What a absolutely limp performance today was; the most shocking thing is that we have been seeing these kind of performances many tiems for a while now.
A lot of people are asking about whether things are or have been going on behind the scenes and whether they are now starting to effect things on the field.
There may well be some things, they might be nothing, certainly nothing that the other top 6 clubs in the PL or elsewhere haven't had to deal with.
Perhaps our issue is more simple: Poch and his ways are too much based on physicality, athleticism and a posh version of "run about a bit", and now the players, mostly into their 6th year of such methods are simply spent.
This method gets us to be competitive but perhaps becomes limp because a) the players are human and human physicality has a lifespan and b) without an ingrained ability to grow in terms of natural creativity, finesse, passing attacking movements that almost make the team dangerous, we are then - eventually - easy to nullify.
What i mean by this is how many of the players we have had under Poch have gotten better in terms of creativity and attacking passing movement going forwards? Eriksen has been Eriksen for the most part, he has excelled to great levels because of the system, but individually: has he gotten MORE creative per say under Poch? Lamela: has he become more creative, especially given his form in the year or two before we bought him? Dembele was a physical beast good at protecting and driving us forward, but again: more creative under Poch? Son, Moura: has their creativity and attacking prowess improved under him? Are we now seeing a pattern?
I know there is much talk about Eriksen, Toby etc about them wanting out, but maybe without the ability to get the players over the line in terms of winning trophies, the attraction to stay and physically keep exerting yourself is just about lost. Why not join another 'top' team get paid similar to what we might now be able to offer now, but actually win something AND maybe (due to squad rotation etc) even possibly extend your career by not exetring so much physically ?
Maybe Poch knows his limitations are now being slowly exposed (see our form AND performances since the 3-0 win vs Dortmund) and hence the quite frankly crazy comments or outbursts in his media dealings since then (though i could even go back further to his comments about how "trophies are just for egos", but i really don't want to digress that way...)
The key worrying point for me is that for a long time now the players looked physically spent. Now not only do they STILL look like that (in the 3rd PL game ffs) but now also look like they aren't being very well coached! That's the most worrying thing and it feels like end of days.
It's one thing to play well, miss chances and batter the opposition in performamce but still not win (see an City vs us for example) but it's another to lose limply at home in August vs one of the worst sides (and coaches) in the PL (imo) and have the team hardly make any runs and move at all.
Very worrying and i fear the limitations with Poch's coaching and his overreliance on physicality and athleticism is now going to be laid bare and horrifically...
