They are better and used to being supported by what was the very best press and counter press in the Prem, with 3 in midfield 4 with the false 9 dropping in, and two wide forwards occupying the opposition full backs preventing them getting involved and one of the CBs too most of the time

There were no easy balls straight through the centre of our midfield, there were no easy balls to release players wide either side of 3/4 where there is plenty with a 2 and no pressure in the ball.

Virgil and Ibou are both top top defenders but sitting off trying to guess with no quality press or pressure on the ball having to guess isn’t either’s game

Their game is playing very high, with our press smothering the opposition in their own half stopping them playing out easy, our full backs pushed right up onto the oppositions wide players to stop them receiving it easy turning and running at us and reducing the opposition to hopeful long punts by picking up man for man when not needed in the attack while being place to join it and win second balls and not overcrowding our own space to work in

Pressure on the ball

Slot’s ill advised formation change has caused all these issues meaning our press and counter press and automation in it has gone to shit and teams are able to play through our midfield 2 or down either side of them all too easy all too often giving our CBs the issue of no pressure on the ball with runners on them, not being able to play one v one high and not being able to hold a line when the ball is about to be played

Crosses allowed to come in all too easy with no pressure in the ball, don’t blame the defender the ball player has put it precisely just over the head of to his mate with time to size it up, blame the player(s) who should have pressed it counter pressed or stopped the cross coming in with no pressure on the ball

Slot is effectively asking 2 of the league’s best CBs to play being reactive instead of proactive as they have always played

The entire side has NEVER been good not pressing not picking up and sitting off or too many looking to be in space, not EVER, never good being asked to play reactively instead of proactively or asked to curb their natural game for all the play to go through one player

There’s a very strong case for the defence, the team isn’t being set up to facilitate them or the majority of other players, playing at their best