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[Jimmy Fleck]

Crosses aren’t as affective as what they used to be. Defenders are massive now and head away easily.

 

[Keen Blade]

I'd rather have one attempt that goes in 40% of the time than ten shots that go in 3% of the time, it's simple maths

A winger beats a FB on the outside and gets to the byline and puts in a cutback cross - defence shits itself 100%. Look at the goals recap any week.

Anyway , it's all about opinions and personal preference , so it is

 

[Keen Blade]

Crosses aren’t as affective as what they used to be. Defenders are massive now and head away easily.

Crosses can be on the deck

 

[Jimmy Fleck]

Crosses can be on the deck

And they barely ever beat the first man

 

[AWetFlannel]

Please help me understand. I was playing senior level in the 80’s and 90’s. Tactically, you hurt teams by getting wide and in behind quickly. Every defender will tell you that a ball cut back from the deadball line is s nightmare to deal with. So, why oh why do we see umpteen opportunities to get the ball wide and deep wasted because it comes back inside and across the back line? Grealish et al very rarely take on the last man outside. There are a few, Saka and Salah, who occasionally get in behind. When they do, I’d estimate it results in a goal or great chance 25% of the time. What has happened? Is it the obsession with possession?

You pass until you get in behind, which is seen as safer than trying to dribble past your man. Teams concede loads of goals on the counter and so try to avoid losing the ball frivolously in the final third.

Although often it's just that players get half a yard in a decent position, nobody is in the box so they choose not to cross it, and people lose their minds.

 

[Keen Blade]

And they barely ever beat the first man

See #32 above

 

[CornwallBlade]

That's exactly what he wants, everyone uses inverted wingers now, cutting inside on their stronger foot, the idea is that it opens up space for the fullback to go around the outside and put in more traditional crosses.

Theoretically, spot on but, in practice, 90% of the time, sadly, it ends up being recycled across the park through the back 4 or derp lying midfield

 

[Trigger]

Premier League - goal statistics

www.footballhistory.org

Bar 2014 the goals per game record of the PL is superior in the modern era (last 15 years) which would suggest possession football gets you goals, Point of possession football is also to tire your opponent and if you have the ball your opponent doesn't reducing the likelihood of conceding?

Put it simply, defending crosses at the highest level is a piece of piss, unless you either put in an incredibly low percentage wonder ball, or are so skillful you can actually beat your defender and drive deep enough into the box to make the key pass extremely easy to make. It's the same with shots from distance - you don't do low return shit at the highest level unless the game state dictates you need to gamble

It plays a part but out and out wide players are a thing of the past by enlarge.

Even players tasked with hugging the touch line are inclined to come inside.

We even got inverted full backs these days !

Across all 4 divisions, it’s a game of chess. Possession, recycle, move the opponents around to create your spaces and overloads.

I prefer it to hoof n hope .

UTB

Crosses aren’t as affective as what they used to be. Defenders are massive now and head away easily.

And they barely ever beat the first man

So, two early crosses from out wide today. Two goals. Am I watching a different game?

 

[Jimmy Fleck]

So, two early crosses from out wide today. Two goals. Am I watching a different game?

on the floor… I was referring to lifted ones. Also both from a full back after the wingers tucked inside to allow him space. The original argument was about inverted wingers…

 

[DronnieBlade]

So, two early crosses from out wide today. Two goals. Am I watching a different game?

Not even remotely. It plays a part. As stated. When you have a player like Ty who has pace to nip in front, it can be very effective.

But our game pivots around the likes of COH, Gus, JRS and TC. None of whom you could possibly accept as being wide players. JRS the closest but more often than not comes inside rather than outside.

Burrows, by some margin our greatest outlet for delivering quality balls in from out wide. Not sure we have ANYONE else who could consistently be relied on to do this.

It’s not what I would consider to be our “core” strategy (because IMO it’s not a core strength of our team) but you’d have to ask Wilder and Knill to be sure of that.

It plays a part. It’s not the be all and end all.

UTB

 

[Trigger]

This is the original argument below. Don’t see where it mentions inverted full backs or lifted crosses? And if our entire game relied on our ‘core strategy’ (and I’m not taking anything away from those players - presumably TC being Tony Currie?), they weren’t going to score through the middle today, were they?

Please help me understand. I was playing senior level in the 80’s and 90’s. Tactically, you hurt teams by getting wide and in behind quickly. Every defender will tell you that a ball cut back from the deadball line is s nightmare to deal with. So, why oh why do we see umpteen opportunities to get the ball wide and deep wasted because it comes back inside and across the back line? Grealish et al very rarely take on the last man outside. There are a few, Saka and Salah, who occasionally get in behind. When they do, I’d estimate it results in a goal or great chance 25% of the time. What has happened? Is it the obsession with possession?

 

[Keen Blade]

So, two early crosses from out wide today. Two goals. Am I watching a different game?

No , you are dead right.

We spent the first 30 mins trying long balls down the middle getting nowhere , in fact getting walloped by WBA
Then we played 2 lovely moves on the L wing and put in 2 dangerous crosses and got 2 goals
QED.

 

[jt64]

First one gets cleared 99% of the time and it's just fortunate for us that the clearance was hit straight at another defender and pinballed to our player. Second one was a nice bit of linked one touch passing which was "have ball straight down the middle - shift it slightly to one side - put it straight back - goal". I mean if you want to claim either of these were down to width then be my guest, but it's a fucking stretch

 

[Trigger]

If the ball hadn’t come from a wide position twice today, United would have lost 2 - 0.
I fail to see your argument.