It’s not just our defense, we need a new attacking strategy as well

[VamosFFC]

Everyone has been going on about our defense and rightfully so, but our attacking strategy needs to be overhauled as well. Everyone knows Mitro is our main attacking threat. Cover him and you're good to go. Apart from the three goals scored on us, we dominated possession and had 40 or so crosses into the box. We can't be doing that every game hoping Mitro gets his head on a few of them. We're so predictable that every team has us figured out before we even step on the pitch.

We need a new strategy for attack. We need penetrating runs and other options than cross and hope Mitro gets a head to it. I'd be ok with benching Mitro for a game or two and see how we play with strikers who make runs and have a different dynamic.

[WolverineFFC]

Everyone has been going on about our defense and rightfully so, but our attacking strategy needs to be overhauled as well. Everyone knows Mitro is our main attacking threat. Cover him and you're good to go. Apart from the three goals scored on us, we dominated possession and had 40 or so crosses into the box. We can't be doing that every game hoping Mitro gets his head on a few of them. We're so predictable that every team has us figured out before we even step on the pitch.

We need a new strategy for attack. We need penetrating runs and other options than cross and hope Mitro gets a head to it. I'd be ok with benching Mitro for a game or two and see how we play with strikers who make runs and have a different dynamic.

I think you are correct the attacking strategy contributes to our defensive issues.

My feeling is that the strategy is to use the entire field to spread the defense and create one on one opportunities. Prioritize maintaining possession and continue to probe for those openings. The issue is we almost never win those one on one battles out wide. Whenever we are dispossessed (often in our own end), spend too much time on the ball (Cav, Knock), or misplace a pass it leaves the club wide open. We are attempting to create an advantage which almost always leaves the club at a disadvantage defensively.

[VamosFFC]

Everyone has been going on about our defense and rightfully so, but our attacking strategy needs to be overhauled as well. Everyone knows Mitro is our main attacking threat. Cover him and you're good to go. Apart from the three goals scored on us, we dominated possession and had 40 or so crosses into the box. We can't be doing that every game hoping Mitro gets his head on a few of them. We're so predictable that every team has us figured out before we even step on the pitch.

We need a new strategy for attack. We need penetrating runs and other options than cross and hope Mitro gets a head to it. I'd be ok with benching Mitro for a game or two and see how we play with strikers who make runs and have a different dynamic.

I think you are correct the attacking strategy contributes to our defensive issues.

My feeling is that the strategy is to use the entire field to spread the defense and create one on one opportunities. Prioritize maintaining possession and continue to probe for those openings. The issue is we almost never win those one on one battles out wide. Whenever we are dispossessed (often in our own end), spend too much time on the ball (Cav, Knock), or misplace a pass it leaves the club wide open. We are attempting to create an advantage which almost always leaves the club at a disadvantage defensively.

Yep, one misplaced pass or a missed tackle and the other team is on the counter attack. It's a lovely sight to see us "controlling" the game with our possession based game, but most of the time it's all for nothing...All show and no follow through.

[ALG01]

I am pleased you have brought this up because it is my opinion too. We need defenders but also bettr forwards and a better method of play.

[john dempsey]

That is Scott Parkers cunning plan sling in as many
useless crosses and hope for at least 4 of those dodgy handball decisions.

[rebel]

If you take the Leeds Utd defeat, after we went 4 - 1 down something clicked, we actually played some football with purpose in the opposition half. It was fluid, we scored 2 goals. There should have been continuation of that team that finished that match. But against Villa it was all change again..

[Sting of the North]

If you take the Leeds Utd defeat, after we went 4 - 1 down something clicked, we actually played some football with purpose in the opposition half. It was fluid, we scored 2 goals. There should have been continuation of that team that finished that match. But against Villa it was all change again..

In my opinion we had a good spell after 4-1 where we scored 2 goals and Kebano hit the post. After that however, the last 25 minutes we weren't very good at all. I would claim that we were better in the first half than the second part of the second half. We sorely lacked someone to keep us in possession when we chased the last goal, and unfortunately Lemina could not deliver on that.

