Another Draw, Another 2 points lost

[DerbyDaDream]

[QUOTE=DCFCArmy;38664488]Hard to see out 75+ minutes tbh.

We had 9 minutes to see out the remaining game and we go and concede a late goal once again.

[ramAnag]

Okay...I didn't go and I'm not sure how many on here did but I'm not sure we're attaching blame correctly here.
With a team like Liverpool where they regularly dominate possession, have all the attacking momentum but still manage to regularly concede a couple of goals then it's fair to look at the defence and say there's something wrong
Last night I think Brentford had about 75% possession, they had far more shots - not necessarily on target - corner after corner and yet we kept them out until the 86th minute.
That suggests to me that the defence did its job and that the signing of a player like Kieftenbeld would have made all the difference.
Whether we'll get away so lightly at Cardiff and whether we should expect to hand over 75% possession to a side like Brentford are two different questions but to blame the defence for last night seems a bit harsh and it was an improvement on last April.

[MadAmster]

I had the misfortune to watch it. Opening 5 minutes on the front foot. Bennett and Winnall looking good together, next 10 minutes were evenish with Brentford just having the upper hand without looking dangerous. We then went 1 up, lost Bennett to an injury and it was all downhill after that.

For some strange reason, the XI on the park thought it a good idea to repeat what they did at Bristol when they went 1 up. Namely, to defend 10 to 15 yards deeper. We were basically playing with just 2 lines, an attack and a defence. With, what was effectively a back 7, lying deep and the front 4 up around the halfway, it was easy for them to boss the space in between our 2 lines. One by one, the front 4 also fell back to try and get the ball and go forward but when you end up with all XI inside your own defensive third of the pitch, breaking out is difficult as there is no outlet. Fortunately, Brentford aren't as blessed as Bristol and, despite all their possession, corners and shots, Carson only has a couple of saves to make. It looked all the way like they would bever score.

Then came the 86th minute. A mistake in midfield by Vydra, he has gone online holding his hand up to it, saw the ball go to Jozefszoon on their left wing. For the first and only time since he came on, he managed to get past Wisdom (a tricky player like him is bound to now and again) put in a low ball to the near post and Wilson turned it in. What got my goat was thatwe should know about Jozefszoon and to leave him out wide with no Rams players within 15 yards of him was asking for trouble and we got it.

I fully understand the concept of having the full backs move inside to "narow" the pitch and it is a good ploy. However, when I did the UEFA B coaching course, they emphasised the need to keep on top of the "angles and distances". A full back should not come so far inside that he can't get to a winger simultaneously or evne arlier than the ball so he can tackle/intercept/pressurise. Our full backs stand too far inside allowing the winger to get a cross in. We shoulld be cutting out far mor of these crosses before they happen.

Individually you can't point to a single Derby player and say he had a stinker. Hudds had too many misplaced passes but apart from that ws OK. Weimann was almost constantly busy either coming back to try and get the ball or defending so he was absent as an attacking force. He did, however, defend well.

The problem is that the team isn't working as it should. There is no coherency in the play. Why they retreated into their shell after going 1 up is a mystery. There is no thought, no plan, no outlet. That, to me, is frightening. If we do that against Cardiff on Saturday they will get double figures.

I have yet to fathom the reasons for the solecism being displayed. The gap between back 7 and front 4 doesn't help. The poor passing doesn't help. Does GR actually instruct them to play with just the 2 lines? Having seen what happened in the last 30 of the 1st half, how come they weren't sent out with instructions to have 3 lines, a defence, a midfield and an attack. Basically we surrendered the midfield to Brentford and we can thank our lucky stars we weren't playing someone good. Is it the players simply not doing it or is it GR's instructions? The players started well enough and it all went pear shaped after we went in front. Mindblowing.

The current state to me is summed up in one paraphrased saying: There's no f in team!