Season 23/24 | The Official Match Thread | Swansea City v Middlesbrough FC | The EFL Championship

[bakajack]

I know it it's currently the thing to blame Cabango for all our defensive problems but let's get the facts right. It was Darling who vacated the near post on the free kick not Cabango. In fact, Key was also positioned between Cabango and the post and he also left his position and it looked to me like Cabango was doing his best to cover the gap they left and the ball went between him and the post which probably gave the impression he had left the gap.

Darling was the closest to the ball, his job was clearly to try to close down the taker asap, Cabango as the next man across from him should have been moving to the near post asap to help eliminate that space. I would also argue against it being "the thing" to blame Cabango, the reason he gets so much stick is because he actually IS to blame for much of what he gets pelters for.

 

[K23]

Darling was the closest to the ball, his job was clearly to try to close down the taker asap, Cabango as the next man across from him should have been moving to the near post asap to help eliminate that space. I would also argue against it being "the thing" to blame Cabango, the reason he gets so much stick is because he actually IS to blame for much of what he gets pelters for.

"Cabango as the next man across from him"

Nope, Key was the next man across, not Cabango - and in any case, if Darling had decided he was going to leave the near post to try to charge the shot down, he should have used his common sense and told someone to stand behind him

And at the point when their player struck the ball, Darling and Key had opened up this 1m+ gap for him

 

[bakajack]

"Cabango as the next man across from him"

Nope, Key was the next man across, not Cabango - and in any case, if Darling had decided he was going to leave the near post to try to charge the shot down, he should have used his common sense and told someone to stand behind him

And at the point when their player struck the ball, Darling and Key had opened up this 1m+ gap for him

Even if Darling didn't tell someone to stand behind him, his role there is pretty obvious - to charge down the taker.
While could definitely argue that Key should also have been guarding the near post that just means they would both be at fault for leaving that wide open space. I still don't get why a man didn't just lie down on the line like people do these days for free kicks right outside the 18 yard box