I think my typo maybe ruined what I meant, not "line line" - high line. We push up the pitch with a high line sometimes against a high press (as you've said, they are high up the pitch) and can leave us vulnerable when we lose the ball to it. We get beaten when they press players onto our key carriers i.e. Hakan who wasn't able to contribute much when this occurs. We end up losing the ball, and if we play up the pitch against that press with slow CBs then we just ask for trouble. We had issues against Atalanta and Lille (first game) when pressed and with intensity. It drowns out our play, which yes it certainly isn't helped with all of the injuries and players returning out of form. Problem is, we rarely have that cohesive full strength team to deal with it like they know how, so an alternative is needed.
I did assume you meant high line instead of line line.
But you implied that Inter used a high press. I've seen plenty of posters here group together Lille, Atalanta, Spezia and Inter defeats as if those teams had an identical approach that nullifies ours and could be implemented by anyone.
You will find some common denominators, but it's not "high press" or man-marking on Hakan & Bennacer. Those two barely even appeared in any of those games. Spezia is the only game in which they were both in the starting lineup, and that was them after bad injuries and COVID, which they clearly hadn't recovered from.
If we look back at the rate of injuries, you can suspect it will not be the end of it, and have to plan accordingly. Can't keep doing the same thing if Spezia can figure us out, and have others do the same.
Agree with your latter point. If you don't have the players with the characteristics needed to pull it off, we need to adapt. Not even a change in formation necessarily but how we dictate play and move the ball.
Yup, but the lack of a stable lineup doesn't just harm your main plan, but the alternative plans as well. New tactics and partnerships need time.
Pioli was able to adapt when Ibra and then Bennacer, Gabbia, and Kjaer got injured, but that situation was stable and controllable compared to last month. We had Mandzukic, Meite & Tomori arrive from other teams, players going in and out of the squad due to minor injuries and suspensions, Ibra returning just when the team had learned to thrive without him, other old starters returning in bad shape, etc.
