The high line.

[eamonn]

I think Liverpool on Boxing Day and Yanited at Old Trafford are the only teams to bully us on it so far.

[Dave P]

Did you all see Konsa get some very animated coaching tips just as the second half was about to kick off? Us mere mortals won’t know what was said but Konsa was noticeably deeper when we had possession in the 2nd half but still was very drilled for the high line.

[Baldy]

With Emi playing a sweeper/goalie it lessens the risk.

But, I wouldn't play the high line in every match.

Horses for courses.

[paul_e]

It worked very well today as we dominated midfield until they brought that sub we were once after on.
Bissouma (looked it up).

I very much doubt Unai will use it to the same extent at Anfield. He knows a thing or two about a thing or two.

Yeah it didn't work quite as well in the first half at Old Trafford recently when it looked like Manchester United were going to get in almost every time a ball was played over the top.  Saying that, we fixed it second half and they hardly got in once.

As Ian Wright pointed out on MOTD, it worked mainly because the runs of the Spurs attackers were pretty poorly timed.

Nope, calling bullshit on that, you  don't get as many offside in your favour over a run of 20 odd games because the strikers of one of those teams got their timings wrong and calling it as such is lazy. It has worked for us against numerous teams because we're good at it, because our defenders trust each other and because we have a keeper who is fantastic at either patrolling the space behind the high line or making the one-on-one that follows very difficult.

Putting it entirely on the other team having a bad day is just another example of people who are paid to analyse matches failing to see beyond "a big 6 club lost so they must've played poorly" when the evidence is that we played them off the park and deserved to win by a lot more than 1.

[Smithy]

The high line makes me nervous, but, is it any more nerve wracking than dropping another twenty yards and letting the opposition have a bit of territory just outside the final third? I'm not sure it is. The law of averages suggests that if we keep doing it, someone will successfully break the line and score. Because no defensive formation is perfect, and sometimes good attacking play gets rewarded.

But right now, we are clearly doing it very well indeed, and long may it continue!

[KevinGage]

Son is a player whose movement has troubled us over the last few years - particularly at VP. And Ingerland captain Kane, like Rooney before him, has something of a football brain if not an actual brain.

So if we're catching players of that calibre out to go with all the others we've done that to this season we must be doing something right.

The potential issue comes if we attempt to remodel or intergrate new players into Young or Konsa's positions next season. Young was good enough to play at the back for high functioning Serie A team in his mid 30s and Konsa has got better as the season has progressed.

[Somniloquism]

Son is a player whose movement has troubled us over the last few years - particularly at VP. And Ingerland captain Kane, like Rooney before him, has something of a football brain if not an actual brain.

So if we're catching players of that calibre out to go with all the others we've done that to this season we must be doing something right.

The potential issue comes if we attempt to remodel or intergrate new players into Young or Konsa's positions next season. Young was good enough to play at the back for high functioning Serie A team in his mid 30s and Konsa has got better as the season has progressed.

The last 5-6 matches definitely. His last obvious mistake was the Bournemouth one where Martinez held up the attacker long enough for Mings to come back and get a foot in.

[Nunkin1965]

It worked very well today as we dominated midfield until they brought that sub we were once after on.
Bissouma (looked it up).

I very much doubt Unai will use it to the same extent at Anfield. He knows a thing or two about a thing or two.

Yeah it didn't work quite as well in the first half at Old Trafford recently when it looked like Manchester United were going to get in almost every time a ball was played over the top.  Saying that, we fixed it second half and they hardly got in once.

As Ian Wright pointed out on MOTD, it worked mainly because the runs of the Spurs attackers were pretty poorly timed.

Nope, calling bullshit on that, you  don't get as many offside in your favour over a run of 20 odd games because the strikers of one of those teams got their timings wrong and calling it as such is lazy. It has worked for us against numerous teams because we're good at it, because our defenders trust each other and because we have a keeper who is fantastic at either patrolling the space behind the high line or making the one-on-one that follows very difficult.

