. This team havenāt been given much time to grieve. They are not alway going to win every game. They need time and space. We have to help them, at least by cheering them on and singing their names at matches. It will lift them.
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I was really, really looking forward to watching this game. Instead, I visited an ill friend who called and was relegated to checking live score.
But 3 points seems good although 2 goals against by Bournemouth seems not.
Hopefully people were entertained, since I wasnāt (though the visit was cozy enough).
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Slot out!
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Oh man, Ibou grew into the game and made some important stops, but the first 5-10 minutes it was like he was playing with a blindfold on and giving his teammates the shits with his misjudgements
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Iāve only seen bits of pre season but the midfield is far narrower that the classic shape of last season with a more defined double pivot and Wirtz much narrower as the 8/10 than Dom was last season.
The issue is that this will provide far less cover on the right side behind Salah and leaves Frimpong exposed. Wirtz likes to drift left rather than right (mostly) and Gakpo is more dedicated out of possession, so the left looks ok but the right is kind of vacant.
Iāll be really interested whether this remains when Grav is back in the team or whether the shape looks more like last season with Grav anchoring more as a six, slightly more advanced midfielder in front left sided and a right-leaning 10.
Personnel-wise, itās a real reminder of how good a team we are, and itās difficult even for top players to seamlessly integrate into it. Probably easier for Ekiteke to do it from no 9, but more difficult for the 10 and fullbacks who need more connection with the players around them.
Overall, really pleased for Chiesa, hopefully he will kick on and have a meaningful career here. We have too much to do in the market already to let him leave in this window.
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My seat is in the King Kenny stand and we did the mosaic tribute. Managed to collect all three colours (I had green, there were also red and white)
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With the Endo sub to right back then Gomez replacing him (for Endo to revert to midfield) it must have been a chain reaction.
Frimpong getting tired/ hamstring tight on 60 - Gomez coming back so only had 15/20 min in him - so he has to go for Endo at the time.
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yeah thats the way i read it, forced sub and Gomez either not ready for that long, or not ready in the momentā¦
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It seems Arneās plan is to get the maximum out of Kerkez and Frimpong and then sub them for solid cover in Bradley (when fit) and Robertson.
Thatās the only reason I can come up with for them two being subbed. Both attacked and defended with equal intensity, pace, and ability.
Sadly, Robbo is now starting to become a defensive liability. Arne should h e sent on Joe at rb before Endo.
I was frankly disappointed in Wirtz. Other than a couple of slick passes in the first half he really didnāt offer much.
I could see some of our midfield ideas but when we were just a bit slower in our exchanges we got caught out. It looks like the idea is to draw in the other team and then leave the out of position while we cut past them. But the risk is that there is little cover if we lose the ball in that buildup.
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It wasnāt great to be honest. Iām afraid to say, I raised my voice and directed a few expletives towards the screen.
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Yeah we were all confused at the ground with those subs
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I felt so much more secure when JoGo came on.
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Slot explained it. Injury precaution for Frimpong and 2nd YC for Kerkez.
And Gomez could only do 15mins
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1 Like
I would have thought the location of the turnover would be less relevant than the positioning of all the players on it. Whether you lose the ball deep in your own goal or 20m out from theirs, if they have a numbers advantage they are in a good position.
We wouldnāt say Aliās ball to Salah was less dangerous because Mo collected it in the middle of the pitch; it was precisely because Ali played it to Salah behind the defence.
This ball was lost passing to our deepest midfielder at the time. Gomez and Robbo had just bombed forward, Endo was also taking up a position in the middle, and Salah makes a pass that misses our deepest midfielder. Count them - 7 players ahead of Szobo, the 8th player, as the ball is played by Salah:
Slot wonāt be happy that we overcommitted forward, that both our FBs bombed forward as the only support left for Szobo except for the much deeper CB pair, and the defending of the two CBās themselves wasā¦ unfortunate. But that pass was not even remotely safe.
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agreed and I have criticized the degree of over commitment given the circumstances, but this was the comment I responding to.
1 Like
