Breaking down the Birmingham goal
by Stephen Schmidt on Feb 18, 2012 6:30 PM GMT
in Chelsea FC: Tactical Analysis
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The defensive performance on the whole today was pretty good. Birmingham played very defensively, but they really created nothing from open play. Our set piece defending continued to look abysmal though, which has been the case throughout large potions of this season. With that in mind, I thought it would be wise to break down the goal and see if we can figure out what exactly went wrong. Take a look at how we set our defense to defend the corner...
As we set up to defend the corner I've highlighted the goalscorer, David Murphy. You can see that Fernando Torres is initially responsible for marking him. We'll move on to just as the kick was being taken:
Murphy has stopped his run with Torres continuing into space. Branislav Ivanovic takes Pablo Ibanez while Gary Cahill continues to track Curtis Davies. Now we'll take a look at the defending while the ball was in the air:
As you can see, Cahill and Ivanovic have continued to track their respective runs while Torres has begun making the penalty spot. Murphy is aware of this and is drifting towards the back post. Branislav Ivanovic now has a decision to make, take Murphy at the far post or continue tracking Ibanez.
As you can see, Ivanovic has decided to take Ibanez out of the picture. With the kick heading towards the near post this was probably the best decision. Torres has dutifully taken the penalty spot out of the equation, but the fact that Murphy is unmarked at the back post shouldn't be an issue unless the ball somehow manages to roll untouched across the 6 yard box.
Ruh roh...it appears that the ball has in fact rolled untouched across the box and Murphy is in prime position to hit it. Petr Cech and Ryan Bertrand still have an off chance of preventing this from crossing the line, so it's probably for the best that Fernando continues to make sure the penalty spot is not a factor.
Well shit, the ball went in the net. I guess there's not too much point in deciding to mark Murphy now that he's heading off to the corner to celebrate. Birmingham now lead Chelsea 1-0, and due to this garbage marking we now have another game to play on March 6th.
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yup
I said it in the gamethread when it happened-really really pathetic from Torres. This was the first match where he looked totally disinterested; at least before he’s been putting in the requisite effort.
Every time I watch that replay
I continue to be amazed by just how little effort Torres shows on this play.
Fuck.
Maybe he was just stuck on the United game
He’d have been perfectly placed to stop those two penalty shots
by Stephen Schmidt on Feb 18, 2012 6:37 PM GMT up reply actions 3 recs
his pressing/closing down the keeper
In the other half was also so halfhearted it made me nauseous
by dojothecat on Feb 18, 2012 8:44 PM GMT via mobile up reply actions
To be fair
…..at least he’s consistent. He’s shit in either box…
When I go to the press conference before the game, in my mind the game has already started.
Jose Mourinho
by cfc190five on Feb 18, 2012 6:39 PM GMT reply actions 5 recs
Can we rent Sir Red Nose for halftime speeches?
I would pay money to see Torres in the hairdryer…
When I go to the press conference before the game, in my mind the game has already started.
Jose Mourinho
Have you seen his hair?
He’s quite used to the hair dryer, methinks. :P
by DPeezy on Feb 18, 2012 6:48 PM GMT up reply actions 1 recs
LOL, true, but with Fergie you get a boot to the head as well...
When I go to the press conference before the game, in my mind the game has already started.
Jose Mourinho
He used to be a CD so he is quite good
When I go to the press conference before the game, in my mind the game has already started.
Jose Mourinho
Drogba is typically excellent in
Defending corners/set pieces. He also helps Lukaku and McEachran w their homework, and takes the whole squad out for pizza after big wins.
by dojothecat on Feb 18, 2012 8:41 PM GMT via mobile up reply actions
wipes their snot, teaches them right from wrong,
and and and … scores GOALS.
not since Man City i believe
Ramires loves pizza and is extremely upset.
CareFree Chronicles did an article a while back
on corner defending. Drogba leads the team with headed clearances
by marc.nicholls1 on Feb 19, 2012 12:30 AM GMT up reply actions
Arsen nil...oh my..
When I go to the press conference before the game, in my mind the game has already started.
Jose Mourinho
Wish it made me feel better about Chelsea's game
I cant help but think that at least Arsenal was up against PL competition. And if them being out of this means they improve their performance in the league to keep 4th, I will be an unhappy camper. Hopefully it does the opposite and sends them on a downward spiral of terrible.
They're the definition of a form team. When things get bad, they get REALLY bad.
Good chances on that spiral.
Those uni's are Oregon Duck awful...deserve to lose...
When I go to the press conference before the game, in my mind the game has already started.
Jose Mourinho
At least they're still in the CL....
LOLOLOLOL…God, it must suck to a gooner right about now..
When I go to the press conference before the game, in my mind the game has already started.
