Originally Posted by
Niall_Quinn
That's why you have to have supporting forwards making the runs that will drag the defence out of shape. And in Alexis, Ox, now Welbeck and hopefully soon Walcott we have those players. But they are all engaged in a tight passing game that plods left, then plods right, then plods left again. It's child's play for a decent defence to shut that down.
EDIT: watch some highlights of Vieira, Henry, Bergkamp, Pires, Overmars all the way back to Anelka (especially Anelka). When we'd break out we'd do it as pace as a unit, 3 or 4 forward players storming up the pitch with the opposition defence going left, right, falling over their own feet. 15-20 seconds from back to front and into the net. This was when defenders could still kick you up in the air with little fear of being carded. We never dreamed of holding it up and playing it backwards like we do today. We never gave the opposition a chance to press, it was all over before they knew what was happening. Remember when we used to love the opposition getting a corner, because we knew we'd be up the other end in seconds?