Putting it entirely on the other team having a bad day is just another example of people who are paid to analyse matches failing to see beyond "a big 6 club lost so they must've played poorly" when the evidence is that we played them off the park and deserved to win by a lot more than 1.

100%
Why is it that as soon as we get the big win according to pundits its because they've had an off day.
I'm guessing that doing the double over Spurs, beating United and totally flattening Newcastle was down to opposition  off days then?

[Lastfootstamper]

You wouldn't have to dig too deep into this site's archive to find our own people calling us lucky.

[eamonn]

You wouldn't have to dig too deep into this site's archive to find our own people calling us lucky.

Yeah and Sexual is right. We're a bit sensitive with the media reaction. They're never going to forensically go into things the way we do on here.

[paul_e]

You wouldn't have to dig too deep into this site's archive to find our own people calling us lucky.

Yeah and Sexual is right. We're a bit sensitive with the media reaction. They're never going to forensically go into things the way we do on here.

I'm not sure that is relevant in response to us talking about Wrights analysis of our high line working because Spurs had an off day. As I said, if it was a one-off then he'd maybe have a point but we've clearly beenusing the same tactic for months and, over that time, have about the best defence in the league.

[RamboandBruno]

You wouldn't have to dig too deep into this site's archive to find our own people calling us lucky.

Yeah and Sexual is right. We're a bit sensitive with the media reaction. They're never going to forensically go into things the way we do on here.

I'm not sure that is relevant in response to us talking about Wrights analysis of our high line working because Spurs had an off day. As I said, if it was a one-off then he'd maybe have a point but we've clearly beenusing the same tactic for months and, over that time, have about the best defence in the league.

I like Ian Wright, I don’t particularly mind Linekar, but it seemed a really lazy and odd bit of analysis. Lazy in terms of everything you’ve already pointed out Paul, so I won’t repeat. It was also odd though as it was in the context of no other analysis of the game at all. I understand there is very limited time, but that as the only bit of analysis gives precisely the impression that Spurs bad day against our high line was the only reason we won. Even if they had bothered to mention McGinn’s marshalling of Kane, Ramseys movement or Mings virtually flawless performance, it would of added balance, even if the overall point about the high line was wildly incorrect.
And Risso is correct, how can Wright not have an understanding of this having played for years in the same team as Adams, Keown, Winterburn and Dixon?

Saying all of this,  being up against, Salah, Nunez, Diaz and Jota and all their pace will be a bit nerve wracking next week.

[Lastfootstamper]

Saying all of this,  being up against, Salah, Nunez, Diaz and Jota and all their pace will be a bit nerve wracking next week.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a resurrection of our back six.

[RamboandBruno]

Saying all of this,  being up against, Salah, Nunez, Diaz and Jota and all their pace will be a bit nerve wracking next week.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a resurrection of our back six.

Possibly. Heading pre match thread territory here, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kamara coming for Bailey with McGinn moving out to the right, to solidify us a bit more.

[tomd2103]

You wouldn't have to dig too deep into this site's archive to find our own people calling us lucky.

Yeah and Sexual is right. We're a bit sensitive with the media reaction. They're never going to forensically go into things the way we do on here.

I'm not sure that is relevant in response to us talking about Wrights analysis of our high line working because Spurs had an off day. As I said, if it was a one-off then he'd maybe have a point but we've clearly beenusing the same tactic for months and, over that time, have about the best defence in the league.

It wasn't so much that he was saying that Spurs had an off day, he was pointing out that Son's runs weren't great and what he'd have done to counter the high line.

As you say above though, the statistics in terms of goals conceded and the number of times opponents have been caught offside suggest that it's been a very effective tactic.  In fact the first half against Manchester United is the only time I can recall us having some difficulties with it.  I still think that might have had more to do with Casemiro having too much time on the ball to pick his passes more than anything.