I don’t think it’s entirely imagination. He really did start, honest! And I’m sure Slot really did intend for him to use the opportunity to get up to speed, and hopefully get a goal.
Obviously it didn’t work out like that, as we all saw, annd so it’s easy to prosecute the case as to what we should have done.
As many have said, the team was bad. The issues we have go way beyond a thus-far-sub-par Isak, and the team looks so short of confidence that the slightest setback sends them into a spin.
Still, it’s a fair comment that we don’t have to force it with Isak, and I would imagine Slot didn’t think he was forcing it, but instead saw a quality player, nearing match fitness, poised to step up. It’s a fine line to judge but clearly Isak laid an egg last time, no qualms about it.
Hopefully today we get three points and build from there.
Of course he intended for the team to play well, Isak to play well, score, win, whatever. Right now, the team winning is what’s above everything else. It didn’t happen and for me there is some connection why we struggled to connect and create anything central.
It all needs to have sense. Starting Isak without proper support from #10 (and Slot knew the circumstances were such) didn’t make enough sense. Sure, we could’ve created more from the sides than we did and turn the initiative we had into goals, but we didn’t. It wasn’t good.
Heck, he even got the start against Palace when I said Szobo absolutely needs to start at #10, that was also the first time we pushed Wirtz to the left half-space (that day it wasn’t good) and Chiesa will probably have to come on for Isak after 45-60 minutes or so. He got more minutes than planned as we were desperate for more goals, had one chance and that’s it.
Once you go down the route of forcing individual cases too much without enough sense, you start losing it. And how many more can we lose?
Isak will get his minutes, this is not about let’s get him fit as soon as possible (and it wouldn’t even be the right thing to do for everyone’s sake).
We’re going round and round. I thought it was a calculated, reasonable move to help get Isak up to speed, as a fit and firing Isak will be a great asset. It didn’t work out like that.
And fair enough on the point about Szobo. He had a decent game at right back, one of our only players who performed, but we missed him in the midfield and probably should have played Jones at right back.
As for the points we have lost so far, sadly it has been loads, and Ekitike has featured in most of that, while Isak has been injured and not up to speed. I’m certainly not suggesting the points losses have been Ekitike’s fault (though the red card was stupid, and hurt us).
My point on that is playing Ekitike, on the evidence of the season so far, does not mean we are going to get the points that we would like. He has done quite well since he came - better than any other signing so far - but on its own it hasn’t been enough to help position the side anywhere like where we want to be. It needs more, including getting Isak, Wirtz and the fullbacks properly up to speed.
To say nothing about poor form through the team, and a struggling mentality, etc.
Even if Isak scored a goal against Forest, I’m not sure it would’ve changed much. It will still take a bit of time to get him up to speed. More games, more coming on as subs, the odd start, etc. He’s not a million miles away (I bloody hope so), but right now we’re really not in the situation just to throw out random starts without thinking in a quality way.
My point about Szobo was that it was the circumstance we were in. No RB fit, Gomez without enough training, no Wirtz. In that circumstance with Jones in and most probably not playing with a single #10 but rather two #8’s on the day, Ekitike makes more stylistical sense. That’s how you build a team, we cannot just throw players out there and focus on them doing well.
Of course it is. Saying he needs to get minutes is not an answer to the question of why he is getting these minutes (from the start rather than an as a sub) in these games (the big ones that cost more to not win).
And he didnt just take the hit against Forest. He took the hit against Chelsea, and against Utd, and against Brentford, and then after having spent a couple of weeks out with an injury he rushed him straight back into the starting line up again against forest.
He is too good to keep being this anonymous for ever, but both he and the team collectively would have been better served by easing him in with sub appearances and earmarking the cup games for the longer run outs than this frankly odd approach
I am personally disappointed, with the team selection, which means eff all, but I think Chiesa deserves a start and Gomez should have come in for Ibou, but that may be down to injury.
Reason is, that we are rewarding mediocre/poor performances.
I do hope those that have been struggling prove me wrong and have stellar games.
