When did I say we were a mentally fragile team?
I was just about to reply to Jurgen but I might as well put it here. I'd prefer not to get into this all again as I've had long discussions on this in the past and its 1am where I am now.
But we have improved mentally. Massively. The Man Utd game was a very recent example. Even let;s say 5-6 years ago. I'd have spent much of that game terrified about the inevitable onslaught, the inevitable collapse. Yet I had full confidence in the team that we would go on and win. Of course, I wasn't sure we would win. Anything can always happen, a sending off, lucky goal, great subs by the opposing mabager, whatever. But I was confident that we'd see out the game. And we did. Confidently and competently. That is a huge leap in our mental status. It wasn't a victory on the ropes either. We really saw it out.
But as I've tried to say above, winning individual league games is very different to crunch knock out ties or real season changing league games. I've said in the past it is no coincidence that our 2 worst performances in the league during the Leicester season were the only 2 games we actually had the opportunity to leap frog Leicester into first place, rather than roaring along from a safe distance. It is no coincidence that we conceded 4 goals for the only time all season when we played Chelsea in the SF, even when they had dropped 2 of their best players onto the bench. And it is no coincidence that we've lost more European knockout ties than we've won in the past 4 years. There's a touch of the Arsenals about it in the past few seasons, when they get smashed in the first leg of some European tie, come roaring back in the 2nd tie and then somehow inevitably end up stopping the scoring just one short of what they actually need to bring it back. It happened just a few too many times for it to be a coincidence.
It is all if if if at this margin. We can't keep falling back on ifs.
Like I said, I know this won't be a popular view on here. But it is my view. I've said I love watching us play, I think we're great. I will remember this team, whether we win trophies or not. But again as I've said, progress is not linear always and I hope we don't end up looking back at this team as Leverkusen fans must look back on their early 2000s team that nearly won the treble and ended up winning nothing.
How is it a soundbite for the media? Like I said, this is an Italian player, playing for an Italian club. He has won it all basically, one of the best defenders in the world. Has no link with the English media. What possible reason could this man have to put out a 'soundbite'? He is clearly speaking the truth, what he actually believes. This isn't an Arsenal player or a Chelsea fan just trying to put us down in the media. Why would he care about the English league or British media and be trying to hit soundbites?
