Arne Slot

[ronanm]

I see SG criticising Slot in his post match saying how they played well as Marseille didn't play a low block and that has been the problem this season... SG said stop complaining about it and sort it out. It is getting a bit repetitive at this stage... Does he expect teams to always play open football? Odd to keep going on about it and expecting opponents to change

[kingfunk]

He just wants Alonso in hoping he’ll get assistant!

[memzey]

I think he handles interviews exceptionally well, in general, with the exception of this point. He is by far the most honest and insightful manager in his pre and post match briefings but the way he continually returns to the playing styles of the opposition is tiresome and unhelpful. He needs to find the formula to deal with it and stop bringing it up every chance he has.

[danperkins]

Yeah he seems like a nice dude in fairness but he is way too honest in interviews & has a tendency to over explain which in turn gets torn to shreds by the media, especially if we are in a bad moment. Low block teams are an issue but they are effective against us & you would expect them to keep the solution, that's what the managers job is. Arsenal are better than us & we did it to Arsenal & you didn't hear them complain (Or maybe they did). We are not good to watch & have been very easy to play against for large portions of this season, whether or not another manager can get more out of this current squad remains to be seen... imo they should as the talent is undeniable. With all our bitching and moaning (myself very much included), we are still 4th & we are doing good in the champs league.

His style of play isn't for me, especially considering who we are and what we have at our disposal but I understand that he is doing what he feels is necessary to get results. He is a good manager that has done a really good job here whether he stays or goes, that has to be said but I don't think he's the guy. Imo we are lucky that likes of Chelsea, United, Villa, Newcastle and even City just aren't that great either. Villa, Newcastle, United and Chelsea will probably be content with their positions, us and City on the other hand not so much, it just shows you there are levels in football & levels come with expectation. I expected us to cruise the league, very naive thinking & totally got carried away with our summer signings & never expected our multitude of world class players to all play ****, all at the same time & for long periods of time.

Mentioned it a few times, if Slot gets us 4th and then leaves in the summer.. imo that will be best going forward for both parties & I do think that is what will happen. I don't think we are good enough to win the champs league either although our slow, controlled style if you want to call it that, does seem more suited to European football. Do I think Alonso is the answer? I dunno, certainly would bring back some nostalgia & drum up excitement but I'm longing for a Klopp type kinda guy that lifts up players & has them running through brick walls, playing great entertaining football & there ain't many like him around.

[badpiggy]

Luis Enrique

[memzey]

Yeah he seems like a nice dude in fairness but he is way too honest in interviews & has a tendency to over explain which in turn gets torn to shreds by the media, especially if we are in a bad moment. Low block teams are an issue but they are effective against us & you would expect them to keep the solution, that's what the managers job is. Arsenal are better than us & we did it to Arsenal & you didn't hear them complain (Or maybe they did). We are not good to watch & have been very easy to play against for large portions of this season, whether or not another manager can get more out of this current squad remains to be seen... imo they should as the talent is undeniable. With all our bitching and moaning (myself very much included), we are still 4th & we are doing good in the champs league.

His style of play isn't for me, especially considering who we are and what we have at our disposal but I understand that he is doing what he feels is necessary to get results. He is a good manager that has done a really good job here whether he stays or goes, that has to be said but I don't think he's the guy. Imo we are lucky that likes of Chelsea, United, Villa, Newcastle and even City just aren't that great either. Villa, Newcastle, United and Chelsea will probably be content with their positions, us and City on the other hand not so much, it just shows you there are levels in football & levels come with expectation. I expected us to cruise the league, very naive thinking & totally got carried away with our summer signings & never expected our multitude of world class players to all play ****, all at the same time & for long periods of time.

Mentioned it a few times, if Slot gets us 4th and then leaves in the summer.. imo that will be best going forward for both parties & I do think that is what will happen. I don't think we are good enough to win the champs league either although our slow, controlled style if you want to call it that, does seem more suited to European football. Do I think Alonso is the answer? I dunno, certainly would bring back some nostalgia & drum up excitement but I'm longing for a Klopp type kinda guy that lifts up players & has them running through brick walls, playing great entertaining football & there ain't many like him around.

We bossed Arsenal. That was not a low block performance.

[Daniel 7]

Luis Enrique

All in on the Enrique bandwagon. That PSG team are sensational to watch.

[Mark79]

Trouble is, Enrique and PSG suffer similar frustrations to Slot/LFC when faced with a low block.

2-1 defeat to Sporting the other night. Bilbao also held them to a goalless draw too.

[Fierce]

He's absolutely right about how badly we fare against the LOW BLOCK, but stop ****ing saying it, because most of the teams we play now know that that's the way to stop us

(obviously, its not JUST him spouting that gives them the ammunition)

We need to stop complaining how hard it is to play against the LOW BLOCK, and figure out how to play against the LOW BLOCK

[vlahka]

Slot was lucky zerbi decided to switch his tactic brain off and be slightly cautious and not go for the low block which is the easiest way to win. Very poor effort from him.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Slot was lucky zerbi decided to switch his tactic brain off and be slightly cautious and not go for the low block which is the easiest way to win. Very poor effort from him.

Nah don't go with that at all.

Otherwise we risk falling into the rap of when we lose it was because Slot messed up, but when we win it is because Slot was lucky the other manager did not do better.

We got our tactics right last night and deserved the win.

We also changed a few things like going with a box formation for Ekitike, Salah, Szobo and Wirtz so our attack was more narrow and so the players within that narrower attack had options moving around them more. Would argue that was done in case of a low block and also to draw players in centrally so Frimpong would then get more chances to bomb down the right.

