Cascarino's football lesson No 4: why do managers go defensive when they are in front?

Last night Avram Grant showed why he’s an apprentice manager. Can you imagine Chelsea under Jose Mourinho throwing away the lead three times in a game – including a two-goal advantage?

Substitutions are now the biggest input managers have during a match and like Claudio Ranieri before him – and indeed Martin Jol at Tottenham Hotspur – Grant doesn’t make the right calls at big moments.

With five on the bench for league games, rising to seven next season, a manager’s job is tougher. He really can make a huge difference during the match and he’s got a back-up for every position. So when he makes changes and they backfire, like at White Hart Lane last night, there’s no hiding place.

Grant seems to get it wrong as often as Mourinho got it right. It’s not just judgment, it’s attitude as well. Mourinho would make bold changes but Grant is cautious. He’s not alone there - so many managers are dominated by the fear factor. Bolton Wanderers go with one up front; when Gary Megson switches to 4-4-2 once they’re losing, they look a decent side. Why not do it from the beginning?

Grant’s mistake yesterday was to make negative alterations. At 3-1 up, Tottenham brought on Darren Bent and played with three attackers for the last 22 minutes. So Chelsea sacrificed Salomon Kalou for Alex, a striker for a centre back. Within four minutes, it was 3-2. So on comes Michael Ballack for Joe Cole for the last eight minutes, and Robbie Keane grabs a late equaliser.

I don’t understand why so many managers feel they have to “hold on” to a lead. When the team’s winning by two goals, it’s in a commanding position. Bolstering the defence sends out a negative message to your own players – we’ll just try and hang on – as well as encouraging your opponents, who sense nerves and weakness. Suddenly, the dominant team is running scared.

Nothing encourages a team forward more than the knowledge that the opposition have given up trying to score. It reduces the risk factor of committing more men to attack. You’re inviting the other team to have a go at your defence.

But you’ve just brought on another defender, so your back line can withstand anything that’s thrown at it, right? The truth is that extra bodies can lead to confusion. If a team is used to a four-man defence, adding a fifth creates potential problems. Players suddenly wonder who to pick up, where to stand, the team shape is lost.

The great back fours – Arsenal under George Graham, Liverpool in the 1980s, for example – didn’t care if they were outnumbered. They were happy facing six attackers because they were so well organised as a unit that they could cope. A fifth defender would have just got in their way. You don’t need more bodies, just a defence that is really well-drilled.

I learnt early on in my career that it’s not about what the opposition do; it’s about what you do. The key is to make the other side adapt to you, not vice versa. But in reacting to Bent’s arrival, Chelsea altered their game. It wasn’t a confident move and it’s just inviting pressure. When you take off a striker and bring on a defender, you lose possession more often because you’re punting the ball forward to no one.

And taking Cole off when he was on fire, having scored twice, was foolish. He was replaced with Ballack, a more defensive midfield player, but when you’re short of bodies up front, you need someone like Cole, who can dribble and beat players, use space, waste time and maybe nick a goal.

It’s almost unheard of since managers are so fearful but I would love to see a team bring on an extra attacker when they are winning. Aim to play the ball in the opposition half instead of accepting that it’ll spend most of the time in yours. If Chelsea are true title contenders, they should have enough belief to say: here’s a chance to make it 4-1. They should want to exploit the gaps left in their opponents’ defence.

I’d like to see more managers, from top-flight to amateur level, show a bit more courage in their substitutions and realise that putting a defender on for a striker to preserve a lead might be a risky move, not a safe one.

Comments

[the w]

I get more sense talking football with some old boy in the pub!

This;

"Nothing encourages a team forward more than the knowledge that the opposition have given up trying to score"

Is just insane! How can making a defensive substitution (or changing an attacking player for a defensive player) possibly equate to giving up attempting to score? What about an attacking - defensive substitution that allows the shape/outlook of the team to become better on the counter attack, what about changing the responsibilities of other players to release other attacking options in the team, what about the greater attacking impetus of a more defensive " player who is 100% fit?

what a load of drivel... unbelievable that he has a job writing about football for a broadsheet!!!

[TheBoyRoyisRight]

Against Fulham, Utd were 0-2 up but Fulham started the second half well and were putting the Utd defence under increasing pressure.

Fergie's response..

Bring on Rooney and Ronnie..Utd didn't score again but they saw out the game easily because Fulham had to stop committing so many men forward.

I'm not sure the winning team should bring on a forward every time, but I agree that they should at least ensure they have a counterattacking platform.

[simmojo]

I disagree with only one thing. Grant - "apprentice manager" - come on, dont you think that is dramatically over-rating him? He's just a pub side manager that has the right connections. My old primary school sports teacher was tactically superior.

[paul jones]

tony your right to many managers react this way or react to late!you can't win games if you don't score! so teams that go for goals will win points most of the time! alas staying in the top division makes for fear football! cheers T! great goal against the rangers! tip! top!

[Presley]

Spot on again Tony, its refreshing to see someone actually write what should be so obvious to those in position. Spurs were guilty of it in the carling cup final when they brought off keane for another defender and where very lucky in the end to hang on to their lead. The vast majority of the time managers seem to forget that attack is a form of defence. I'm a utd fan and even Fergie has moved away from the mentality of "we will score another". Particularly in europe. Its a sign of the times im afraid. England have been doing it for years. Terrible.