[Albion] A £50 Million Sized Hole in Defence?

[vegster]

Thought the set pieces came from Spaniards falling over whenever anyone in the stripes looked at them threateningly

I'm sure that the street fighting ref baiting Burnley team have noticed this and will probably mug us again.

 

[Solid at the back]

Ben White was our best defender, those saying he wasn't need their Dunk rose tinted glasses off. Last night's team was weaker than the team that finished the season. Need some real improvements to the squad, one or two singings that'll go straight into the team.

 

[Farehamseagull]

Think that’s a bit negative. White is clearly a quality player who any club would miss but personally I think with the players we now have, we’re made for a back 4.

It might take a little time to adjust to it again but a back 4 of Veltman, Webster, Dunk and March looks strong to me.

It also then allows us to play that midfield diamond we played against Luton which I believe suits the midfielders we have too.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

I've said on here myself that friendlies don't mean much. We'll have been trying things out and certainly won't go into next week with Connolly leading the line and Trossard warming a bench.

Nonetheless, unless Lamptey turns into Lazarus, we don't really seem to have an actual right back that Potter trusts.

Personally I would have started Veltman at RB and played Ostigard yesterday.

In terms of the season more broadly, I remain concerned that Maupay remains our biggest hope for goals, would be pleased to sign Nunez but can’t see it happening.

All opinions.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Think that’s a bit negative. White is clearly a quality player who any club would miss but personally I think with the players we now have, we’re made for a back 4.

It might take a little time to adjust to it again but a back 4 of Veltman, Webster, Dunk and March looks strong to me.

It also then allows us to play that midfield diamond we played against Luton which I believe suits the midfielders we have too.

This is a concern for me, starting the season using two players out of position. Yes, we can play March at LB but for me he’s far more suited to LWB, Veltman can play at RB, but again he’s more suited to CB. To have no full backs in the squad seems puzzling, perhaps it’s a strategy and Potter would rather play midfielders as full backs.
Regarding White’s departure, obviously he’s going to be a huge miss, and seeing as we’ve all known for a very long time that he was going I would have thought the succession planning may have been a little more advanced than it is, whether that be signing a RB/RWB to free Veltman, giving Ostigard more playing time or just signing a new centre back, being honest I doubt anyone on here really thought we’d potentially be starting the season with Shane Duffy. Considering we use CBs to cover every position in defence, and don’t actually have any full backs, we now seem a touch light at CB.
I’m not going to lose any sleep over it, and I’m not persecuting the club for anything, it’s just as a mere mortal stood on the outside looking in I can’t figure out the recruitment strategy for this window and the balance that the squad currently has. To me we seem massively overstocked in central midfield with Bissouma, Mwepu, Moder, Alzate, Groß and Lallana, yet very light without a single recognised LB, a utility RB who we need at CB, only one winger in Trossard and the exact same frailties that we had upfront. There was a very clear and obvious trimming of the squad, and having moved on from Izquierdo, Alireza, Pröpper, Bernardo, Ryan and White plus some other u-23 players I thought we might have bolstered the squad with more than one central midfielder.
To my untrained eye our squad appears somewhat weaker than the one that finished the season, we have less depth and cover but still the glaring weakness such as a lack of striker and inadequate full back cover.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Well, someone called Stato should probably understand that set pieces that result in goals tend to come as a result of attacking pressure and that failure to score (or register a shot on target from any striker) also tend to be as as result of the other team being better.

But I'm being facetious. We looked out of balance compared to last season. I genuinely think White was more valuable to Potter than many seem to be opining now. A bit revisionist.

You think we looked out of balance in a game where we mixed our first and second team for the entire match? Any other penetrating thoughts to share?

That tells us very little about how much we are missing White. Clearly he's a loss to the squad. How big the hole? We won't know for a while.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Ben White was our best defender, those saying he wasn't need their Dunk rose tinted glasses off. Last night's team was weaker than the team that finished the season. Need some real improvements to the squad, one or two singings that'll go straight into the team.

Sorry. Enough now. Every single post you make is negative or argumentative or just touchy. Don't bother relying, you're on ignore.

 

[Dancin Ninja BHA]

For what it's worth, I thought Veltman, Dunk and Webster had solid games last night, especially as two of them have been out injured.

Gross was a passenger, and a ridiculous choice for RWB in the first half.

 

[Frankworthington]

Are we doomed?

Yes

And with our continued refusal to sign ANY striker we will be relegated by Xmas

 

[chaileyjem]

Surely it’s the Lamptey sized hole in the defence that’s the actual issue. Veltman will do just fine in White’s old position so, while there are repercussions in terms of numbers, it’s the lack of specialist defenders in wide areas that needs addressing most urgently.

Probably why the club are signing / hoping to sign a left back who played in the Olympic final yesterday ?

 

[Guinness Boy]

You think we looked out of balance in a game where we mixed our first and second team for the entire match? Any other penetrating thoughts to share?

That tells us very little about how much we are missing White. Clearly he's a loss to the squad. How big the hole? We won't know for a while.

