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Why can't we close a game?

Maltese Falcon

Maltese Falcon

Niko Kranjcar
For someone who is so opinionated, I am totally at a loss!

I can't remember a single league game that I felt comfortable watching in the last 15 minutes. Liverpool, Arsenal, even Southampton have had countless games in which they were able to cruise the last quarter of the game in peace and tranquility.

Is it too much to ask for one of them?
 
The teams you've mentioned have all had nervous moments. Especially Arsenal and even Man Utd. We are a work in progress. It's more to do with the fact our defence isn't the best.
 
We do not have enough players that are entirely comfortable in possession and therefore we are unable to dictate/control games. That and the fact that we have plenty of direct players in the side (Mason, Kane,Townsend, Lamela, Rose and Walker) that prefer more often than not to drive the play forward rather than to play it safe and retain possession.
 
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It might be that we have a lot of young players in the side, and as they become more experienced and streetwise, we'll see them able to shut a game down if we get 2 goals infront.
 
Maltese Falcon said:
For someone who is so opinionated, I am totally at a loss!

I can't remember a single league game that I felt comfortable watching in the last 15 minutes. Liverpool, Arsenal, even Southampton have had countless games in which they were able to cruise the last quarter of the game in peace and tranquility.

Is it too much to ask for one of them?
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I think that you are expecting too much, too soon from a very young side. I think that you are also forgetting games like QPR at home where we were very comfortable throughout.
 
I think at home when we are winning the fans get on the back of players passing sideways or backwards when they are trying to control possession and 'kill' the game. The expectation is to go on and try and win by 3 or 4, against Swansea we were caught a few times on the break even though we were 3-1 up for example.

In general, its common knowledge we have such a leaky defence so that gives teams hope that even losing by 2 they still have a chance.
 
the dza said:
It might be that we have a lot of young players in the side, and as they become more experienced and streetwise, we'll see them able to shut a game down if we get 2 goals infront.
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I go with this. Today was the youngest team played in the Premier League all season, and I think we have four of the top five or so youngest teams for this year. When they wise up they will tighten up.
 
Very good point OP. I don't think it is about the ability of our individual players - Lloris Verts walker and Dier/Fazio and Rose are a pretty decent back line. I think partly it is about the system where we now try to pass out from the back rather than hoof up the pitch which does result in us making mistakes in dangerous areas. We often concede from set pieces partly I put that down to not being able to work on these on the training pitch due to the number of games we have played. Hope fully that will come with time. Finally I agree with the posters who say we are a young side who possess an offensive rather than defensive mentality. Closing off games the "Mourinho way" requires experience and a certain amount of gamesmanship.
 
Well most of the time we are coming from behind so the chances are we aren't going to win games comfortably- it's not until late we score winners a lot anyway. Arsenal had an identical scenario against QPR few days ago didn't they?
 
Mumorn said:
The teams you've mentioned have all had nervous moments. Especially Arsenal and even Man Utd. We are a work in progress. It's more to do with the fact our defence isn't the best.
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I think our defensive is decent, although better when Fazio is there to organise it.

I think our issue in the last 15-20 minutes is that our Masaleb screen tires and we aren't quick enough to bring on Stambouli to maintain the pressing intensity
 
We are such a young side and you are talking about a skill (knowing how to close out games) that comes with experience. We can try blow a team out of the water but more likely in the PL a team who look hopelessly inferior are always still in the game.

I think controlling a game and managing a game are different things. We control games regularly. We controlled the game to a degree vs Chelsea in the cup final, but they managed us. They knew how to shut up shop, be compact and then when to get at us. Ultimately goals scored and conceded control games not possession. Defending a 1 goal lead in the PL is always tough. Games change so quickly.
 
Robspur12 said:
Very good point OP. I don't think it is about the ability of our individual players - Lloris Verts walker and Dier/Fazio and Rose are a pretty decent back line. I think partly it is about the system where we now try to pass out from the back rather than hoof up the pitch which does result in us making mistakes in dangerous areas. We often concede from set pieces partly I put that down to not being able to work on these on the training pitch due to the number of games we have played. Hope fully that will come with time. Finally I agree with the posters who say we are a young side who possess an offensive rather than defensive mentality. Closing off games the "Mourinho way" requires experience and a certain amount of gamesmanship.
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Verts, Dier and a few others were actually pretty smart running the clock down in the final few minutes yesterday. Our young players are fairly streetwise, although not to Mourinho level
 
Robspur12 said:
We often concede from set pieces partly I put that down to not being able to work on these on the training pitch due to the number of games we have played.
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Actually my impression is that our historic frailty from corners and free kicks has improved significantly this year. At least I am no longer tinkling in my pants every time a corner or freekick comes in.

Anyone got stats to see if this is borne out by facts?
 
Hmmm, we do close games out. Not sure what your point is as if we didn't we wouldn't have won the majority of games we've played this season.

Oh oh, right, you didn't think that we'd be able to just rock up at QPR's ground fighting for their lives with one of the country's in form strikers in their team and have things all our own way did you?

I note that Arsenal won in very similar circumstances during the week there.

For every game that's comfortable in this very competitive league (I take it you mean finishing the game 2 or more goals to the good - and there's some - QPR home, WBA away, Chelsea home for example) there's probably 3 or 4 that are scraps for every point. Why don't you moan about Man U losing a 3-0 lead to Leicester, why couldn't they close that game out?

When have we given up a lead this season? Palace away? Any other games? I'm struggling, I think we're pretty damn excellent at holding out for the points in a tight game. Eye of the tiger and all that!
 
NWND said:
Hmmm, we do close games out. Not sure what your point is as if we didn't we wouldn't have won the majority of games we've played this season.
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My point is very straightforward actually and most of the other posters understood it.

Did we close the game against Swansea when we only won thanks to Lloris? Did we close it against QPR when we got the refereeing rub of the green?

Why do the likes of Liverpool, Southampton, not to mention United, etc manage to regularly close up shop after getting the second goal and regularly wind the game down with minimal hassle. The only game I remember us doing that in was West Brom away. Why do we constantly give away a goal towards the end of the match making things so much more difficult than they should be?
 
It might also be that once we are a bit better at it, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy; teams "know" they are beat, so give up and we get a hassle free win. At the minute, sides know they can rattle us -- against a lot of other top sides, teams will be 2 goals down with 10 minutes to go and just resign themselves to defeat.
 
1) Our defence is the worst in the top half statistics wise, even some teams in the bottom half have a better defensive record. Individual mistakes are still far too frequent. We rarely look convincing at the back. Vertonghen is a shadow of the player he was two years ago, Fazio is prone to mistakes. Dier is young and still learning. Ditto Rose, Walker and Davies.

2) We only have 3 players in the squad who are capable of scoring regularly. We have relied heavily on Kane and Eriksen to win us games late this season, and to a lesser extent, Chadli.

3) As mentioned above, young squad.
 
Ive not read all of the posts above but I think some of the problems are with the fact other teams know we cant see a game out and genuinely have a proper go at us when we are leading. You dont get that with other teams, they just accept defeat at a ground like chelsea and give up.
 
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