UCL 25/26: Page 43 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

UCL 25/26

Coombs

Claudius defense needs to be neutered in this sport. Every advantage goes to defenders. More penalties need to be awarded for fouls that would be fouls anywhere else on the pitch. Offside needs reform. It's a stupid cultural problem that needs stamping out.

daredevil

Coombs

Personally, in football there's just a wide spectrum for how teams can play. You could be ultra defensive or offensive and everything in between and as a result, you can get games of all variety. I enjoyed our game yesterday for very different reasons to the game on Tuesday. That's what makes football special for me as you could be watching two different games and come away thinking you watched two different sports.

If the game gets more geared towards attack, there's a risk it turns into some basketball equivalent which I have no intrigue in watching. If every attack is a potential goal, it diminishes the value of a goal and worse, all games become high scoring so you lose the defensive part of the game which is equally paramount to attacking.

JazzG

Benefit of playing in a weak league is you can heavily rotate. The French football association also look after teams in the CL, the opposite happens here!

QuincyAbeyie

JazzG explains why Kvaratskhelia says he has to run when he first has to actually step out on the field. 😉

Coombs

daredevil I don't think we're at risk of any of that happening if we just call fouls in the box and stop privileging defending. It's a pretty weak slippery slope argument. A few more 5-2 games wouldn't devalue goals, and it isn't going to become like basketball. Every attack should be a potential goal - or else, why would you attack?

As I said before, I don't think it's 'equally paramount' to attacking, and I think the current rules and culture around the game make way too many excuses for defenders. The whole "where is he supposed to put his hands?" argument infuriates me. Don't get caught in the box with your hands out, don't concede a pen. You can't score with your hands, but people think you should be able to defend with them. It's ridiculous.

Claudius

Coombs it’s a multi-round negotiation between defend an attack. We’ve gone through the original wave of Catenaccio in the 1960s, mixed zone Catennacio in the 90s, the solid defenses of Italy/Mourinho in the 2000s, and now these organised blocks of the 2010s and beyond. Each of these is a response to the overarching attack of the day. Sometimes the attackers will adapt, and sometimes FIFA will intervene with various goalkeeping and dead ball rules to favour the attack.

That’s part of the fun. Pep, Rangnick and others adapted to compact defenses by tearing them apart with possession. We’ve adapted to low blocks with set pieces. Set piece defense is much better - see interview with the celebrated Brentford set piece coach who said he went from doing set piece coaching once or twice a month to it being a daily feature. I love it. Football should not be stagnant. Men and women of ideas must innovate and give us fresh ideas and reinterpretations of existing approaches

Coombs

Claudius that's all very nice, but defenders still get way too many advantages in the VAR era.

I am advocating for changes. That's the opposite of stagnation.

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