Unai Emery

[Monty]

From a tactics nerd point of view, the Brighton game has the potential to be match of the year.

[LeeB]

How I wish we could be playing the top two again as I think it suits us when teams come at us.

I absolutely agree with this.

We are much better against the better teams who try and have a go, and struggle a bit against the bus-parking end of the market (compare the Newcastle and Forest games, for example). Also, the matches at Chelsea and Spurs. And Brighton for that matter.

I think we could well surprise a few people with results in our tough run-in.

I agree, and I also think we're just getting warmed up, the best is yet to come.

[paul_e]

I sort of understand why people are saying it's simple (even though they're wrong) because it can look that way, in a "they make the game look very easy" way.

For example telling Watkins to stay more central and rely on movement rather than strength sounds really simple but how you implement that idea and make it work is much more complex.

Like so much commentary around football in England there's a fear about meaningful analysis so everything gets simplified to the point of nonsensical. I understand it as well, just look at the reaction on here to the tifo xG video, he got some things wrong, but I'd rather see someone try and make mistakes than have to put up with the normal vacuous bullshit.

[Ads]

How I wish we could be playing the top two again as I think it suits us when teams come at us.

I absolutely agree with this.

We are much better against the better teams who try and have a go, and struggle a bit against the bus-parking end of the market (compare the Newcastle and Forest games, for example). Also, the matches at Chelsea and Spurs. And Brighton for that matter.

I think we could well surprise a few people with results in our tough run-in.

We're only playing 2 sides above us now and given Spurs next few fixtures, that might change. Compare that to even just a few weeks ago. Incredible really.

If Emery had been in charge for the season, then the prospect of Champions League football would be very real.

[Pat Mustard]

I sort of understand why people are saying it's simple (even though they're wrong) because it can look that way, in a "they make the game look very easy" way.

For example telling Watkins to stay more central and rely on movement rather than strength sounds really simple but how you implement that idea and make it work is much more complex.

Like so much commentary around football in England there's a fear about meaningful analysis so everything gets simplified to the point of nonsensical. I understand it as well, just look at the reaction on here to the tifo xG video, he got some things wrong, but I'd rather see someone try and make mistakes than have to put up with the normal vacuous bullshit.

The problem with that Tifo chap though was that his analysis was just instinctively wrong - it felt like it came from someone who has only been watching our matches via spreadsheet.  Data and analysis have a big place, but you do actually have to watch games too in order to understand whether or not a team is deserving to win matches, and over this run we absolutely have deserved to win all of them (in fact, we arguably deserved to win the matches we lost too).

All I know is that we have gone from a team that for 10 years looked like we were playing with a man less than everyone we were playing against to one that suddenly looks like we have 3 extra players on the pitch.  It's ace and I'm loving it!

[Monty]

McGinn, who is such good value in interviews, has said very interestingly that 'we're making it hard for teams to see what we're good at'.

But yeah, he's just doing the simple things.

[paul_e]

I sort of understand why people are saying it's simple (even though they're wrong) because it can look that way, in a "they make the game look very easy" way.

For example telling Watkins to stay more central and rely on movement rather than strength sounds really simple but how you implement that idea and make it work is much more complex.

Like so much commentary around football in England there's a fear about meaningful analysis so everything gets simplified to the point of nonsensical. I understand it as well, just look at the reaction on here to the tifo xG video, he got some things wrong, but I'd rather see someone try and make mistakes than have to put up with the normal vacuous bullshit.

The problem with that Tifo chap though was that his analysis was just instinctively wrong - it felt like it came from someone who has only been watching our matches via spreadsheet.  Data and analysis have a big place, but you do actually have to watch games too in order to understand whether or not a team is deserving to win matches, and over this run we absolutely have deserved to win all of them (in fact, we arguably deserved to win the matches we lost too).

All I know is that we have gone from a team that for 10 years looked like we were playing with a man less than everyone we were playing against to one that suddenly looks like we have 3 extra players on the pitch.  It's ace and I'm loving it!

I don't completely agree, If you skip to about halfway into the video he talks about the defensive triangles we use and how they let us hold on to the ball but always with an eye on breaking into space quickly, that's good analysis and looks like someone who is paying attention. He also mentioned a few things that, had he elaborated on them, might have shown why the bits where he says our xG shows we're been lucky, were just lazy. What makes it so frustrating is that they created this video 2 weeks ago:

That pretty well explains the limitations of the numbers and why taking them at face value when they're not 'accurate' is a bad idea, and yet none of that analysis was included in his video last week.

