🕵️♀️ Exposing the Teflon defender
Who's at the heart of an increasingly sticky situation?
I wasn’t planning on making this week’s edition a character assassination, but hey – these things happen. Go off king.
Today we’ll discuss a very ‘un-Spursy’ Spurs victory, finally give Bournemouth some airtime, and appreciate the re-energized Raheem Sterling. All that, plus an extra special new section for the paid subscribers.
Welcome to Andrew’s Weekly Football Bulletin #6, readers old and new.
Game of the Weekend 🙌
Brighton vs Liverpool
Manchester City vs Arsenal failed to live up to my expectations – I outwardly proclaimed my boredom at least four times in the match. The preceding 2pm kick off on Sunday caused no such pain, as it had real entertainment value for both fans and the neutral observer.
Brighton and Liverpool may both feel they should have walked away with three points, not least because of wasted match-winning chances from Joao Pedro and Ryan Gravenberch.
For me, the match was a great blend of quality play from well-drilled teams, and joyously shocking mistakes, the type of which I’d only expect from Sheffield (sorry not sorry).
Pascal Gross could’ve seen red for yanking DomSzob down by the neck, Brighton produced yet another FIFA Career Mode regen (I’m very tuned in to squads, but who in the hell is Carlos Baleba and why is he already better than every United midfielder?) and Salah was back in the goals. This game was perfect post-Sunday roast viewing (I had a lovely birthday, thanks for asking).
I want to focus in detail though on Simon Adingra’s opening strike. I’ve read both criticisms of Alexis Mac Allister and Alisson, but very little of how Virgil Van Dijk contributed to the chaos. I persist with my theory that the Dutchman is Teflon and I want to challenge the narrative that he’s unflappable; this goal was predominantly his fault.
Mac Allister is a quality on-the-ball midfielder, able to turn in tight spaces and draw in the press. But, as this first still shows, he’s already got Adingra moving in towards him when Van Dijk looks to play the pass.
A defender of Van Dijk’s experience should recognise that this is a poor ball – Yes, the Argentine should move towards his teammate to limit the threat, but unpressured, Van Dijk leaves Mac Allister at the mercy of the famously well organised De Zerbi press instead of opting for a simple ball to unmarked Andy Robertson.
Lo and behold, Mac Allister has his pocket picked. BUT – hope! The world’s ‘best defender in 1v1s’ (he was NEVER dribbled past in 65 games ... excluding that time that Gabriel Jesus did in the Community Shield, which apparently doesn’t count?). Surely then a minor error doesn’t result in a goal?
So why does Van Dijk then do nothing to close down Adingra? He waits, flat footed, and even backs off to give Adingra plenty of space to run into unchallenged. I think this is what’s forgotten when criticism of Alisson’s positioning is raised – when slotting into defence to play the ball, he’s not out of position unless Van Dijk gives the ball away. Further, if Van Dijk reduces the gap, Alisson’s position becomes irrelevant, as the shot isn’t taken on, or is blocked.
There’s no threat of someone running in behind, so why wait? Be proactive, back yourself and force Adingra to beat you on the dribble. Instead, Van Dijk does neither. Adingra is able to take a shot, and the ball can roll into an open net.
It's a calamitous error involving numerous players, and responsibility doesn’t rest entirely on Virgil’s (bulky) shoulders. I just want to give airtime to his seemingly obvious mistake that has been overlooked by literally everyone. I invite you to remember this next time you a Liverpool defensive error attributed to another of their back four. I bet you Van Dijk is never the one blamed, and also wager that he’s conspicuously absent from his ‘position’ at the heart of defence.
Tactical trends 📊
You don’t always have to go (Totten)ham
Never back the early kick-off. Truer words have never been spoken – what a painful viewing. Yet, it may represent a seismic shift in Spurs’ psyche. When I say this performance felt very ‘un-Spursy’, I mean that they went down to 10 men and still won - they didn’t crack and bottle it.
Last week I highlighted Brighton’s inability to adapt to in-game scenarios. Conversely, Postecoglou was immediately pragmatic to a definitive match event, bringing on the defensive minded Hojbjerg to start the second half to plug an Yves Bissouma-sized hole in the midfield. This provided necessary rigidity at the back, and save an embarrassing miss at the back post by Adebayo (doing his best Richarlison impression), meant Spurs looked comfortable defending their lead.
The altered game plan worked, at the behest of the sparkling football shown by Tottenham this year. But, true to the horrid cliché, these are the games you have to win if you want to challenge for the title. They dug deep and ground out 3 points in a scrappy game at Kenilworth Road. Unbeaten in the league, and sitting pretty at the top, Tottenham fans have plenty to celebrate entering the international break.
(Andon)i do hate to be beside the seaside
When you make Everton look like prime Barcelona, you know something has gone spectacularly wrong. Spurred on by full debutant Jack Harrison and good ol’ reliable 442, it was a bloodbath for Andoni Iraola’s men.
Bournemouth have the unwanted record of being the only squad unable to make Goodison Park boo their own players off the pitch this season. And it all comes as a bit of a shock. Like many listeners of the Guardian Football Weekly podcast, I was persuaded by journalist Sid Lowe that Iraola was to take the Premier League by storm with innovative tactics and Moneyball-esque recruitment on a shoestring budget.
So then, having spent £40m on injured players Tyler Adams and Alex Scott (no, not her, I did check), and yet to win this term, maybe it’s not a case of ‘organised chaos’. Perhaps, it’s just a squad that doesn’t have what it takes. I guess it’s a time battle – can Iraola get what he wants from his players before his own time runs out?
Maybe the moral here is not to base all your opinions on one article you read. Feels like pretty sage advice for us all.
Did both Manchester United and Chelsea win this week? 🏆
😎 YES 😎
Scott McTominay out here single-handedly ruining the ratio. Four touches in the game, two goals - elite numbers from McSauce.
Season tally: Yes 2 - 6 No.
Player of the Week 🎖
Clearly, it’s Raheem Sterling. Today’s features are already too long, and because it’s a simple choice I’m going to gloss over it slightly but rest assured, Sterling looked electric. He was at his best for City driving in after hugging the touchline and then sprinting directly at defenders, and I wonder if the absence of a marauding Ben Chilwell has enabled him to drift wider of the inside channel to play as a more outright winger.
His stellar performances this year have come against Burnley and Luton, and so while it’s fair to say he needs to show this form against top sides to really kickstart Chelsea’s resurgence, it’s also important to remember that these improvements are a crucial stepping stone. Without improvement now, how are you meant to terrorise the Kyle Walkers of the league? Patience, patience, that’s the name of the game.
That’s all for this week’s newsletter, and thanks as always for reading. Next week is an international break and so I’m going to try something new as well as a few comments about England.
Guess correctly in the comments and I’ll give you a fiver - hint, it’s not football. Cheers, be kind and gentle to each other, and see you next time x
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Andrew's Weekly Sports Bulletin to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.