Jamie Carragher analyzing the 2nd Toure goal:

- Benteke was marking Toure on the previous set pieces
- McArthur occupies the space near the 6 yard box
- Lee comes on, tells Wickham to pick up Toure (Benteke now off)
- Wickham and Hennessey tell Lee to sit where McArthur was before, McArthur now occupying Silva
- Lee doesn't go, looks over to the bench
- Wickham asking the dugout for instructions while letting Toure get the wrong side of him
- Corner comes in, no man on front post, Wickham flat footed against an unmarked Toure... Goal.

I think Wickham should take the biggest criticism from this, he didn't do his job first and let Toure go. I think the keeper has also got to be stronger in ordering players where he wants them. Lee ended up in two minds. McArthurs choice to pick up Silva messed things up too, maybe he should have told Lee to pick up Silva.

Pardew is probably not exempt from criticism either here, he switched peoples roles around with the substitution of Benteke which ended up confusing everyone.

Also, I don't really understand Puncheon's or Cabaye's role from the corner, they're not marking anyone, nor did they block the lines in which De Bruyne could pass into.

Still wondering WTF Einstein thought he was doing with that substitution. Confused us, put us back on the back foot and removed our goal threat all in the one dunt. Not making sure the players knew what they were supposed to be doing was just an additional turd on top.

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I blame it on Toure's agent for not slagging Man City off enough so that his player got off the bench.

Really? You don't think one of our highly paid players shouldn't have thought, hm the last 2 corners they've played low across our 6 yard box, maybe rather than just standing on the edge of the penalty box I should go on the post, or the edge of the 6 yard box, just I'm case those nasty mancs try it again.
Honestly if the whole team gets confused when you take a forward off and put a midfielder on, we have serious issues.

that goal has left me the most annoyed/frustrated and dumbfounded for many a year and coming in the week when our average wage is announced at £37k a week just defies logic.

Who is at fault - answer everyone from manager down.

Even at park Sunday level the teams i played in always knew that you would pick up the near post at EVERY defended corner.

Why was a man not on the post - Cayebe often does this? What are Millen and Pardew doing on the training ground.

Then 10 minutes earlier an almost identical routine should have led to a goal.

Therefore the next corner you make sure you don't make the same mistake.

Tomkins and Danns should have got that defence organised - instructions from the bench are irrelevant and unnecessary.

Highly paid international stodd there and did nothing. Cabeye was in the wrong position, Wayne just fell over (i think he is the least to blame) and Wickham was wrong side of his man.

BUT of course that ball should never have been allowed to travel that far and how Pardew can make some excuse about instructions from the bench is beyond me. And why players are waiting for instructions is also even worse.

It was a complete joke of a goal.

When I said the subsitution confused the players I meant in a general sense, not specifically referring to this particular shambles. Of course a bonkers substitution causes confusion. You change the system to one that the team isn't expecting and isn't prepared for, and moreover to one which fixes something that ain't broke. Asking for trouble. Why do you think there is constant advice about avoiding substitutions when defending a corner? Change has to be managed, not just imposed.

Wickham is not a defender and it's reasonable for those with expertise in organising defences to be sorting him out instead of leaving him to his own devices or having him try to send smoke signals to the bench asking for advice. If players in his position are appealing to the bench to know where to stand it's because the team as a whole is not properly drilled but moreover because there is no clearly understood chain of command.

Cf. "I leave it to the team to decide who is to take the penalty", being the excuse for Cabaye taking the ball away from Benteke and then bottling the f***ing thing.

It's all down to a lack of organisation and that comes from Pardew.

Edited by chateauferret (22 Nov 2016 11.28pm)

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