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Our Passing


Lallana's Left Peg
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This isn't a reaction to an individual game nor the obvious issues we have right now with the balance of the team, but in our first four competitive games this season does anyone else think our passing has been absolutely shocking?

 

Very little incisiveness, poor movement, no confidence in tight situations, passing straight to the opposition, far too many passes putting players into trouble or not giving them a chance of doing anything with it- I could go on. It's a far cry from last season where even if we lacked a cutting edge our passing and general patterns of play would be decent. This season, thus far, I'm seeing none of that.

 

Why is this?

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The tempo of our game seems very slow at the moment. Maybe top many of those slow style European teams played in pre season?

 

A very minor point but the new PL ball doesnt help. Is very light and bobbles up, so players often take an extra touch rather than playing first time.

 

 

How have other clubs passing been so far?

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Our passing is simply too slow right now, much like it was at the end of last season. It may work against average European sides, but in the PL and indeed against the good european sides we will likely have to play if we get into the EL group stage, it just won't be good enough.

 

Hopefully Clasie, Romeu or both can add some tempo to our play once they are both fit/settled in.

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Thought this thread was an ode to the dearly departed Saints! I see a massive lack of confidence on the pitch in all the players. Seems epitomised my Fonte's slightly wobbly display on Saturday which may have transmitted itself to the rest of the team.

 

I don't put it down exclusively to the absence of Schneiderlin - as many people have said, we have won many games without him. Maybe it is fear of his absence rather than his actual absence.

 

Clearly, the team is rebuilding. Having watched the first two league games, I have lowered my expectations and I'm looking forward to the season to see how this goes.

 

I've put myself in the old '27 year' mindset when I had literally no idea whether we would win, lose, play badly, not care or play like maestros.

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Our passing has been poor tbh and I think it's got a little to do with the opposition we faced in pre season and against Vitesse. The sides we faced weren't particularly good in all honesty and we got away with a slow tempo. I think we're just a little bit rusty because of it. I'm 100% sure it will return and soon as that's Koemans style. Have faith, once the midfield settles we'll fly up the table. We have three winnable games coming up in the league so lets see what we get from those first.

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Is it all down to losing Morgan?
Losing Schneiderlin will always be a factor, but we played well without him plenty of times last season.

 

For me at the moment it looks like we're missing a bit of confidence and belief in ourselves as much as anything; players like Bertrand, Forster & Alderweireld Champions League level experience, used to winning regularly. Plus long-standing, regular members of the team in Schneiderlin and Clyne. That's going to take time for the side to settle.

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The slowness and general lack of penetration in our passing isn't a new thing this season. Aside from a purple patch against a woeful Villa, we struggled to create chances throughout the second half of last season. This team is crying out for someone who can pick the ball up at half way and do something with it other than dolly out a ten yard pass to the fullback. As it is, we're stuck with players who want a look at every single option before they release the ball, and who inevitably choose the most conservative option at the end of their deliberations.

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In addition to the passing: tackling, closing down, creating chances, scoring.

 

Passing will help all of those things. It means you have to tackle and close down less, and it means you create more chances and score more goals. It is the most important thing in football and appears to be the thing we've forgotten to do in the space of two months.

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Losing Schneiderlin will always be a factor, but we played well without him plenty of times last season.

This is a bit of a myth. If plenty = 3 then I'll agree. The only games we played well without him were Everton, Arsenal and Villa. There were plenty of games when he played when we were poor as well. Its not so much that we are missing Morgan, though we are, but without him we are trying to play a different way and failing. So we miss him because we cannot play the way we did last season.

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