Ted Hughes wrote:You'd be proved wrong immediately by the Navas whinge thread on here re the very last game, which said he hit 18 failed crosses & add the various people who whinge about Jovetic trying stuff & losing the ball.
That pretty much rules out the 'safe pass' argument.
I think Slim has a valid point Ted and the stats don't tell all the story. What has to be considered is "when" Navas and/or any other player usually crosses the ball.
Teams that have used wide men with great success,usually get the ball wide as soon as possible and crucially do most of their damage before a defence has has chance to set itself. Think Summerbee/ Coleman, Tueart/Barnes. Ball out wide, crack on down the wing, get players in the box and voila.
The safe pass/possession option is a strategy used after a defence is set, to pull a team out of shape, try to create a defensive gaps and capitalise. Too late mate. Crossing into a set/packed defence is usually a lottery that we don't win (as on Saturday).
Time and high tempo are of the essence against a team parking the bus. Opportunities to get at them are limited and if we are to be successful, getting the ball wide and up the field quickly are important..Too often, as Slim suggests, we safe pass,giving defences time to get back and organise.
I often wonder how successful Barca would have been with their Tikka Takka had they not had Messi's genius, who took responsibility by doing unsafe stuff and getting many crucial goals.