I also think we played quite well against Arsenal, especially first half where we were arguably the better team with some good passing and were quite solid looking in our defensive shape.

Yesterday we looked more all over the place, but we still managed to get into good positions on both flanks. Unfortunately we crossed the ball towards Mitro regardless of how hopeless his position was (for example when he was standing still with both centre backs close by), instead of keeping the ball for longer. By far our worst performance this season, but we still had rather lengthy spells of decent position football. Unfortunately Kamara seems to be the only one with some ideas going forward.

[filham]

Take a look at the early Villa goal , which we are blaming on poor defending, how often do you see a Fulham midfielder making a run into the box like that. Never. We continually rely on Mitro producing a good header, or a difficult snapshot or inside out wide men cutting in with a shot from outside the box. Defenses no what to expect and have got it all covered.

[Deeping_white]

I think the problem is that Mitro is a ball to feet type player, he's not going to make runs in behind so our only option is to go wide and then target him. We can't mix it up with him coming short or going long because A) he's our only focal point, and B) he's not mobile enough to play alone at this level. We need a #10 or a second striker who can play off him for knockdowns etc or allow us to go for a ball over the top, because we're too ponderous and predictable. I don't actually mind us playing 3-5-2 because as we saw, we had so much joy getting Tete in down the right hand side, it's just obvious from that point as there's only ever one man in the box to aim at, and he's going to be double marked as Mitro is our main and usually only goal threat

[Tabby]

Take a look at the early Villa goal , which we are blaming on poor defending, how often do you see a Fulham midfielder making a run into the box like that. Never. We continually rely on Mitro producing a good header, or a difficult snapshot or inside out wide men cutting in with a shot from outside the box. Defenses no what to expect and have got it all covered.

Runs like that come from the training ground as well, before people start going on about how we need to buy another midfield as well as another attack and another defense. Attacking movement was pretty static for all of last season, except for in sporadic spurts like that short period against Leeds a week ago.

[TC's Sporran]

i thought we looked good in possession (until the final ball into the box)

however without the ball we were like schoolboys

[hovewhite]

So much of the game today,The Press from the front which creates runners think lack of this allows teams to make chances and score goals.

[rebel]

If you take the Leeds Utd defeat, after we went 4 - 1 down something clicked, we actually played some football with purpose in the opposition half. It was fluid, we scored 2 goals. There should have been continuation of that team that finished that match. But against Villa it was all change again..

In my opinion we had a good spell after 4-1 where we scored 2 goals and Kebano hit the post. After that however, the last 25 minutes we weren't very good at all. I would claim that we were better in the first half than the second part of the second half. We sorely lacked someone to keep us in possession when we chased the last goal, and unfortunately Lemina could not deliver on that.

I also think we played quite well against Arsenal, especially first half where we were arguably the better team with some good passing and were quite solid looking in our defensive shape.

Yesterday we looked more all over the place, but we still managed to get into good positions on both flanks. Unfortunately we crossed the ball towards Mitro regardless of how hopeless his position was (for example when he was standing still with both centre backs close by), instead of keeping the ball for longer. By far our worst performance this season, but we still had rather lengthy spells of decent position football. Unfortunately Kamara seems to be the only one with some ideas going forward.

I thought we were very after 4-1, we did drop of for 15 or so minutes at the end. Agree the crosses kept coming into the box, Mitro got his head to a lot of them, I'm sure some of them headed to a team mate would have been a better option, creating a shooting opportunity. 

[rebel]

Take a look at the early Villa goal , which we are blaming on poor defending, how often do you see a Fulham midfielder making a run into the box like that. Never. We continually rely on Mitro producing a good header, or a difficult snapshot or inside out wide men cutting in with a shot from outside the box. Defenses no what to expect and have got it all covered.

Agree.

[Bill2]

We need more than one player in the box, where are the midfield. Need to mix up the tactics bit so a few goals from some of the other players would be good.