Stoptalkingbol, on 20 September 2014 - 05:58 PM, said:
Time to give Tommy a rest. Shambolic on crosses which teams are clearly targeting, slinging any ball into the six yard box knowing full well he won't be coming, just adds more pressure to an already shaky defence. Seems to have a mistake every game in him this season.
Like I said somewhere else - we're playing teams who are very, very good at crossing the ball, unlike most of 'em last season. That doesn't just mean they find one of their men - it means they put most of their crosses into an area where the keeper is going to struggle. His'corridor of uncertainty' in cricketing terms. Too close and he'll catch it: too far out and he can sit back and wait for the header: but just in between and he's got to make a split-second decision.
It isn't just Tommy - 'keepers at every level struggle with the tactic. And to complicate matters further Tommy is playing behind a different pair of CBs every match at the moment. No chance to build up any kind of understanding.
We aren't defending crosses well, it's true, but until the defence settles down a bit it's going to be a problem. It's just amazing we've done so well so far in the circumstances.