Jose Mourinho
We've long suspected
Torres sucks in the box and isn’t great in defending. Now we know it officially. I guess it doesn’t come surprisingly that we now know Torres is good for … not so much
Tor ilisar'thera'nal!
Wow
I dont understand what he was doing in that spot at all. No words, really.
Blame Torres all you want but
How does 7 Chelsea players in the box let that ball bounce in the box and go across the face of the goal at kicking height. That is serious indecisiveness. If John Terry was there this would never happen.
The thing is, if the ball bounces like that to a marked man it really doesn't matter
Every once in a while the ball will get across the box, Terry or no Terry. There is never an excuse for Murphy being totally unmarked on the back post.
by Stephen Schmidt on Feb 18, 2012 8:11 PM GMT up reply actions
Kalou
I love the way we all use to hate him even though he has done my then Torres ever has! Hope to see Kalou in the team against Napoli
by adam.hinchcliffe on Feb 18, 2012 8:02 PM GMT reply actions
Is it only me,
Who thinks DL should’ve done better to block the ball? I know he had a very good game.
by Mregmi on Feb 19, 2012 3:37 AM GMT via mobile reply actions
in all fairness
and this is not to try to excuse the goal, but don’t we do zonal marking? is it possible that Nando was indeed manning his “zone?” i’m curious about this … it would of course be odd for the defenders to be tracking runs while Fernando was static in one area, but i’m just wondering whether zonal marking would entail someone being told to stay at the penalty spot.
I can't speak for the specifics of our scheme
But in general Torres would have been the man responsible for marking that man until he was passed off to a different marker. In general someone positioned like he was is responsible for keeping people from making exactly that type of run.
by Stephen Schmidt on Feb 19, 2012 2:52 PM GMT up reply actions
thanks for the clarification
was just curious whether Torres might have had some confusion as to his responsibilities in the scheme, or if this was simply a complete lack of effort. your explanation makes total sense b/c as w/ a zone in basketball, the defenders are not traffic cones and are expected to tightly mark an attacker until the next defender picks him up.
Bright side?
Well, at least Tottenham also drew (with an even worse club than Birmingham, and at 0-0). And Arsenal went so far as to lose, in the process completely throwing away what little there was left of their trophy hopes. I guess 1-1 against Birmingham isn’t so bad.
by FootieFromAfar on Feb 19, 2012 4:07 PM GMT via mobile reply actions
Not only that...
Both Tottenham and Arsenal looked absolutely terrible in the process – 3rd place may still be in our grasp :-p
Yeah, but we looked absolutely terrible for long stretches as well
And Liverpool take the lead back…
I think after this week's event, Arsenal is gonna go into a tailspin
I’m feeling much better about our chances at fourth place now. Not because we’re any good lately, but surely we’re still better than Newcastle and Liverpool. Arsenal was the only team I was particularly worried about.
Assuming, of course, we can actually start playing some footie. But with Drogba back and the 4-2-3-1 so obviously better that even AVB can’t ignore it anymore, things might be looking up.
by FootieFromAfar on Feb 19, 2012 5:31 PM GMT via mobile up reply actions
I know it's only been like a couple of days, but have we forgotten how we've played recently?
Almost no way we’re getting 3rd. Did Tottenham even use a full strength squad?
No Luka, No Ade, and Cudicini played
Other than that it was guys who’d regularly play.
by Stephen Schmidt on Feb 19, 2012 10:26 PM GMT up reply actions
So their most important player (a deep(ish) lying playmaker) and best striker didn't
play? I can see why they didn’t score.
They were playing Defoe and Saha up front
Hardly an impotent strikeforce. The bigger problem was that it didn’t look like any of their players could remember what a football was. Seriously, it was the sort of performance we saw against Everton last week; make all the excuses you like, but they were just bad.
Not defending them. Just saying it's a little funny that you think we could catch
them just because they played shit in a mickey mouse cup match.
They're certainly catchable
It’s ten points now, but they have a pretty rough stretch of games coming up. At Arsenal, hosting United, at Everton, hosting Stoke, at Chelsea, hosting Swansea, at Sunderland, and hosting Norwich. In their next 8 games they face all decent to good opponents, nobody in any sort of danger of relegation coming up.
by Stephen Schmidt on Feb 20, 2012 2:52 AM GMT up reply actions
Now, a tough schedule IS a good reason. A one-off terrible performance
in the FA cup is not. It’s not like we smashed our lower league opposition (at home, no less).
In fairness though, Birmingham is probably a bottom of the Premier League quality side
And they’ve been in fantastic form lately. Who’d have thought they’d improve their management situation by getting relegated?
by Stephen Schmidt on Feb 20, 2012 7:26 PM GMT up reply actions
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