johnola
Jermaine Jenas
Score a goal?
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Welcome Ange: To Dare is to Didgeridoo
- Thread starter tommysvr
- Start date
Hotshot-Tottenham
Edgar Davids
Yes, and there have been some very fine lines that we’ve ended up on the wrong side.
Some unlucky: a couple of bad rebounds / deflections and a couple of own goals.
Some our own fault: bad decision making making from Bissouma and Udogie to gift two goals.
Add the big injuries to spine of the team then what has happened can happen.
Then at the other end we’ve been a bit goal shy, but I think we’ve already shown enough that goals will come.
Tbh, if our run hadn’t been DWWWDWWWWW (or whatever it was) then LLLLDL, but more spread out like DWWLDWLWWLLWDWLW then everything would seem a bit more normal and the giving up the lead so often would be such a focus (poor as it is.)
Looong way to go, encouraging signs. That said, big game today and now a win desperately needed.
Perhaps it's a good time to remind some people that we are still sitting in fifth?! Because of our ridiculously good start, we was always going to have some sort of drop off - we are a good side, but not that good and some people got way ahead of themselves talking about potential title challenges, seemingly forgetting about our depth in squad and just how intense and long a Premier League season is.
But despite the nightmare few weeks we have endured we are sitting in fifth, why is that? 1) The amount of points we got on the board to begin with 2) The clubs in and around us expected to challenge aren't that great either and will continue to drop points. Things have just evened out a little as we was never going to maintain that strong start and we are sitting in and around where we should be - arguably still punching slightly. Now everyone is talking up Villa for a title challenge, you can bet your bottom dollar the same thing will happen to them - they look great right now, but will do extremely well to finish in the top 6.
When we do get our Maddison and VDV inparticular back, we will come again and I still see no reason why we won't be challenging for the CL spots which is all we could really ask for in the first season with a new manager and such a big shift in playing style....
Baleforce
Arthur Rowe
It’s all relative though.
I see a lot made of United only being 3 points behind City, but that’s only because City have had a disastrous start to the season, they would have expected to have another 15 points by now.
We can’t help but judge recent results on earlier in the season.
More relevantly, we're on course for around 68 points. That only betters 4 of our last 10 seasons.
At this stage we'd want to be around another 7 points ahead of where we are to be up with our best.
Gazza Dazzla
Chris Perry
None of our last 10 seasons were we forced to play without any CB’s, our best attacker and lack of options due to injuries to squad players, for a third of the season though.
True, although there are a lot of factors in that. Quality/type of stamina training, intensity of style during matches, not winning early and rotating, etc. These all add up over the season.
Grays_1890
Chris Jones
Every week I get more comfortable woth where we are given the nature of the PL and results.
Villa being talked as champs elect and we battered them bar result, Everton slaughter Saudi Sportswashing Machine and Liverpool crawl part Palace. Point is for me it's a league of allsorts even for clubs with much more settled sides than us.
We are holding our own year one and with an injury crisis. Had we weathered a few storms better we would be coming put of this period well ahead of expectations given the injuries
This is exactly how I feel about it also. There appears to be not one outstanding team in the league this year and I can't see anyone jumping ahead and staying there.
However, this does leave me with the slightly annoyed feeling that if not for the somewhat freakish events of the Chelsea game and the damage it has caused us we would still be right in the mix up top with every chance of staying there.
Baleforce
Arthur Rowe
We’re doing alright relatively compared to previous seasons, considering what we’ve lost and Ange’s lack of PL experience.
Things are frustrating because the league is dross generally and we’ve tinkled a lot of points away through nothing but our own stupidity.
Even with the injuries we should have another 10/12 points.
Overall we are ok, it’s just another season where we’ve let a great opportunity pass.
Grays_1890
Chris Jones
Taking a 30 goal striker out of the side might hurt us too
Add in two top young defenders, a playmaker and some wide support and that makes a lot of it up.
Grays_1890
Chris Jones
Of course, if available
Bullet
Andy Thompson
It was great to see us getting to the byline for cut backs, firing in low crosses, generally being proactive rather than simply stopping and rolling the ball back to a deep midfielder. Much better.
Chrissivad
Dean Austin
From pre season, this is how I was expecting us to play. We saw clips of them in training practicing it.
Last 2 games we have seen them try it a lot more, and it came off today. Probably due to having people his the cross/cut back on their stronger foot.
Hotshot-Tottenham
Edgar Davids
Also interesting to see the slight adjustment in tactics that seemed to allow us to go longer on occasion if there wasn’t a sensible short pass on.
Vic did it five or six times and I think the FBs once each.
I quite like the pragmatism of playing to the situation rather than just a dogmatic adherence to the short pass at all costs.
Of course I’d rather see us play nicely from the back but it just not possible every single time.
If we can add a bit of nous in those situations then I think it will serve us well.
Grays_1890
Chris Jones
Most certainly learning and developing onto he job which is a good thing but also has its pitfalls. The plus being we are seeing some players look suited and can clearly add to thr squad when needed, we also see a fluidity to some players in ability to play multiple roles.
People are really falling for the oversimplify flimflam of braindead pundits
Ange's game is a lot more tactically nuanced than just attack.
- The three midfielders can be very different positioned, e.g. 2nd half with City where putting PEH in deep gave another pass out the back route and we out possessed City at their place (for a period of 2nd half we had >70%).
- Against Saudi Sportswashing Machine he commented on the fact that a lot of chances in previous games had fallen to wide players (Johnson, Gil, Deki) and putting Son there gave us a finisher if the chance came, I think there was also a realization Trippier against Son 1:1 is a disaster all day long
- We regularly create overloads in parts of the pitch, massive contrast to Conte that regularly left our players exposed in parts of the pitch
Just ignoring the injuries, especially who -> VDV, Bentancur, Maddison and even Perisic (very regular assist creator for us off bench) is disingenuous, add suspensions, multiple players under 22, multiple players new to squad, PL, all players new to Ange's system, a few hiccups are almost guaranteed.
Do we need a few more players? yes, do we need to get more goals from somewhere other than Son? yes, but when you change ~50% of your first team squad and still have more to do, it was always going to be a multiple window fix.
Fact is we have not looked outclassed in any game this season, we have looked like we can go toe to toe with anyone and it's enjoyable to watch and the manager isn't a whining little bitch that embarrassing the club and all of us.
Ange's game is a lot more tactically nuanced than just attack.
- The three midfielders can be very different positioned, e.g. 2nd half with City where putting PEH in deep gave another pass out the back route and we out possessed City at their place (for a period of 2nd half we had >70%).
- Against Saudi Sportswashing Machine he commented on the fact that a lot of chances in previous games had fallen to wide players (Johnson, Gil, Deki) and putting Son there gave us a finisher if the chance came, I think there was also a realization Trippier against Son 1:1 is a disaster all day long
- We regularly create overloads in parts of the pitch, massive contrast to Conte that regularly left our players exposed in parts of the pitch
Just ignoring the injuries, especially who -> VDV, Bentancur, Maddison and even Perisic (very regular assist creator for us off bench) is disingenuous, add suspensions, multiple players under 22, multiple players new to squad, PL, all players new to Ange's system, a few hiccups are almost guaranteed.
Do we need a few more players? yes, do we need to get more goals from somewhere other than Son? yes, but when you change ~50% of your first team squad and still have more to do, it was always going to be a multiple window fix.
Fact is we have not looked outclassed in any game this season, we have looked like we can go toe to toe with anyone and it's enjoyable to watch and the manager isn't a whining little bitch that embarrassing the club and all of us.