One of the games where I wouldn’t trust Nat or Rhys but on the other hand last thing we should do this season is to rush players (Fabinho / Thiago) back or should ask players (Hendo / Robbo) to play through the pain.
Where is the poster who writes ‘this is the most important game of the season…’
because under current circumstances this is really the most important one so far.
Nice of them to give us the last game of the weekend so we’ll be playing 3 games in 5 1/2 days after an international break. With a squad decimated by injuries to our key players by fucking yard-dogs and pointless internationals none of us give a fuck about.
Why not troll us some more and appoint Coote as the VAR referee? Oh, they have done? Fucking wonderful.
This is one of very few games in the season where we have to adapt our game to counter the opposition. Play a high line against these and they’ll dink balls over the top for Steptoe to run on to and it’ll make the Villa game look like a defensive masterclass.
We need to defend deep and crowd centre midfield forcing them wide. Don’t allow Tielemans and Maddison the opportunity to pick a way through the middle.
They’re a good team who will turn anyone over on their day if you allow them to play to their strengths But they can be got at in equal measure. They are missing key players at the back and are vulnerable.
I’m going worse case scenario and don’t think either Hendo or Robbo will play. On the upside I’m hoping Tiago and Fabinho will be back. If we can field a starting 11 of Alisson - Milner, Matip, Fabinho, Tsimikas - Tiago, Keita, Gini - Mane, Bobby, Jota then I’ll be as happy as I can be under the circumstances. That leaves Shaqiri, Minamino, Jones, Divock and Phillips as options off the bench, not too shabby.
3-2 to the English and world champions.