Our defence: What to do?

I hope he will but unfortunately do not think he will change as he has played more or less the same way win lose or draw.

Another thing is defending set pieces. The keeper stays on his line, there doesn’t appear to be anyone really taking command.

For me, we need a defensive coach, because Martinez isn’t going to suddenly start doing what he has never done before. Arsenal have got Steve Bould, who appears from the outside to complement Wenger’s philosophy. We need something similar. I just don’t see that when I look at our 1st team staff (admittedly from the outside). Our goals against column would indicate that, whatever defensive work we are doing in training isn’t working.

It’s up to Martinez to bring someone in to help with the team’s defensive shape and defending set pieces.

As far as the mighty reds were concerned, the howls all around us in the pub said it all - it amounted to 'you fucking hopeless shower of cun...' well, you get the picture.

But I was very impressed with Leicester and not for the first time this season

Basically it seems to me they are where they are because of a few things that aren't..um..complicated.

They work their plums off - all of them.

There are no slackers at all.

They play at a high tempo, press their opponents for the full 90 mins and concede nothing.

They play a system they all seem comfortable with.

Their side doesn't seem to change.

Every ball is fought for and if they don't win that, the second ball is fought for even harder.

Liverpool were given nothing tonight - sweet FA and consequently, were made to look absolutely clueless.

Oh and Vardy's finishing is very good and Huth is effective and has a presence that can't be ignored

It's funny, any criticisms I've had of Everton in the last couple of seasons haven't involved 'lazy' and I'm not about to revise that and start throwing 'lazy bastards' about.

However I do think we're not working as hard as Leicester (and Swansea, Watford, Stoke etc) in the right areas.

These sides are a defending from the front, I don't think we are.

These sides imo are more difficult to play against than we are.

Our defensive side (or rather 'defenders') absolutely could be be better, but watching Leicester tonight, they took a lot of pressure off their defense, simply by virtue of the fact that their attackers, and attacking midfielders, spent much of the game chasing down (and panicking) Liverpool's defenders.

When I watched us against Swansea, it was incredibly frustrating to see them push us high and get dead close to us and keep our defenders on the move, while we allowed them a lot more time and space in the same positions.

So in answer to 'what to do?' I'd say get our forwards to defend, and our midfield too and don't let the opposition play at a higher tempo.

I accept we can't have (or keep) players who can do what Arguero and/or Sanchez can do, but we should be able to work as hard as Leicester do and play in a way that puts opponents under similar pressure.

I appreciate a fit Besic would help.

But there's the rub.

We have four players in the team that are incapable of doing this. Barkley, Lukaku, Deulofeu and Kone. They very rarely get close to players, I've hardly ever seen them make a tackle. They stand off, let the players move into space don't think about how they can stop that player from moving the ball on. This puts lots of pressure on the two midfield players to get the ball back and doesn't help the team as it make us look disjointed.

I'm not blaming these four players, I actually think their forward play at times has been sensational. They are only doing what they think is right. And that's a problem, as from that it's evident that they are not being instructed/coached (whatever you want to call it) in how to defend as a team. I put this blame directly on Martinez. And he has said it himself, "I tell my players to go out there and enjoy themselves, to just play football". Okay he didn't actually say that, but it's certainly something along those lines. How incredibly naive... A Premier League manager doesn't know and can't see that players need to understand how to play as a team, not as an individual.

I actually despair, as I can't see how (if he was suddenly to have an epiphany) he can change this round. He will have completely change the mindset of half his players to change how they defend and work as a team.

I certainly hope I'm wrong, however.

But we pile on poor Tim Howard, sure he makes mistakes, but all goalies do. Howard was mostly beaten by deflections or good goals, but I think he has a problem deciding when to run out. Maybe Tourette's syndrome, but he is great when defending his line and makes spectacular saves. Follows the ball really well.

I would give RM and the team a chance, this is the best we have for years, at least we are scoring goals. Under Moyes it was 0-0 galore.

I may be psychologizing our players too much, but whenever I watch them defending this season, I get the impression that they think they are doing someone a favor by defending, rather than performing a fundamental function of their jobs.

What’s needed is a change in culture and a re-focusing of strategic vision. Martinez has confused means with ends. He seems to believe that pretty passing football is an end, when it is merely one of many means available to a team. Defending with a purpose – with intensity and as a team – is another means available to a manager, one that I would argue is more important. The end – the only end in football or any competitive endeavor – is to win. This is perhaps a simplistic point to make, but it is one that Martinez appears to have lost appreciation for.

It lies up front. In the style of play espoused by Martinez and explained superbly by Jim Keoghan in his "Roundheads and Cavaliers" article, it is essential that the attacking players do their share of closing down the opposition. Otherwise the other team have control of the situation moving deep into our half.