Maybe up front but certainly not in defence where March. Dunk, Webster and Veltman are the first team and we seemed to want to cobble together a midfield of Gross and Mwepu to cover the RWB hole, which didn't work.

Obviously in a friendly you don't give everyone 90 mins, nor give away your tactics for the actual competitive stuff, but if we were mixing up firsts and seconds as you say then why not start Ostigard in the three and play Veltman at RB / RWB (which is where he ended up anyway)?

 

[Seasider78]

Perceived holes in our defence are the least of our issues

 

[Robinjakarta]

Ben White was our best defender, those saying he wasn't need their Dunk rose tinted glasses off. Last night's team was weaker than the team that finished the season. Need some real improvements to the squad, one or two singings that'll go straight into the team.

I'd like to put on the record that I actually agree with one your posts.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Perceived holes in our defence are the least of our issues

On the contrary, our ‘successs’ last season came from being defensively resilient, we all know we were pony in front of goal and seeing as we’ve done approximately nothing to address it then it would perhaps be unwise to expect much of an upturn in performance, defensively however we are now weaker having lost a defensive mainstay and also losing Dan Burn, who whilst not everyone’s cup of tea, played a lot of games and covered multiple positions. Defence was our strength, it’s now looking a wee bit thin.

 

[chaileyjem]

Obviously in a friendly you don't give everyone 90 mins, nor give away your tactics for the actual competitive stuff, but if we were mixing up firsts and seconds as you say then why not start Ostigard in the three and play Veltman at RB / RWB)?

In the last game at the Amex, Potter was without Veltman , Dunk , Lamptey and March - and Welbeck for 70 minutes fwiw.
Seemed to cope.

He’s now played Mwepu in multiple positions in the friendlies. That’s part of what friendlies are for I guess. If it was 3 points yesterday then I suspect he would have picked a different starting line up, different subs, and different formations at different times.
Potter likes playing players like this - not sure White leaving makes a difference. He played him in multiple positions too (and of course he’ll be missed)

And Karbownik had some decent minutes at Luton and was on bench in last few games last season.

Also club clearly see need for a full back - hence Cucurella .

 

[Kneon Light]

Suspect this is why we are after Cucarella. Will give the option of moving March to RWB to cover Lamptey while still injured.
In the meantime I'd personally play Ostigard at CB and Veltman RWB

 

[Guinness Boy]

Think that’s a bit negative. White is clearly a quality player who any club would miss but personally I think with the players we now have, we’re made for a back 4.

It might take a little time to adjust to it again but a back 4 of Veltman, Webster, Dunk and March looks strong to me.

It also then allows us to play that midfield diamond we played against Luton which I believe suits the midfielders we have too.

To be fair that's a good 4. That's also what I thought we'd start with. Those 4 at the back and either a diamond or an England style 4-2-3-1 with Mwepu and Biss playing the two and Gross, Mac and Lallana as the AMs. So when we started with three centre backs and Gross and Mwepu interchanging on the right I was more than a little suprised.

Typical Potter though and friendlies are the right time to experiment as I've said elsewhere.

However, going back to a 4 would somewhat prove my OP. Essentially by selling one player we might have to change the whole team's tactics for the season.

(Perhaps I'm also a little grumpy having spent the game in the North Stand where most of the songs were about having £50 million in the bank and Connolly's shagging prowess instead of getting behind players like Webster who are actually invaluable).

 

[b.w.2.]

Those shrugging off White's sale or even singing songs celebrating it tonight may want to reconsider.

With Lamptey injured we either need to put Veltman where White was, which leaves us with no right back / RWB (the job share between Gross and Mwepu was beyond pathetic tonight) or go to 4 at the back (which wasn't much better) or trust Ostigard to play RCB or rehabilitate Duffy. Ostigard was given a minute plus injury time tonight and Duffy looked great in the air but far from Potterball, hardly a surprise.

Getafe were lording it down our right early in the first half which caused the quick switch from a 3CBs at the back to a traditional 4.

Ostigard is the answer. And we defo can absorb the loss of Ben. Velts was superb as usual. That said, we should be looking for a RWB if Lamps is not gonna get back fit soon


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[b.w.2.]

Duffy was the middle of the three when Hughton tried it and we lost 4-1 to Chelsea. He doesn't have the footballing ability for it, sadly.

Now that I agree with. Ostigard is the answer, not Duffy


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[chaileyjem]

we all know we were pony in front of goal and seeing as we’ve done approximately nothing to address it then it would perhaps be unwise to expect much of an upturn in performance, defensively however we are now weaker having lost a defensive mainstay and also losing Dan Burn, who whilst not everyone’s cup of tea, played a lot of games and covered multiple positions. .

Actually you’d think one of the things we’ve done to address our goal scoring issues is to sign a new midfielder who can score from open play - eg: Mwepu.

PS: will the defence look strengthened if Cucurella signed ?


Of course not having Burn or White available makes life tougher for Potter. But he had to cope without Webster, Lamptey , March and Veltman at various periods last season and he’s skilful at doing that.