I believe we've conceded 12 goals in our last 9 games compared with 12 in the previous 20. We need to get back to maintaining better control of games and sharpen up defensively. We've had three/four basketball games recently where we've lost our shape and discipline, which has cost us points. In a normal City cheating style season we would get punished for that.
He has worked wonders with the personnel he has as defensively this is the same porous group who played under Klopp.
Getting the team compact and leaving few spaces did well for us up to December. The issue is though you can be as compact as you want but if the players, ie. Trent, or the much less intense midfield when Dom isn't in it, are not matching the opposition in the battle, you can get overrun. Not a single tackle was made in the first half yesterday apparently, incredible. Remember we had similar issues in games following the midfield collapse in 2022 when we couldn't get near teams who ran through us.
Jones is a good player, but him with Grav and Mac behind him is unbalanced in that there is a real lack of intensity among them. Say we had an Essien in midfield, then you can play your Jones (or even Elliott). A Jones, Mac, Grav midfield has struggled too many times against tough, athletic opposition. Far too passive. Thought yesterday we could get away with that 3 with it being at home, but that was more wishful thinking. Ugarte, very limited, but he's intense. To match their graft and intensity we needed Dom big time, as the others just cannot do it. We never got a grip of midfield and that then leaves your back door exposed.
Dom in midfield, and Bradley at right back, solves so much of the lack of intensity we had in both areas.
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