We need Lukaku, Kone, Barkley and Deulofeu to press quickly and effectively. They don’t do his, Naismith was the only attacking player who did this effectively. The others are not instinctive "pressers" and the manager doesn’t seem to insist that they perform this function as a mandatory part of their game.

So logically, if you could quickly get the ball into this space behind them (rather than slowly passing it about and letting the opposition regain it's shape) you might be more threatening and force them back a bit.

"But isn't that just hoofing?"

Depends on where your attackers are, if they know where to run and can use the element of surprise to push back and scare the opposition (backwards) it possibly relieves the pressure on your defense.

Leicester provide a good example for us as Eugene has related. Their defence was an issue, and Raneiri realised that. He tried to address it initially by dropping their best player, Mahrez, in a couple of away games. But Leicester simply were not able to get away with that, because Mahrez is too influential and important offensively. So he came back in but the rest of the side adjusted. Albrighton covered for Mahrez, leaving him with more freedom to attack. Leicester tactically used the Okazaki option, who is a great example of a player who works tirelessly, but the rest of the set up is built around protection and allowing the attacking players to attack. Drinkwater has been an unsung heroes, and one of the best performers in the league. He is a well disciplined and intelligent player. Unfortunately, Barkley is not. Barkley will score more goals and assist more, but he does not hold his position as he should, and does not spot defensive gaps, or makes tackles, as he should.

Leicester, crucially, can sit deep. Even at home there game plan is often based around attacking with speed, and on the counter. They have no issue letting the opposing team play, and we could learn from this.

They are riding on the crest of a wave though, and will come crashing down at some point. Pressure will produce self-doubt, but they are in an envious position and look a good shout for a UCL place. They are top because they have played incredibly efficiently. If there was one word I’d use to describe the Martinez era, it would be inefficient. And some other ruder things things. But principally we are inefficient. Whereas Moyes had us generally playing less than inspiring stuff, he was an efficient manager. He took the points he generally should of, and failed to get the points we were not expected to (Away from home at least). Martinez is his antithesis - his game is based on confidence and risk. Unfortunately it is not melded with defensive pragmatism. The nearest we got to that was his first year in charge, with the inherited set up of the Moyes era. What we need is a mix between Moyes and Martinez - a manager who can attack and motivate the attackers, but who can spot and address the defensive weaknesses. Leicester have managed that, and we have fallen embarrassingly short of it.

I would like Martinez gone, and I would like Eddie Howe in. I believe that he is a manager who has the tactical acumen to succeed, and importantly, to adapt. He demonstrated that this season when he realised that there was a lack of speed in the Bournemouth attack, produced in part by the injury to Wilson. So he addressed that by promoting Stanilas and King to the first 11. He has since moved for Afobe, because Afobe offers exactly what Bournemouth need.

The key to success is the ability to adapt. Martinez has failed to do that successfully at any point. The impotence of last season has simply been replaced with better form, Deulofeu, and a more top heavy attack. But the defensive issues have not been addressed.

We should win tonight. We are a better side than Newcastle, and at home to boot. But I’m fearful again, because they have the pace and power in Sissoko and Wijnaldum to hit the gaps we inevitability leave in midfield. For once I’d like to see Martinez realise both our strengths and weaknesses, and adjust our strategy according to who we are playing. We shouldn't just tinker for the big games, but for every game. If we know a team like Swansea will exploit the channels, why don’t we adjust the strategy to account for this?

The team problem then is a team issue, and the problem behind it all is Martinez. I like his ability to motivate and develop young players, and I think he has done well in the market. But his strategy is flawed, and he cannot see it. The worse points total in over a decade should have given him a clue, but evidently it has not. He is putting the issues down to youth and inexperience, but not to a strategy he wholeheartedly believes it.

Well as many have said defending starts with the forwards, when Rush was leading the line for the other lot defenders never had a minutes peace from him. That caused them to misplace many passes and hand possession away. Were we have Lukaku and Barkley who don't bother to close down their back 4 when they have the ball. So they have the time and space to pick a pass.

I don't think I have seen many who actually go out of their way not to tackle as Barkley and to a lesser extent Lukaku does. So when we are defending we are doing it with 9 men, so no wonder teams get at our back 4 so easily.

Regarding every player pressing and tackling, Deulofeu is the exception, he just doesn’t know how to tackle, Kone, Lukaku and Barkley are big strong lads and could and should make more of an effort to defend from the front, but I agree that is the managers job to instruct them to play like this.

Tonight I hope Lennon starts; he never lets the team down and Deulofeu can come on any time after 60 minutes when the game has slowed down and players are tiring.