Accidental best Defence

[Ahjames08]

Fantastic we have found our best defence. Odd thing for Mac to say, trying to fit Warnock in, Raul is best on the right hand side of the defence... Keogh is a good full back, Fozzy can play Centre on the left hand side and feed Warnock.. Just thinking this defence 8 games ago would have conceded very few goals..

[ChaddesdenRam]

Yes this defence looked solid but we still had to rely on Lee Grant on numerous occasions to save us. 

It was the correct decision given the pitch, the team we were playing and the style of football we had to deal with but vs Brentford I would expect to see Shotton because of his pace and the fact that they play football on the floor.

He can't really drop Forsyth or Warnock though because they played so well. 

 

Also 1 game against a team second from bottom does not mean we have found our best defence. 

[Gaspode]

They said that Shotton was missing due to concussion - anyone know what the rules are with regard to compulsory time out?

[North_Stand_Ram]

Trust me that is not the best defence. I agree taking Forsyth and Christie out the team makes us more solid, but Forsyth is not a centre half and looked dodgy all afternoon, minus his arial battles, but some may disagree. Keogh panicked and was constantly out of position. Wigan got into numerous attacking positions and created some good chances, and that's Wigan.. Yes we kept a clean sheet but against a better side we would of been punished. I'd like to see Shotton in for Forsyth, and see him swapped with Keogh. Warnock impressed me. He does the defensive side very well, and doesn't mess about, he takes no risks. Playing defensive fullbacks obviously means we're going to be more solid, and it may allow us to have bent and Martin on the field at the same time, which will certainly be beneficial!  

[Manicsheepreacher]

I wasn't at the game but based on the reasoning of MaClaren and looking at the overall attributes of those four players, it's easy to see why this was the selection that was made.  

Pros being: 

• Natural balance, without Buxton in the side then we usually have two right footed cbs. Having Raul playing in his best position gives him a real opportunity to impose his game.  
• Leadership. having the current captain down one flank and the former Leeds captain down the other gives the back four more of an organised and communicative feel. MaClaren made this point in the post match interview. 
• Height, my guess is that statistically this would be our tallest back four. A very useful attribute in the championship. 

Cons being:

• Distribution, haven't seen enough of Albentosa to judge whether he's capable of carrying the ball out and starting attacks. Forsyth's overall passing has been slated for weeks, is he going to be up to starting them off either?
• Width and pace. Keogh's got good acceleration but I can't imagine him being an outlet in the same way the other fullbacks are. A lot will depend maybe on Warnock providing that outlet, can he provide that all game?

 

Conclusions: With this back four, I can see us being more organised and solid but at the expense of having an expansive attack, and not to mention our usual high percentage of possession.  Besides the dreadful pitch, was it a surprise that we didn't have our usual superior share of the ball yesterday? But with a lot of our first choice midfield out, this will most likely be the same again Brentford. Under the circumstances, I think this back four are the right way to go. It might not be what we're used to, but if we stand a better chance of keeping a clean sheet then that's all that matters. I actually think that we could look back on this reshuffle as a masterstroke. Fingers crossed.     

[CornwallRam]

 

• Height, my guess is that statistically this would be our tallest back four. A very useful attribute in the championship. 

 

[eddie]

I thought that Albentosa's greatest asset yesterday was what appeared to be telescopic legs. On half a dozen occasions he seemed to get a foot in from behind the player he was marking.

[Shuff264]

Forsyth has said before that while he can play centre back, he doesn't like to. Doubt we'll see him there next game. 

I'm guessing 

Forsyth   Shotton  albentosa Keogh 

Maybe Shotton and Keogh swapped  

[G STAR RAM]

Not sure that was our best defence.

A very poor Wigan team still managed to get in some good positions and create some good chances that a couple of weeks ago Grant would probably have let in.

[The Scarlet Pimpernel]

I thought that Albentosa's greatest asset yesterday was what appeared to be telescopic legs. On half a dozen occasions he seemed to get a foot in from behind the player he was marking.

[Manicsheepreacher]

​The rest of your post makes good sense other than that bit. How does effectively swapping 6ft1 Cyrus Christie/6 ft 2 Ryan Shotton with 5ft 8 Stephen Warnock make it our tallest defence?

On the distribution thing - on of Albentosa's strengths was supposed to be his long passing. We've not see that with him on the left as he generally has to use his wrong foot. I reckon he'll show that a lot more if he stays on the right.

[Curtains]

Not accidental at all he picked it to do a job on a poor playing surface .

Shotton injured had to be replaced  and Forsyth chosen as left side CB 

 

Alby tried on the right which  he prefers 

Keogh replaced out of form Christie

Warnock was a good choice to replace Forsyth at LB 

[Animal is a Ram]

They said that Shotton was missing due to concussion - anyone know what the rules are with regard to compulsory time out?

[Posh Ram]

I like the balance of 1 right-footed and 1 left-footed CB. By all accounts Albentosa was very good yesterday - I think we should continue to play him on the right side as much as possible. Whitbread is back, so there's potential to play him in Forsyth's position.

I wouldn't start Shotton. His inability to clear the ball leaves us under sustained pressure. Only position I'd play him would be at right-back in place of Keogh but because he's the captain, I highly doubt Keogh gets dropped.

 

[eddie]

​Eddie, I haven't seen Raul live yet unfortunately. He has done well (ish) it seems in kick it & head games (Ipswich away, I think, & Wigan) I am worried about his ability on the ball & his technical skills. The Brentford game will be very different to Yesterday imo. Any observations yourself?

[i-Ram]

At the moment, I'm not bothered whether Albentosa has any technical skills or not. Head, hoof, tackle, give the ball to somebody else will do for me for the next 5 games.

[CheltenhamRam]

"Width and pace. Keogh's got good acceleration but I can't imagine him being an outlet in the same way the other fullbacks are. A lot will depend maybe on Warnock providing that outlet, can he provide that all game"

I don't think fullbacks have been all that attacking of late - Christie seems to stop running at his opposition number if he doesn't win the first 

[The Scarlet Pimpernel]

I like to watch naturally good footballers no matter where they play in the team. Not sure as yet if Raul is a naturally good footballer. By good footballer I mean able to control the ball off both feet, move away from trouble and pick the right pass that sets us off as a team etc..  My instinct is that he isn't a natural footballer,but I am not criticizing him as such just wondering if he is our best option.

[Dimmu]

Accidental best defence? Far from accidental IMO

I think it was well analyzed to be the best available option against crossing based Wigan side on a very poor pitch.

Hats off for Mac & crew.

[Mr Tibbs]

Accidental best defence? Far from accidental IMO

I think it was well analyzed to be the best available option against crossing based Wigan side on a very poor pitch.

Hats off for Mac & crew.