Man U vs Spurs - Bissouma problems & formation wrong
Still no news of the cause of death.
in the pre-game piece (below) I laid out the Manchester United system and how Tottenham could defeat it, however, Conte chose to go another way and it failed miserably, apart from a couple of chances Spurs again didn't take in the first-half.
COYS
FURTHER READING
A short pre-game article showing United's tactics and how Spurs can beat them.
-----------------------------------------
The THBN game plan revolved around stretching their back three to create space in the inside zone for diagonal balls or for Bentancur or Højbjerg to run into.
This could have been achieved as Conte mentioned in his pre-game press conference by playing Perišić on the left-wing or he could have played Sessegnon there too, although I selected the Croatian international ahead of the Englishman.
It is an entirely different game switching to a 3-5-2 during a game when the opposition are set up to defend a 3-4-3 system and have been doing so for an hour.
Tiredness means slower mental decisions and everyone has to switch their role or gaps appear. If you have been defending for an hour against one system and suddenly another is employed, giving different problems, then the subconscious is still expecting the old system and you create anxiety.
The anxiety of changing what you have been doing for an hour to something else. Anxiety creates delayed decisions, it creates mistakes.
As it was, our 3-5-2 system played into their hands and I'm sorry to say the much-heralded Yves Bissouma, never heralded by me you'll note, was not up to the task as the base in front of the defenders.
That role needs a player of high quality, not potential and personally, I have never seen anything in him.
I'm waiting to see what he can do before I make a judgment on him but my assessment started at Brighton as a selfish player who wanted to do everything himself and thus not a team player.
It is early days at Spurs and he has to adapt to a team game and the question I need answering is, does he have the footballing intelligence to adapt back to playing the defensive role Conte is picking him for.
He played it in France, hence his move to Brighton where he played in a more attacking role but I'm concerned about his choice of pass.
Spurs need a player of Kante's ability in the role if we are to play a 3-5-2 system.
I'll highlight a couple of errors, a couple of areas Bissouma needs to improve his game and I'm sure Conte is working on them.
My constructive criticism, which is a positive by the way, a few don't seem to know that, revolves around his decision-making and desire.
I get the impression he doesn't want to play the role, it is a crucial role, you are a line of defence that must give your all in a defensive situation.
Let me point out the defeat was not his fault, I put that down to the system employed, the failure to play three up front to give the required width, I'm looking at how one player can improve his game.
Bissouma was man marked but when he receives the ball here he has space.
Now you have heard me talk about vision and how to train vision, brain training in effect and this is a prime example why, because Bissouma simply plays us into trouble here.
You will see him centrally in space, no man marker.
Hugo Lloris rolls the ball to Romero who plays the ball to Bissouma in space.
His body shape is all wrong when he receives the ball, he has not looked around to see what options he has and clearly only has one option in his mind, a ball to Doherty who is then placed in an impossible position with only one option himself.
The ball diagonally back to Dier with Højbjerg free is arguably the best option of Højbjerghat Højbjerge can see, but is there a forward ball to Kane available.
Bissouma wouldn't know, he hasn't looked since Lloris got the ball, so all he knows is where they should be, if he knows that.
As you can see, he is facing his own goal, doesn't know what is around him, what his options are and runs the ball toward Matt Doherty on the sideline, who has a player ready to shut him down.
Now look at the next image and ask yourself what options does Matt Doherty have?
The touchline is another attacker so he can't go to his right, he is being very quickly closed down, the United player is rushing out there and Bossouma's marker is now rushing toward him.
Doherty has no winger to pass to first-time down the line so can only pass first-time backwards to Romero, who is being rapidly closed down.
And what is Romero supposed to do with the ball now?
From a position of strength, Bissouma has played us into a position of weakness.
In the above picture, Doherty is about to receive the ball.
You can see the United player is closing down any forward ball, Bissouma is marked, he can't receive the ball and Romero will have to hoof it or has Lloris as his two options.
Romero can't play a risky ball to Bentancur or Højbjerg, neither can he give the ball to Bissouma or Doherty.
Romero is left to beat his man to develop play, not a healthy situation iif he loses the ball. Our central defenders shouldn't be having to dribble past people 10 yards from goal.
In the end he cut back, delayed and played the ball to Hugo Lloris but the point is, we shouldn't have been put in that position by Bissouma in the first place.
This wasn't the only incident like this and shows why Spurs couldn't play out from the back consistentlly.
Give Bissouma time in that role and he'll pick a pass, man mark him and he struggles to cope.
The second incident their first goal where he was in position and was just jogging after the ball so that which was played around him.
A defenders mindset is to get anything in the way to block a shot and if that means a lunge to try and block a shot you put your body on the line.
Not Bissouma, he didn't get near and didn't lunge to try and force the attacker to move the ball again.
I advocate staying on your feet but there are times when a Skipp lunging block is required, Bissouma is more of a stick-a-leg-out type of guy, he doesn't have a defender mindset.
Against a high-press team, in that position, he makes me worry.
As I say, I don't put the defeat down to him but the lack of width in the system caused by not having a front three.
It is early days with Bissouma and I hope he proves me wrong but decision-making and a lack of vision, of awareness of players around you when you are the main conduit out of defence to pass through a press, raises alarm bells in me.
1,283 words
COYS
FURTHER READING
A short pre-game article showing United's tactics and how Spurs can beat them.
Spurs Chat with THBN after the Everton game
A few thoughts on a few players, post Brighton game
A discussion on zones helps you to understand each player's role & Conte's system better.
An article that talks about Lloris, Sánchez, Conte and talks about xT (expected Threat), expected crossing threat and figures showing the expected threat from each player.
This article asks Is VAR just a marketing tool and looks at the tactics of Marseilles head coach Igor Tudor.
3 comments
This is exactly what happened. On another day there are fewer mistakes and we are less unlucky with how they pan out. Generally speaking we defend well and have a much better than average rate of conceding goals. Deflections are always liable to catch you out. You do the best you can but there's little to be done about them under any circumstances. The second could have been defended better but I would say Utd deserved the second goal as they battled hard …