Corners!!!

WHY ARE WE SO sh*t AT DEFENDING THEM???

Don't forget being shocking at scoring from them!

Also, don't forget we're also a bit sh*t at taking them.

Corner practice this week then eh Brendan?

I think Sakho will improve our defence in set pieces no end, he's a commanding centre back and we've not had one of those this Sammi left.  Scoring from corners on the other hand needs a lot of work, as most don't even clear the first man.

Zonal marking is the way to go in terms of defending. Regardless though why on earth we seem to be losing our men at corners is just unforgivable. In terms of attacking them, we've been appalling at them since Rafa's days. I remember us drawing at home against Stoke in 2008 and us having something like 19 corners that match. Didn't come close to scoring.

As bad as we are at defending them, though usually it's a lapse of concentration that costs is, we are far worse when we are taking them.

I know one thing and that's to keep Gerrard away from taking corners , it's F***ing disturbing .

I know one thing and that's to keep Gerrard away from taking corners , it's f**king disturbing .

and Henderson...

and Henderson...

Right across the board but mainly gerrard for me is dire at it .

Right across the board but mainly gerrard for me is dire at it .

odd, when he's generally one of the best crossers in the league. His best seasons have been out wide, because he's world class at putting a ball in the box.

He shouldn't be taking them from the right, cos obviously it just results in these big harmless outswingers.

We don't have a lot of left footed options to take inswingers from there though.
Enrique's crossing isn't exactly his strong point, so I assume his corners wouldnt be great, so that basically leaves Sturridge.

odd, when he's generally one of the best crossers in the league. His best seasons have been out wide, because he's world class at putting a ball in the box.

he hasn't been of late and the eyes don't lie .

Stevie's probably too tired to take corners, after all it would mean travelling into the oppo half!

Re. attacking corners, watching the match against Manure think we might've had twice the number of corners, but can't remember having an opportunity from any of them! And we had 3 CB's on the pitch. Don't think we mixed things up much either, coming short, a bullet ball to someone running into the center for a shot.  Cmon, a bit of imagination fellas...

I reckon there are under 10 sides with more imaginative corner routines than we have.

They'd probably defend them better as well.

I reckon there are under 10 sides with more imaginative corner routines than we have.

They'd probably defend them better as well.

I honestly believe we should take the Barca approach to our offensive corners. We're crap, we know we're crap, let's not give the opponents the chance to break on us and play it short every time. I liked when Suarez took it short, it didn't come off what he was trying to do but at least there was a clear intention.

I do believe though, that this season we would have more joy just because we have Kolo and Sakho in the team, both of them are absolute beasts in the air, so we could also persevere.

As for defending them, it's schoolboy stuff and why I've suggested we need a defensive coach. Brendan can claim "they know" they shouldn't be losing their man, he can claim to have gone through it but essentially it's his job to ensure the message has been received. Everyone is entitled to make a mistake, but when those mistakes are repeated for the entire time he's had the job there is something fundamentally wrong with the coaching of our defending from corners.

If Enrique isn't getting the message then he shouldn't be the one picking up their most potent poacher, so while individual errors will continue forever, the similarities in these errors suggest the coaching is not getting the right response and that should have been addressed way before now.

I honestly believe we should take the Barca approach to our offensive corners. We're crap, we know we're crap, let's not give the opponents the chance to break on us and play it short every time. I liked when Suarez took it short, it didn't come off what he was trying to do but at least there was a clear intention.

Agree.

Just play it short and get the ball moving again as when we put it in the box more often than not it leads to the opposition getting the ball back.

If we stop running round like headless chickens following the oposition in our box, perhaps we could concentrate a bit more on where the ball is actually heading and intercept. We seem hell bent on sticking to our oponent like a leach, instead of just watching him, keeping in touch, and concentrating on the flight of the ball.
 When you chase around after someone, you are always going to be half a yard behind. If you let them run around and don't follow, they will imediately stop. Then you just walk over to them to get close enough to step accross them when they start their run at the ball, to make sure you get there first. Timeing, strength, and common sense.
 We sometimes look like a lot of clowns, charging in all directions following players that the ball  will never go anywhere near.

Anyone agree Suarez is our corner taker?

Corners are just terrible full stop. Gerrard can't take them to save his life, which is weird considering his delivery from deeper is brilliant. Suarez tried to take one last night, it went wrong and Stevie was like 'no I'm having them again'. Get someone else on them.

On reading these posts - and sort of related to corners - I was thinking about how often we are caught out by the opposing team Counter Attacking our awful corners.

With that I was thinking about how bad we are at counter attacking.

Not to side track too heavily, but I'm sure I'm not alone in wondering why we are so slow at breaking and attacking the opposing team. We bring it up the field okay, then stop, and pass it back again... meanwhile the opposing team is able to sort out their defence again.

Anyone agree Suarez is our corner taker?

Yes this also frees one of our taller and better headers of the ball Stevie to go in to the danger area. But id argue a poacher like him might be handy inthe box on any breaking ball so ideally for me would be 2 full backs taking corners

An example of course of Stevie being a threat in the box from good crosses is Istanbul

Personally I think Gerrard needs to take some of the responsibility for the Soton and Utd goals.

He stupidly goes with his wrong foot vs Soton and he doesn't attack the ball at all vs United, his attempt to head it looked pretty half-assed.
Enrique will continue to get panned but Gerrard has been partly responsible for us conceding two costly goals in a week.

If Enrique isn't getting the message then he shouldn't be the one picking up their most potent poacher, so while individual errors will continue forever, the similarities in these errors suggest the coaching is not getting the right response and that should have been addressed way before now.

Heard Carra on Sky the other week saying he stopped trying to advise/shout at/order around Enrique on the pitch as he just doesn't listen to anybody and does everything his own way

Bad trait.

Heard Carra on Sky the other week saying he stopped trying to advise/shout at/order around Enrique on the pitch as he just doesn't listen to anybody and does everything his own way

Bad trait.

Part of this lack off footballing brain that many, some say harshly, though I'm not one of them, label him with.