Now that we’re playing once a week till the end of the season I don’t think there’s much need to rotate NOW, but definitely I was tearing my hair out at some points in the season seeing the same lineup go again and again and again.
Big problem for me the last 6 weeks is we’ve playing 60 mins with Jota at 9 every week. Offers so little, looks like no likes playing with him or knows how to link with him. The pressing isn’t what it used to be, can’t stretch the play or hold it up. Think he’s a huge reason for Salah’s dip too. Can’t believe he seems to be a nailed on starter for Slot. Bit worrying.
Fingers crossed next season he’s automatically starting and he’s fully recovered from his injury, cos he’s a great player for the squad but we’ve looked a mess with him starting.
Rotating players is two fold in it’s benefits, firstly it allows players to rest and secondly it creates competition for players and stops complacency.
Fatigue may not be obvious in regards to how much a player runs in a game but moreso in the decisions they make and today a lot a players were showing signs of mental fatigue because some of their decisions were awful.
So if the medical guys aren’t advising him of risks of burnout or injury and Slot is seeing these guys everyday in training and thinking they’re the best options then I don’t see huge issue with it at this point in the season.
There’s equally the argument of rhythm and consistency. Say he’d played Quansah today instead of Konate and he puts in a similar performance. All the chat would be about why we changed a winning side or didn’t have our best 11 on the pitch.
I don’t dispute we’re playing some guys again and again but the one change we did make today was to bring in Gakpo who was anonymous. It’s no guarantee of anything.
Slot has been brilliant. He is going to lead us to the Premier League title in his first season. Scenes! That is superb.
What we can all see is that he needs a slightly larger group that he trusts, so there can be a bit more rotation.
He has had a season to assess everything. He has played it perfectly if we win that title. And moving forward I fully expect the squad to be deeper next season. Same numbers, give or take, but the group of players he trusts and uses will expand.
Changes are coming, and I can’t wait to see what we do.
In the meantime, I’m enjoying the ride to the title, even with a little blip and some tiredness creeping in. I think we will regroup and finish on a high.
I was also curious to see how Slot would fare at this level, in this league, especially when he would need to rotate more.
The pressure to win every few days and sometimes change almost half the team (didn’t happen as much though). Truth is though, we’re a hard working team, but it doesn’t feel like intensity is our identity anymore.
I’m very happy with the balance we’ve created since last pre-season, how many injuries we had over season and how we’re looking in these key months in terms of fitness.
As for rotation, I do think he will do it more once he also replaces a few pieces this summer. No doubt he’s also going to learn from some lessons, he already talked about it post Wembley.
As for tiredness, I think that’s always the main thing fans or media say when there’s a few bad results or drop in performance - they look tired.
Obviously there is physical and mental tiredness. In terms of purely physical, no, they don’t look tired to me. Most of them at least. Slot was asked about that in January or February I think and his response was that he was surprised because back then, the numbers showed that we’re in a really good place.
Don’t know how it is now, but there is more that decides performances and results other than tiredness or freshness. But for people I guess it’s easier just to say “they’re tired” than trying to understand more what’s happening tactically, what are opponents doing better, etc.
Jota is the best CF at the club and feeds off scraps. Isak would struggle to score in this team.
Blaming Jota for Salah’s form is nonsense. Is it Jota’s fault Salah can’t beat his man anymore? Jota’s fault Salah breaks down so many attacks with a piss-weak shot or wafts a cross straight to the 'keeper or 1st defender?
I think it is the last part, teams have worked us out both when they have the ball and by pressing us.
We use a 4 man press and that leaves a lot of space for Grav & Macca to cover. Teams are now working through the press and into that space either, with a fullback moving high or into a midfield position or an attacker dropping off as Dembele did against us or as Fulham did with Berge receiving the ball in the 6 position.
If that doesn’t work or if the press is on point, wasn’t today, they hit longer balls and then try and pick up the 2nd ball, which they have been doing.
Hopefully, this can be worked out and we again start to control games better or as we did.
One criticism I have is that if Arne hadn’t approached the FA Cup so dismissively and had fielded a stronger team against Plymouth, then we could have been have been in with a shout of the League and Cup Double at this stage. Or even a domestic treble.
Perhaps this is what Michael Owen was trying to say, i.e. if there had been a more positive approach to the FA Cup, and if there had been more rotation in midfield, then we could have been looking at more than one trophy this season.
As it is, I will be (corrected that from ‘I am’) more than happy with ‘just’ the league title with a head coach who is not only in his first season with us but also in his first season in England.
It’s football, nothing is guaranteed, ever. All that any manager can do is maximise his team’s chances to win.
Keeping players as fresh and rested as possible is part of that. As is maintaining rhythm and consistency, no matter who plays. It’s a difficult juggling act, but that’s why they are paid the big bucks.
Slot had us running like a well-oiled machine for the first half of the season, that’s undeniable. As is undeniable that we’ve run out of steam now. That’s not the only factor at play, Zoran is right about that, but it’s the most obvious even to outsiders. It’s no surprise that Slot is being asked about it on every press conference.
Give it a rest mate. We all love Jota at his best but since he came back into the team after injury he’s been stinking the place out.
Doesn’t link well with anyone, doesn’t run in behind, doesn’t create space, doesn’t hold up the ball or create chances and hasn’t been able to get in the positions to score regularly, hasn’t made the most of the chance he does get. At least Nunez makes runs and moves defenders around. Like I said originally, hopefully next season there’s no lingering issues with the injury and he’s back to his best, but he’s been far from that for the last 6 weeks.
Yes, Salah’s own level has dipped and most of that is on him, but it’s not a coincidence that it’s happened when the attack has been as static as it’s been all season and there zero threat from the middle.
They wouldn’t be asking about it, if it was a completely baseless line of questioning. We all see it on the pitch.
I do agree about Fulham though, it was individual mistakes more than anything else. The point about his lack of rotation is a general one, not specifically about yesterday. That was the players’ fault.
