17 Sep 2025 07:10:17
I wonder if it’s time for some radical thinking on how to beat low blocks…
Probing left to right seems pretty pedestrian when you approach the 80th minute at nil-nil.
Have any managers ever instructed their teams to stay within 20yds of the halfway line to tempt the opposition out?
How did the great original thinking managers of the past manage it (or is parking the bus a relatively new thing)? Eg: Bielsa or Cruyff
For me, I’d like to see more shots from distance at least - cause some havoc and build some momentum from the crowd.
Slot seems open to innovation, I’d be content to see us marginally increase our risk of conceding if it meant we also increased our chances of a breakthrough. Football has an obligation to entertain, at least that’s how I see it.
17 Sep 2025 11:20:58
Did you not like Ed001's reply 2 posts down?
{Ed001's Note - that one was held for a long time Zed, as I was out last night at the local match. So he probably sent this thinking it hadn't come through.}
17 Sep 2025 11:29:36
I think the key is keep trying different tactics, as you say shots from distance, getting the ball wide, early balls into the box and trying to move the low blocks around. Which hopefully gives space for players to find.
I thought in the second half we where better at trying different ways but they block a lot of shots. At times we were too slow to move the ball, always thought if you are going to do the left to right, right to left movement of the ball. It should be done at pace to move the low block around and cause a player to switch off or go out of position.
Think it also requires our lads to be patience and understanding of where each player is going to do more damage. I think Ed1 mention about Bradley under lapping Mo too much and forcing him wide where he couldn't impact the game.
Sorry to say its the way football is going, Managers are frighten of losing so don't want to take chances. And or they don't think their teams aren't capable of beating us, for example.
So they drop deep.
The other tactic is to kick us all game and put the ball over the fullback for fast wingers to chase.
17 Sep 2025 12:53:31
No radical thinking needed - low-block teams do what they do typically because they have substantially inferior players. Atletico Madrid are arguably an exception, but then again they only use a low-block against better teams.
To beat low-blocks, make lots of short passes to pull teams out of position, don’t waste possession with poor touches or desperate shooting, don’t waste set-piece opportunities, use width, and cross accurately and with intent - pretty much everything we didn’t do on Sunday.
17 Sep 2025 14:19:50
Spot on, Lowe1FC. Low blocks are nothing new and there are diff. ways of breaking them down and even with Atleti, we pumped them hard in 19/ 20 (their actual prime) in that CL return leg at Anfield but we were wasteful which is what hurt us cos we were 2 nil up in extra time. And then, Adrian happened.
My recommendations would be to pin back the low block so they can't get out, move the ball a lot quicker coupled with crisp movement and one touch passing, keep the width to get them to defend the whole width of the final third and then, better efficiency at set pieces. Essentially, the things we did under Klopp from '18 till '20.