10 men better than 11?

[CT Charlie]

I was watching the Spurs-Seaweed match today, and late in the game Danso developed what appeared to be severe cramps in one of his legs. Spurs were out of substitutes, so he remained in the game, mostly hobbling. Occasionally it seemed the cramps would subside somewhat and he could jog several strides or even "glide" a few – very few. He was almost useless.

Having played the game myself, as a center back, I felt strongly that Spurs would have been better off without him altogether. His teammates couldn't be sure whether he was actually marking a player, so it seemed to me that his presence forced them to make decisions based on guesswork. As we've seen, 10 men can often defend a lead effectively, especially when there are only 10-15 minutes remaining.

Eventually in extra time Danso made a terrible error, trying to play the ball out of trouble in the box rather than just blasting it into the stands or possibly upfield. A Brighton player picked up Danso's weak first touch, passed to a teammate, and Brighton salvaged a draw.

For longtime Premier League viewers: Do managers always leave an 11th player on the pitch in these circumstances, or do they sometimes pull him off to "simplify" the defensive structure?

 

[Teddy Eagle]

I was watching the Spurs-Seaweed match today, and late in the game Danso developed what appeared to be severe cramps in one of his legs. Spurs were out of substitutes, so he remained in the game, mostly hobbling. Occasionally it seemed the cramps would subside somewhat and he could jog several strides or even "glide" a few – very few. He was almost useless.

Having played the game myself, as a center back, I felt strongly that Spurs would have been better off without him altogether. His teammates couldn't be sure whether he was actually marking a player, so it seemed to me that his presence forced them to make decisions based on guesswork. As we've seen, 10 men can often defend a lead effectively, especially when there are only 10-15 minutes remaining.

Eventually in extra time Danso made a terrible error, trying to play the ball out of trouble in the box rather than just blasting it into the stands or possibly upfield. A Spurs player picked up Danso's weak first touch, passed to a teammate, and Brighton salvaged a draw.

For longtime Premier League viewers: Do managers always leave an 11th player on the pitch in these circumstances, or do they sometimes pull him off to "simplify" the defensive structure?

Brian Clough famously took Steve Hodge off in a game and didn't replace him but that was more to make a point about how ineffectual he'd been.
Leaving a player on when he's not properly mobile is a risk - you wouldn't want him anywhere that his incapacity might play someone inside.

 

[ASCPFC]

They probably left him on in order to waste time. He could fall down and need treatment every so often. We were at it the other night. They're always at it. This time it backfired, as it sometimes does.