I keep seeing this statement that “defense was not our Achilles heel last season” simply because we had the 3rd best defense in the league.
If you actually spent time watching us closely, you’ll notice that our defense is actually a large part of our problems. That 3rd best defense is not necessarily an outcome of great defending, it’s due to conservatism largely driven by our midfield and defense. Our defenders were often bad on the ball and unable to advance it up the field. At right back, we did not have somebody who could reliably run and cross. At right centre back, we have Holding who has a very high pass percentage because he is making lots of short passes in conservative areas of the field. We often end up with the ball in the back, tromboning amongst these players.
As a result, our entire team is pulled back and often stretched, making it difficult to build offense and exert pressure on the opponent.
What White brings is ball playing ability. This will allow us to push the defensive line high, compress the team, and have better passing relationships. When we get the ball in our own penalty area, it will also allow us to get out faster. White is speedy and will be able to recover from a high defensive line. As would Saliba and Gabriel. The same isn’t true of Holding, Luiz, etc.
So defense was a very integral part of our offensive woes. This will help. As will getting a DLP who releases the ball faster.