[paul_e]

McGinn, who is such good value in interviews, has said very interestingly that 'we're making it hard for teams to see what we're good at'.

But yeah, he's just doing the simple things.

This is basically what I was getting at, what we do looks simpler than it is. If other teams, with analytics teams working on it, can't work us out then it's no great shock that journalists and pundits with very little time to dig into things have the same problem.

Without wanting to get all techy about it, how we play is how people like me try to get technical workflows setup, you hide all the complicated stuff where people can't see it other than the bit that actually matters to them. From the outside everything just works how you'd expect and it all looks like it's simple because every step involves someone doing what they're good at and passing it on to the next person to do the same. The truth is that hours of work has gone in to making that happen and the whole thing is always under review to make sure it's still working as planned.

For me making something look simpler than it is is both the final aim and practically an art form, I always thought Emery was very good but having watched us over his 6months in charge I'm now in awe of just how good he is, and not just from a fan perspective.

[LeeB]

McGinn, who is such good value in interviews, has said very interestingly that 'we're making it hard for teams to see what we're good at'.

But yeah, he's just doing the simple things.

This is basically what I was getting at, what we do looks simpler than it is. If other teams, with analytics teams working on it, can't work us out then it's no great shock that journalists and pundits with very little time to dig into things have the same problem.

Without wanting to get all techy about it, how we play is how people like me try to get technical workflows setup, you hide all the complicated stuff where people can't see it other than the bit that actually matters to them. From the outside everything just works how you'd expect and it all looks like it's simple because every step involves someone doing what they're good at and passing it on to the next person to do the same. The truth is that hours of work has gone in to making that happen and the whole thing is always under review to make sure it's still working as planned.

For me making something look simpler than it is is both the final aim and practically an art form, I always thought Emery was very good but having watched us over his 6months in charge I'm now in awe of just how good he is, and not just from a fan perspective.

Kind of like me with Excel, they don't see the hours and hours of work that's gone into making those the numbers in that column into a total at the bottom.

[pauliewalnuts]

McGinn, who is such good value in interviews, has said very interestingly that 'we're making it hard for teams to see what we're good at'.

But yeah, he's just doing the simple things.

This is basically what I was getting at, what we do looks simpler than it is. If other teams, with analytics teams working on it, can't work us out then it's no great shock that journalists and pundits with very little time to dig into things have the same problem.

Without wanting to get all techy about it, how we play is how people like me try to get technical workflows setup, you hide all the complicated stuff where people can't see it other than the bit that actually matters to them. From the outside everything just works how you'd expect and it all looks like it's simple because every step involves someone doing what they're good at and passing it on to the next person to do the same. The truth is that hours of work has gone in to making that happen and the whole thing is always under review to make sure it's still working as planned.

For me making something look simpler than it is is both the final aim and practically an art form, I always thought Emery was very good but having watched us over his 6months in charge I'm now in awe of just how good he is, and not just from a fan perspective.

Kind of like me with Excel, they don't see the hours and hours of work that's gone into making those the numbers in that column into a total at the bottom.

Is that mostly when you're totting up the weekly rents from your caravans and property empire?

[LeeB]

No, it's more for the high interest short term loans for the tennants that are struggling with the rent.

[Toronto Villa]

Remember how we all used to say about the players/staff “what the fuck do they do all week” as we shipped another 4 goals with 18% possession? Isn’t it nice to be quite relaxed about all that now knowing our players are getting very specific coaching all week preparing for the next opponent, and that they are all engaged and committed.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

From a tactics nerd point of view, the Brighton game has the potential to be match of the year.

Haha.
You and I both Monty! [after a disaster of a start, obviously]
Spurs too.
Both teams could have played for a month of Sundays and not got close to scoring.

[dave.woodhall]

No, it's more for the high interest short term loans for the tennants that are struggling with the rent.

Maybe we should get together and talk business.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

From a tactics nerd point of view, the Brighton game has the potential to be match of the year.

Haha.
You and I both Monty! [after a disaster of a start, obviously]
Spurs too.
Both teams could have played for a month of Sundays and not got close to scoring.

Sorry Monty....thought you meant the game at Brighton earlier in the season!