by LFC2007 » Sun Nov 28, 2010 9:38 pm
Own goal aside, Skrtel dealt with Crouch for most of the game and was probably our best defender. Carragher did the ugly stuff well but as we all know now, he doesn't have the legs to keep up with players like Modric and Defoe (that's why he got the yellow). Konchesky and to a leser extent, Johnson, were our main weaknesses in defence, I thought, but more broadly speaking the whole backline just isn't flexible enough for my liking and was always going to face real difficulty stopping such a mobile and skillful attack as Spurs have. That's a weakness evident in the midfield as well, I think. Maxi, Meireles, Kuyt and Lucas as a collective don't possess enough pace/power.strength etc.. to compete for the ball and shut down the attack. Physicality isnt the be all and end all in football but the Premier League does demand more of teams in that respect than most of leagues. Today, for example, I saw Assou-Ekotto just ease past Kuyt with a simple burst of pace to open up a lot of midfield options, and similarly when Modric ran through for the equaliser, it was initially Lucas, but then Carra and Johnson who couldn't get near him.