against the bus

[dano]

how would you set up to play against the 'park the bus' teams? Whatever they are doing now doesn't seem to work, sideways passing the entire match is both ineffective, and really boring.

Play Giroud and just lump the ball into him and hope for a rebound? Have the midfield keep shooting long and hope for the best?

Tippy tappy around the box is evidently not working and more and more teams just park it, so there must be a way of countering (and of course, the manager has no clue)

[northbank123]

Don't play a lone striker who isn't a natural so likes to drop deep. Don't play two DMs. Don't get sucked into the trap of being constantly directed into playing it to the wingers who then don't like running at defenders out wide and have nobody to aim for in the box.

The key is moving the ball quickly.

[DB10GOONER]

Mix it up. Don't let the oppo settle into a comfortable pattern. Have your wingers go in behind and whip crosses in. Then change it up to use the lone striker to lay off. We used this quite effectively at times during Ramsey's one good season in 2014. Giroud wins the ball in the air and lays it off to Ramsey running beyond him at pace, putting doubt in defenders' minds as they then have to be careful not to foul going into the box.

But it's not just about systems either. So much of it is down to the players. In the first instance you need wingers that like to take on oppo FB's and get to the end line to whip it in. You also need a lone striker that is good at heading crosses, and/or attacking midfielders that like to attack into the box. In the second instance you need a lone striker that can win the ball whilst getting clattered by 2 CH's and you need an attacking midfielder that can run in off and then on his second touch slot it.

One thing is for certain. Playing tippy tappy is the worst way to try and break down the parked bus. Unless it can be done Barca-Whore style from a few years back with the ball moved at pace and the players actually advancing forward, rather than just going sideways.

[Wilson]

Take players on. Parking the bus is dependent on structure and order.
Get goal side of your marker and it creates panic and chaos in the other team.
You beat your man, and charge toward the box, suddenly a player has to come across in cover, and the integrity of the teams shapes comes undone.

[augie]

This is obviously the first thing to say, but getting the first goal is absolutely vital - against the victims last week moaninho was able to stick with his game plan for the full game, but yesterday when he went behind to the chavs, he had no answer cos his team is set up to draw the opposition out instead of coming out to attack themselves

I remember when the chavs were doing a number on barca, they set up to clog the middle and force barca wide knowing that they had no physical striker to cross the ball to in the centre. Easy for me to say cos I believe that every team should play with 2 strikers, but 4-4-2 would be an absolutely necessity against a team that parks the bus - we seen last week how easy it was for manure to nullify Sturridge (granted he is shit most of the time anyway ) cos he was isolated up front.

[DB10GOONER]

This is obviously the first thing to say, but getting the first goal is absolutely vital - against the victims last week moaninho was able to stick with his game plan for the full game, but yesterday when he went behind to the chavs, he had no answer cos his team is set up to draw the opposition out instead of coming out to attack themselves

I remember when the chavs were doing a number on barca, they set up to clog the middle and force barca wide knowing that they had no physical striker to cross the ball to in the centre. Easy for me to say cos I believe that every team should play with 2 strikers, but 4-4-2 would be an absolutely necessity against a team that parks the bus - we seen last week how easy it was for manure to nullify Sturridge (granted he is shit most of the time anyway ) cos he was isolated up front.

I'd agree 4-4-2 is the best way to get at a team that parks the bus, but I based my answer above on our current manager's obsession with isolating our lone striker...

[NickF]

But it's not just about systems either. So much of it is down to the players. In the first instance you need wingers that like to take on oppo FB's and get to the end line to whip it in. You also need a lone striker that is good at heading crosses, and/or attacking midfielders that like to attack into the box.

Agree with this, we need intelligence from the players as well. On Saturday there were a couple of high crosses put in which are absolutely pointless when your striker is 5ft 6.

[OneBardGooner]

Move the ball at pace - keep it on the ground so then DB can head it in.

[DB10GOONER]

Move the ball at pace - keep it on the ground so then DB can head it in.

Still pissed off because I rested my pint on top of your head that time, huh?

IT WAS ONE FUCKING TIME FFS!!!

[OneBardGooner]

Only cos I was passed out and you could reach without a step ladder yer Oompa Loompa!

[GranadaJoe]

Take players on. Parking the bus is dependent on structure and order.
Get goal side of your marker and it creates panic and chaos in the other team.
You beat your man, and charge toward the box, suddenly a player has to come across in cover, and the integrity of the teams shapes comes undone.

Agreed, but preferably on the outside, so you can get to the byline.

Theo, and especially Iwobi, dribble towards the goal and end up in a scrum of defenders. It works once in a blue moon.

The other problem is that when players do get to the byline they need people in the box, and too often we've got too few men there and they're too static.

[DB10GOONER]

Only cos I was passed out and you could reach without a step ladder yer Oompa Loompa!

The fuck you were. I recall you were up on your little tippy toes!

[Herd]

John Barnes had it right !
You've got to hold and give but do it at the right time
You can be slow or fast but you must get to the line
They'll always hit you and hurt you defend and attack
There's only one way to beat them get round the back
Simples !

Someone wshould tell TOF !

[DB10GOONER]

John Barnes had it right !
You've got to hold and give but do it at the right time
You can be slow or fast but you must get to the line
They'll always hit you and hurt you defend and attack
There's only one way to beat them get round the back
Simples !

Someone wshould tell TOF !

Don McLean got it wrong. THAT was the day the music died!

[rodders999]

Was going to put behind the wheelie bins until I realised that I'd wrongly assumed the thread title was referring to where we lost our virginity

Anyway to get back to on track -

Starting both Coquelin and Elneny away to Barca is a decent way to set yourself up to be compact and hard to break down, starting them home to Boro makes absolutely no sense.

The bench on Saturday (Gibbs, Ospina, Ox, Maitland-Niles, Perez, Gabriel, Reine Adelaide) doesn't exactly give you much in the way of a Plan B if you're struggling to make the breakthrough. Again it was the 70th minute before we made a change firing on the only 2 attacking options Perez (beginning to wonder what the point of signing him actually was) and Ox.

Giroud, when fit , will make the most difference here as he does present a completely different option to Wanka's beloved midget ball.