Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="IthacaMatt, post: 5357925, member: 405"] Really interesting article on BBC.com. [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c20l7lw3ypzo[/URL] The article talks about this maybe not just being Man City getting old in its midfield, but rather that people have figured out Pep Guardiola's tactics. Maybe this is the end of possession based football, as more elite teams are playing the long ball in behind high defensive lines, and counter-attacking quickly after a turnover. Kind of like how Mourhinho's Real Madrid eventually unseated Pep's greatest Barca team. Tough defense, strike on the counter with Ronaldo and Angel DiMaria. Chelsea's success earlier this season (2nd place on Christmas) has been followed by only 2 wins in their last 10 matches, as they have repeatedly given up leads late. Chelsea was at its best early in the season attacking quickly and decisively. However, Enzo Maresca - a member of Guardiola's Treble-Winning Staff - wants them to play slower, so they can rest in possession, and not be too open to the counter themselves. (He calls it "playing basketball" when the game is too back-and-forth). But the slower Chelsea play, and the more they play out of the back, the more they make unforced errors that give away the ball in really dangerous positions close to their own goal. They get too passive in possession. Under Guardiola's system, he wanted 20-25-30 passes in the opponent's half of the field in one spell of possession. But they (and other teams using his tactics) are finding it harder to beat the high press without booting the ball long. Presses have gotten more sophisticated. The article talks about possession ball and exclusively playing out of the back may be a trend in decline. This sucks for Chelsea to have a guy who wants to play a style that is quickly being figured out at the top levels. [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?