Are We Worried About Keeping Possession With The Defense?

[doctorhoosier]

The team's got a lot of attacking talent and will be a class team in the opponent's third. I'm giddy about Mix playing a through ball into Villa's path. There will be a lot to look forward to there.

What worries me a bit, though, is the back 4 (and that CDM spot).

Check out this line from the ItsLogie blog on the Armada friendly:

The pace and pressure up front is immense. Keita, Johnson, and Millien were constantly hassling the NYCFC back line and gave barely any time for them on the ball. Possession switched drastically to favor Armada in the second quarter. Though still not many chances, Armada were dominant in the midfield and let NYC have nothing of the ball.

So here's my concern.

The back 4 isn't just responsible for breaking up an opponent's attack. They also play a massive role in cycling possession and gradually pushing the ball up the pitch.

If we're struggling to hold the ball against an NASL side, I am concerned about being able to sustain possession against some of the better MLS teams. The defense plays a critical role there, and I feel like we're lacking in quality in ball control with the back 4.

Thoughts?

 

[SayWhat44]

Certainly it's a concern but they've only been playing together for a week. This will take some time to develop and get in sync. Hopefully they play well in the upcoming friendly's in Manchester.

 

[doctorhoosier]

Certainly it's a concern but they've only been playing together for a week. This will take some time to develop and get in sync. Hopefully they play well in the upcoming friendly's in Manchester.

Absolutely - didn't mean to imply that the team was a finished product at all.

I'm just generally concerned about the quality in the back 4 - hoping we can add there before the season kicks off.

 

[SayWhat44]

Absolutely - didn't mean to imply that the team was a finished product at all.

I'm just generally concerned about the quality in the back 4 - hoping we can add there before the season kicks off.

Yeah I am with you.

 

[Tom in Fairfield CT]

In the same article, they raved about poku, who will help possesion in the back. Wingert, Williams, Hernandez, brovsky, have all played well in the past. I have no worries that we will be drastically weak in that department. How we stack up against other teams is anyone guess.

 

[doctorhoosier]

In the same article, they raved about poku, who will help possesion in the back. Wingert, Williams, Hernandez, brovsky, have all played well in the past. I have no worries that we will be drastically weak in that department. How we stack up against other teams is anyone guess.

I don't know that we know that Poku's playing CDM yet, though. Do we?

 

[Tom in Fairfield CT]

I guess we don't really know for sure where anyone is playing.

 

[Paul]

Where Poku was playing remains a mystery but the fact that he made an impression where he was stationed is a good thing. Also, Williams was notable on the right flank, but maybe he was venturing too far up the field and left the other 3 defenders exposed? I also think it's a positive sign that in our first action there was "immense" "pace and pressure" against our back 4 but we only allowed 1 goal after a week's worth of practice. It should also be noted that NYCFC reportedly hit the post and crossbar a few times so it could have easily been more than 2-1.

Can't wait until we can actually see these guys in action for a full 90 next week!