[vlahka]

I didn't see that. The formation was pretty much similar to the burnley one. Only this time we had salah wasting a position again. Instead of him we had Jones. Right backs were still doing the same thing as this game. The team though did the same play style as before, pass it a billion times trying to get it in. Practically every team thats put in a low block has gotten away with either a win or a draw. The next team we face who does the same tactic will most likely achieve similar from us since it happens every time. De Zerbi played cautious and moved slowly. We've seen when teams run at us we are absolutely all over the place in defence. He was too cautious. Low block/counter, Slot has no plan against it. De Zerbi was clueless.

[Doc_Piptorious]

I didn't see that. The formation was pretty much similar to the burnley one. Only this time we had salah wasting a position again. Instead of him we had Jones. Right backs were still doing the same thing as this game. The team though did the same play style as before, pass it a billion times trying to get it in. Practically every team thats put in a low block has gotten away with either a win or a draw. The next team we face who does the same tactic will most likely achieve similar from us since it happens every time. De Zerbi played cautious and moved slowly. We've seen when teams run at us we are absolutely all over the place in defence. He was too cautious. Low block/counter, Slot has no plan against it. De Zerbi was clueless.

We are going to have to agree to disagree.

Plus the having problems with a low block is not unique to us, especially this season.

City are having problems with it, PSG are having big issues with it. A lot of big teams with lots of attackers are having issues breaking it down.

A big part of that is the low block teams are starting to be able to buy a higher calibre of player capable of playing a low block and also because it is an easier system to set up and a good or defensive minded coach can enhance it even more.

The only big team in England that seems to have gotten to grips with it to a large degree is Arsenal, but part of that is probably down from them not having to transition too much from how they were already playing. They were already a team versed in the footy dark arts of spoiling by falling for free kicks and playing for set pieces. So they do not so much play through a low block as much as they are happy to keep causing breaks in the play and get over the low block with a corner or free kick. All Arsenal have to do is get into the final third, have a player win a foul and then the low block is gone as it becomes a set piece vs defence with rather than playing your way in.

Has taken Arteta years to drill that into his Arsenal team so no shock that Slot, Guardiola, Enrique and others in the game are not able to find the silver bullet in less than a season.

[memzey]

We are going to have to agree to disagree.

Plus the having problems with a low block is not unique to us, especially this season.

City are having problems with it, PSG are having big issues with it. A lot of big teams with lots of attackers are having issues breaking it down.

A big part of that is the low block teams are starting to be able to buy a higher calibre of player capable of playing a low block and also because it is an easier system to set up and a good or defensive minded coach can enhance it even more.

The only big team in England that seems to have gotten to grips with it to a large degree is Arsenal, but part of that is probably down from them not having to transition too much from how they were already playing. They were already a team versed in the footy dark arts of spoiling by falling for free kicks and playing for set pieces. So they do not so much play through a low block as much as they are happy to keep causing breaks in the play and get over the low block with a corner or free kick. All Arsenal have to do is get into the final third, have a player win a foul and then the low block is gone as it becomes a set piece vs defence with rather than playing your way in.

Has taken Arteta years to drill that into his Arsenal team so no shock that Slot, Guardiola, Enrique and others in the game are not able to find the silver bullet in less than a season.

I can't disagree with any of that. Tomkins has taken to calling it "****ball" and I think that's a good descriptor.

None of this takes away from our need to find a solution to it though. Preferably one that does not turn us into Stoke 3.0.

[Doc_Piptorious]

I can't disagree with any of that. Tomkins has taken to calling it "****ball" and I think that's a good descriptor.

None of this takes away from our need to find a solution to it though. Preferably one that does not turn us into Stoke 3.0.

And I think we will find a solution for it.

Part of me thinks the obvious solution is to try to build a crushing machine type team, by which I mean a team that plays a lot like Rafa's Valencia team or some classic Italian teams of old.

Teams that press hard off the ball , that had high energy, high stamina guys (with great ability to recycle the ball) in the middle and at least one in the middle being a ball progresser that can tempo set. Then in the final third have guys capable of tight intricate play that are comfortable getting the ball under pressure, then throw in one or two capable of being a cutting edge type striker.

A lot of that sounds, to me, like the players we bought in the summer and that maybe our summer buys were/are part of a two or three part rebuild. Injuries to a number of our new guys (Frimpong, Isak, Leoni) and time needed to settle (Wirtz and Kerkez) coupled with the summer tragedy and some massive drop offs in form and injuries to our established players has no doubt scuppered a lot of our progress but I think the pieces are there to build around.

We do need new solidity at the back and we do need that metronome type player in the middle but he has to be one that has decent athletic abilities and good defensive instincts (which rules out the likes of Wharton totally for me as he is average athletically and defensively, but instead would have me looking at players that profile and play like Nico Rovella).

Get in two CBs that are physical, quick, decent in the air (I say decent as the idea of finding another VVD on that front is not going to happen), at least one of them being good at progressing/carrying the ball and crucially not injury prone. Schotterbeck ticks all those boxes and Van Hecke at Brighton tick most of them (plus is used to the PL). Someone like Bastoni would be a dream signing but I suspect he would want to stay in Italy. Probably the closest one could find to a VVD clone though in terms of an alround package (in a tier below peak VVD kind of way)

And sure bring in a fast attacker so we have someone other than Frimpong that has the sort of raw pace that boters back lines.

Genuinely think, despite some of the poor perfromances, that we have the foundations of what is needed to build a team that can go head to head with low blockers as well as taking on the more open top teams. We just need a small number of additions (which we would have needed anyway at the back and in attack), some time to get it right (a half season or whatever just is not enough time) and a little luck with injuries (some of this might be done by going after players with rock solid track records with regards to durability - though we find ways to break them too )