I can't believe we're not linked to any CB's after the horrific 'goals against' column last season....
Not only did we constantly get cut open and were all over the place, we looked vulnerable from set pieces.... I was hiding behind the sofa!
Cresswell and Hjelde have potential and need to both go out on loan for game time....
However, this then leaves us with the perfect combination of 2 right footed CB's and 2 left footed CB's.
Unfortunately, they are all so similar in that you'd love them ALL as backup, but none of them stand out....
Llorente is quality in some games and then always has a mistake in him....
Strujik.... as above.
Coops is an unbelievable leader and captain and seems to be the first name on the teamsheet WHEN he's not on the treatment table.... we used to say the same about him in the Championship.
Koch does look like a proper CB but never had a run of probably more than 5 games in that position.... and when he has played there it's with different partners. And is he up for the fight? Fair play to him for stepping in to holding midfield but we can't be having square pegs in round holes again.
How are we not at least linked to top quality CBs!?
I just hope Marsch can somehow get a settled partnership but it just worries me how he can improve them so much....
It seems that Cresswell is being loaned out to Millwall (of all places). That‘s a shame: he’s only 21, but a great leader, strong in the air, and generally technically very gifted. Would prefer him to stay this season as one of the two first-choice central defenders.
Agree Richard
Hopefully JM will get rid of the tactic to knock it long / hoof it up the pitch.
I know the situation probably called for it then but when we start the new season, lets play out vertically (not horizontally) from the back.
I really do not want to go back to the Blackwell, Warnock, Redfearn, Evans, Monk etc days
We have enjoyed great football for the past 4 seasons, I just want that to continue
I’m late to the party on this thread. But I would echo what everybody else has said, CB is the last place that we need to strengthen.
as for the goals against column, it would be very easy to look at the defence and point the finger. I would be pointing the finger of blame at the tactics we were employing more than anything. If we look at the goals against per game since Marsch changed us to zonal marking, I personally think it would have put us mid table had we been like that for the season.
Given Llorente's injury history I would be doing everthing to try and off load him back to Spain especially since he needs to try and get in the Spain World cup squad. Surely Atletico Madrid or Sevilla who are both very light in the CB department would be a option. To be honest i would also have offered Burnley 5m plus Cooper for Nathan Collins.
For Cresswell and Hjedle I would have tried to find a championship club where i could loan both to them and have them play as a pairing for season. If not the championship then in the Scottish top flight.
Our first choice should be Koch at RCB & Struijk at LCB.
Personally, I would have kept Charlie and made him the first choice RCB. However, with Llorente and Koch ahead of him, I can see why a loan to a Championship side makes sense.
White proved he could play at LUFC, gave 1 season to Brighton then went for £50 million.
Not sure if Millwall is the right choice for him though. Sunderland may have ben the better option.
Fk off Guy, Smurf and Soopa.... stop making good points and picking my thread apart.
Hm, difficult one this TC.
Have been thinking/worried about this quite a lot.
I will still be worried about them whenever we face quality & pacy opposition.
In terms of conceding goals from set-pieces, under JM they seem to have subsided a bit.
But as Soopa & Smurf point out, not all blame rests with the CB's.
Indeed a lot of the problems resulted from our midfield and both FB's.
In terms of winning headers and strength in general, one wouldn't look past Cresswell. Would/should he play every game, probably not, but he at least would be a good option to have.
I would say the poor goal difference reflected less on the CBs but more on the performance of the midfield. Phillips was absent for most of the season and when he did play, he was ostensibly playing the way he had for England. It was in midfield that we were comfortably or to be more accurate ‘uncomfortably’ overrun by the opposition. Often, we just gave the ball away from the middle of the park. Our full backs also were particularly guilty of losing possession. I think we have all the CBs we need, it’s more about identifying which are the best Fab Four for the coming season ahead. We need to offload/loan one of them, and personally if it were up to me, I would be keeping Cresswell and playing him.
Firstly - why on earth would the CB's be the first and only suspects for our goals against?
We have struggled at FB and at DCM all year and have a young keeper.
Secondly - given the injuries at that position (Cooper out for a while, Llorente out for a while) why single them out more than Phillips, Firpo, Forshaw etc.
Thirdly - why absolve the man marking insistence from MB...?