We nearly conceded because the team were throwing everything forward like we were one nil down in a cup final. That’s the stupidity - not keeping it tight, and making sure we don’t concede in the first thirty again.
Seems that way, yeah.
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Let’s be honest. The ‘not closing them down and giving them space’ started in the second half when we started chasing the game - sadly with Mo Salah on the pitch again.
The first half we were the better team, created more, and while Sunderland were spirited, they didn’t create much.
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I am also happy that CHIESA will now be rewarded, and will now get subbed on in the 85th minute.
Social media is always a calm, balanced barometer of sensible criticism.
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I have a very positive attitude when coaching and I am always pushing for the win but you also have to be pragmatic and at 1 all, with how results have been going, I wouldn’t be having Chiesa as my last man 1 v 1, I would have someone like Kerkez a defender, who is actually good 1 v 1 and Chiesa can score!
All that said as i said in the pre match, Chiesa is a god, for not giving up.
Do you know, you come in and reply to me and talk nonsense, when have I said I am happy with the performance!
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I disagree, we had a mid/low block 1st half and I commented a couple of times that Wirtz and Isak were alone in closing them down and were outnumbered, resulting in their defenders having loads of time to play out. Although they never really created anything but long range shots which was the same for us in the 1st half.
The run we have been on, I think taking the approach that we just don’t concede in the first half is an entirely pragmatic approach.
This thread is ridiculous. Half of the posts are moaning about the other half that are moaning about the game and in between Mascot has decided that Chiesa getting a MotM vote for saving a point was a problem.
The thing is that compared to the last couple of months, it was better. If we hadn’t been inept attacking wise, we might have even turned it around.The performance wasn’t much different to the West Ham one, the main difference was that this time we faced a better and more ambitious team.
If I had to come up with a positive is that we finally picked up a point after falling behind and Wirtz. On the negative side, the passing was dreadful throughout, which wasn’t helped by the inexistent movement off the ball. This is what happens without patterns of play. Also thought that Van Dijk, Alisson and Gravenberch struggled. Szoboszlai also looked completely exhausted towards the end.
All in all, another bad game but a slight improvement over what we’ve been getting lately, which sadly says it all.
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Let it be said I focus on the important issues.
I do understand it and agree to some extent but with the money we have spent on Wirtz and Isak to just have them doing doggies isn’t money well spent.
After 25/30 mins we did get our midfielders to push up and help, without conceding anything.
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Slot on Sunderland’s goal: “Their goal is not even a chance. If that is a chance, we had 20 tonight."
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We have to put the money behind us and move on.
I think that’s the way we’ve approached the last two - just get through the first thirty, then grow into it.
At this point someone should troll him and ask “do you think you’re any closer to finding the answers”, see how red faced he gets. The guy hasn’t a clue.
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My tuppence on Salah is that we are starting to phase him out. It doesn’t mean he is finished here, but the transition is on and the die is cast, however long it takes to play out.
We won the last game without him. We started today without him and while we were not especially good, we were holding our own and at half time I expected us to go on and win the game.
Salah came on for the entire second half and it all got a bit looser. Sunderland grew into the game and we went behind, and while it wasn’t Salah’s fault that we did, the balance was off a bit defensively. In an attacking sense he did not make a contribution that made us take note of what he still has to offer.
I don’t know if we will buy a winger in January, but it seems there is an opportunity with AFCON and also the release clause with Semenyo. Our stattos at the club will need to make a good decision as to how good Semenyo is - he is definitely faster and stronger than current Salah, and he will definitely give defenders more to think about, but I’m not fully sure if he is what we need long haul.
Oh no, it gets worse. He really said that? As in those words left his mouth in front of a crowd of journos?
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I think the important thing is to get physicality around Wirtz. At the minute Slot is doing that by playing Szob off the right. If we buy Semenyo, then we can drop Szob into the midfield two behind Wirtz, and drop Macca.
I thought the second half we had a double problem as we also moved Wirtz out to the left away from the middle where he’d been really effective, and dropped Szob into the 10, in theory to help Salah, but he also had to get around Wirtz too - no wonder he looked shattered.
I think you are definitely right that this team now needs to transition away from Salah. Hard to take, as I love the guy - but the output just isn’t there. It might be acceptable to accommodate a low work rate player while he is banging in goals and assists, but when that dries up, it’s just carrying a lad.
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I agree with him. That isn’t troubling Ali until it gets an awful deflection, off Van Dijk (who to be fair, plays a shit pass out of defence and then backs off)
Just don’t say it, Arne. Stop being so Dutch. We can’t handle it.
Can we upgrade that to real ale,some of us need it.I know I could use it!
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