Again this is where they’ve tried to shoehorn a process into gameplay that can create any number of different scenarios. Its taken sense completely out of the equation. Now I can understand the need for this given the utter incompetence of PL referees but it seriously needs to be taken back to some basic principles of whether it was a foul or not. Having a guy sat infront of numerous screens with all the views and replay speeds they want and being told to ignore whether it was a foul or not but check what blade of grass that moment occurred, is next level stupidity. We might as well start watering the grass with Gatorade.
VAR getting involved should have lead to a reversal of the freekick and a yellow for simulation…
The authorities have bent over backwards prevent VAR being used in a way to rereferee incidents. They correctly dont want the guy in the booth to simply overrule the ref over a difference of opinion (was the contact enough to be a foul) on a shared set of facts (there was contact). It is the right motivation but produces terrible outcomes. No one can possibly think the game is best served by an approach that allows VAR to correct a ref that the contact the ref saw was actually in the area but not be able to raise that the contact was not enough to give a foul in the first place. But that is what they have backed themselves into.
It is why I have increasingly come to believe that Manager’s challengers are the best way forward. Eliminate the controversies about why VAR was unable to get involved to right a clear wrong and just let the manager use it to get the ref to take a second look at key incidents they thing the ref got wrong.
I haven’t been able to watch our games lately, because there is always something else coming across. It’s freaking iinfuriating, but in a sense, I’m glad about that. It spares me all the lost time watching that dross and getting worked up over it… ![]()
But seriously, those who have watched it: is there any belief left in the team? Because if that isn’t the case, what can be done? Just from looking at the stats, Brentford deserve their win. We seemed to have lots of possession, but not much to show for it. More importantly, they had more shots at goal than us, which shows how weak we were at the back. Scoring two goals at Brentford should be enough to win the game if you are solid at the back. But we are not. Every team going forward will exploit this. Most importantly, Brentford run more than our lads (121.41 km vs 114.08 km). That last stat tells us a lot. We were behind since minute 5, and still, we ran less than them? ![]()
What’s certain is that the players who have come in haven’t the same kind of mental steel and fighting spirit than those who departed. There is a lot of work needed for the likes of VVD, Robbo and co. to get them up to that level, if that is even possible. When looking the likes of Wirtz, Isak, Kerkez etc. I see talented players, but without that pressing desire to win games. That’s what concerns me most. Of course, it’s true, that our remaining champions have lost their ways too, that doesn’t make it simple for Slot to work something out.
My take is that beyond all the disruption with all the departures and new arrivals, the summer preparation has been gash, and that is at least in part on Slot and his coaching team: no physical freshness at all (remember, we should be fresher when compared to the other big teams, because they were involved in that club competition over the summer; but you don’t see any of that), no ability to run more than the opposition (as said above, Brentford beat us on that stat). Lots and lots of injuries too.
The discussion about how long Slot should last is obviously gaining traction. As long as the players believe in his ideas and work hard to implement them, he deserves time imo. The moment they start losing the belief, it should be curtains, as for any manager in that kind of position. Past record doesn’t count that much. Rodgers was sacked very late during a shambolic season, after having got second the season before. Despite the shortcomings of this team, we could still have become champions with all that firepower upfront. Does it mean that Rodgers should have got more time when the wheels came off? Of course not, he was out of his depth and deserved to be sacked. If the same happens to Slot (hopefully not, fingers crossed!), he’ll also deserve to be sacked.
But for the time being, let’s stay calm and see if we can head towards a clearly recognizable direction.
Regarding the running stats Brentford aren’t playing midweek and out of our last 6 games, 5 have been away, Turkey, Germany and 3 in London, a game every 4 days with lots of travelling, recovery and very little time on the training pitch.
That last bit is what we need the most.
… and internations, called breaks but for top teams means break a leg, that wreck our players even more.
That’s why I never understood Slot’s reluctance to rotate. Which is off topic however a valid point.
for people complaining that Brentford did more running than us in the last game,
there is a phrase in football..
“let the ball do the work”
Not really the right game to demonstrate the value of that idea though is it