similar to Cahill a couple of months back.

It seems like any kind of decent movement causes us a problem and the question is merely whether or not we'd do man-marking better at set pieces than we do zonal marking.

[Joe King]

Whether zonal marking 'works' isnt the issue, it's whether we're as good at it as we could or should be.

The same player scored twice on Wednesday, by doing the same thing - similar to Cahill a couple of months back.

It seems like any kind of decent movement causes us a problem and the question is merely whether or not we'd do man-marking better at set pieces than we do zonal marking.

Whose questioning the method? I'm questioning the coaching of the method. I said there seems to be both systems implemented especially yesterday; its confusing for the defenders as it doesn't give those on the six yard line a fair chance to charge and head the ball like they would if it were two banks of four or five in the zonal system.

[Craig_H]

Whose questioning the method? I'm questioning the coaching of the method. I said there seems to be both systems implemented especially yesterday; its confusing for the defenders as it doesn't give those on the six yard line a fair chance to charge and head the ball like they would if it were two banks of four or five in the zonal system.

My reply wasnt directed at you.

[johnp]

I mentioned on another thread - we have seem to have undertaken a hybrid of zonal and man to man marking and we seen the worst of both for both of Ivanovic's goals. I like zonal because players can't get blocked off and everyone is responsible for the zonal shifts rather than a player switching off and his marker has gone and scored.

Skrtel for me, hasn't got to grips with the system yet, either that communication or he is extremely dopey. Also, Reina comes and tries to collect everything, sometimes staying on the line is the better option. By coming off the line, all the attacker has to do is hit it on target and its in rather than aiming for a corner which is more difficult.

He didn't come for either goal against Chelsea.

[-V-]

Thats because we concede alot less goals than everyone else. Stupid stat and the girl quietly added in that they were not going to show how many we actually concede.

The percentage is high because we are usually great at defending in open play