Why do the players have so much space?

[chocco boxo]

Saints are playing some great football, how come the players have so much space when passing and receiving the ball? Is it something you can teach? Or are we that much fitter and better than the other teams?

We top of the league and I am loving this season more than any other. HAPPY DAYS.

[JackFrost]

It definitely can be taught, Barcelona prove that. Their as good off the ball as they are on it. The same concept probably applies to us at the moment except the quality of our squad is nowhere near Barcelona's. Chaplow and Lambert aside obviously

[Barry the Badger]

Movement and touch. Simple as that.

[EastleighSoulBoy]

The team have had many work ethics instilled into them, pass and move creates the space. They are so willing and happy to run and work for each other and the team. Witness Guly running around the pitch, chasing the ball down at one stage yesterday.

 

Best of all is to look at the players faces, a mix of smiles of enjoyment and yet a steely resolve and grim determination to keep the ball and, when we do lose it, to get it back.

 

Also, as a Chapel dweller, ain't it just great that we are all singing and chanting!

 

Memories of the '76 cup run will never leave me but this ride, of the last 15 months, is an almost unbelievable experience. I said to Toomer yesterday that I finally believe something special is developing here.

 

I feel like I'm 20 again!

[Ohio Saint]

There were times in the second half where I found myself trying to guess who the ball would be passed to because there were simply so many good options available due to the amount of space so many players were in

[Jimmy_D]

The whole team is incredibly fit, constant movement on and off the ball not only creates space for us, but also closes down space for the opposition.

 

Not only that, but we have a lot of players with the technical ability to really make USE of that space we create.

[70's Mike]

Movement and touch. Simple as that.

 

slightly disagree it is about fitness and brain power as much as movement and touch

[Saint Garrett]

Few things I've noticed....

 

Playing between the lines.

Midfielders running past forwards.

Defenders running past midfielders.

Forwards dropping deep to recieve the ball then spinning away.

Complete fluidity of Lallana/Guly/Chaplow/Lambert.

[Barry the Badger]

slightly disagree it is about fitness and brain power as much as movement and touch

 

The fitness allows the movement to be as good as it is certainly, but being fit does not create space if you aren't prepared to move. It's all about movement.

[eelpie]

As said above.

 

I've also noticed that when players can't see space, as in the first half against Seagulls, they pass around at the back inviting the opposition forward which sometimes creates space. Not that it looks convincing, and as Adkins said they dwelled too much on the ball too often. Also, as in a previous thread someone said that their youngster commented that Saints often avoid tackles if they have the ball by passing to someone else, and this must be frustrating and wearing for the opposition.

They don't like it not at 'em!

[thegaffer]

pass and move simple really. I would imagine they play 4 v 4 in training within a confined area.

[View From The Top]

In addition, when we have the ball the opposition have to work twice as hard to get it back, sapping their energy levels.

 

This is the fittest Saints team I've ever seen and I'm in my mid-40s.

[ericofarabia]

Bad breath and BO?

[CanadaSaint]

All of the above, but we're playing less of the square and meaningless variety and more of the kind that really pull and stretch the opposition and test their fitness levels.

 

And the willingness and ability to hit long, crisp and accurate diagonal passes every so often keeps the opposition guessing and makes out short game better.

[sidthesquid]

As I keep telling my lad, football at its best is incredibly simple - pass and go. We don't need to take people on, do risky things or chase percentage balls, just keep possession because there is always someone ready to receive the ball and pass it back to you when you are in space again. The players have bought into this style and you can really see why Puncheon didn't fit in. I was thinking about it today - most of our team are journeyman pros who have spent most of their careers in the lower leagues not the Champion's league, and yet they look fantastic because they keep doing the simple bits right and use their brains more than their legs. I just hope no-one else works out how to do it!

[The9]

Saints are playing some great football, how come the players have so much space when passing and receiving the ball? Is it something you can teach? Or are we that much fitter and better than the other teams?

We top of the league and I am loving this season more than any other. HAPPY DAYS.

 

They didn't have any space in the first half, when "coincidentally" the Saints player on the ball held it for ages and none of the Saints players were moving into space. I was actually quite impressed with Brighton's ability to spread their players to every corner of the pitch yet to still press the ball - for about 20 minutes, anyway.

 

On an unrelated note, it was nice to see Brighton's "passing football", 3 passes amongst their defenders and then a whack up the line - exactly the same as last season. Nearer long ball than passing football (and pretty similar to us in the first 45 minutes). There was only one Dagenham-a-like on that pitch, and it wasn't us.

Edited 20 November, 2011 by The9

[scotty]

They didn't have any space in the first half, when "coincidentally" the Saints player on the ball held it for ages and none of the Saints players were moving into space. I was actually quite impressed with Brighton's ability to spread their players to every corner of the pitch yet to still press the ball - for about 20 minutes, anyway.

 

On an unrelated note, it was nice to see Brighton's "passing football", 3 passes amongst their defenders and then a whack up the line - exactly the same as last season. Nearer long ball than passing football (and pretty similar to us in the first 45 minutes). There was only one Dagenham-a-like on that pitch, and it wasn't us.

 

Brightons game plan was the same as last season as well, park the bus and try to nick one on the break. Once we stuck the first one away and they had to chase an equaliser there was only ever going to be one winner, we are just better than them, simple as that. It could have been four or five tbh.

 

Glad to hear poyet get barracked as well, the racist tw*t