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Welcome Ange: To Dare is to Didgeridoo

Needs to tell his coaches to tell the players about game management and to play it safe in the last few minutes.

How to defend crosses might be good as well.
Makes it a lot harder when you bring on Skipp and Gill and take off Maddison and play a back 5 which I don't have a problem with but not when you completely cede the midfield and continue to play a high line.
 
I think teams have worked out that they need to pack the middle of the pitch and turn it into a real battle -- and it's working. Over to Ange to find a way to mitigate/work around that. Try something different; keep the fullbacks wide and play more natural inside forwards for a bit.

I'm not at all concerned but he's never come up against this calibre of coaches and teams before. In the past, he's usually moved on long before other clubs can counter his tactics.
Not at all concerned.

Arguably yet to field a team we would consider our strongest 11 this season. Will probably be quite a lot of movement in and out come the summer giving us more suitable options that fit our style of play.

Our downturn in performances has been with a lot of players missing and now with still quite a few players missing and others just returning from significant time out injured.

If we're still struggling when we have mostly our best 11 and the players are/should be match sharp perhaps I'll be slightly concerned.
 
I think today was the first time I've heard Ange criticise a referee in a post match interview.

Glad to hear he did. A step in the right direction to him understanding the differences of top level football.

His philosophy worked in weaker leagues with dominant teams, to have success here he needs to bring the dark arts into play and put pressure on officials.

Levy won’t care how popular he is with the press and how decent he is with officials if we aren’t picking up points.
 
Arguably yet to field a team we would consider our strongest 11 this season.
If we're still struggling when we have mostly our best 11 and the players are/should be match sharp perhaps I'll be slightly concerned.
I think I read that Klopp only fielded his strongest 11 three times in 8 years or whatever it is?
We can't expect to have our strongest 11 out.
If you threw Bergvall or Devine into that, will it work? Obviously not.
It needed a large change in tactics, we were just scrappily defending and giving away set pieces, pushed right back and fearful.
 
I think teams have worked out that they need to pack the middle of the pitch and turn it into a real battle -- and it's working. Over to Ange to find a way to mitigate/work around that. Try something different; keep the fullbacks wide and play more natural inside forwards for a bit.

I'm not at all concerned but he's never come up against this calibre of coaches and teams before. In the past, he's usually moved on long before other clubs can counter his tactics.

Problem IMO today was neither Bentancur or PEH played the CM role well at all so that harms any impact. Both gave the ball away cheaply and were drawn into fouls. Sarr wasn't perfect coming on but his style meant he broke their press better and also gave us more help both ends of MF.

As with most managers I think it's a personal problem and between losing them, getting them back and losing others its been tough to put out anywhere near our strongest side.
 
First choice defence in place.
Midfield strong with Bentancur and Maddison.
But we're conceding a lot of goals and not seeing games out.
It's a concern.
Bentancur is clearly not back up to speed/in poor form and Madders is in a similar position, although better than Bentancour. But I guess they both just have to play themselves into form, as Biss ain't coming home yet. Mali currently 1-0 up against Ivory Coast, heading into added time.
 
Well it is a trend at the moment with regards how we see it out games and us conceding in 8 times in the last few mins is highest in league. And I mean it could be worse with other teams and we managed to hold on.

Work in progress and hopefully our players will understand that sometimes it's not needed to do silly challenges or hospital passes in our area with 2min to go. Just a shame we have not cotton on yet. We can't keep scoring 3 times!! And even when we do it's nervy.

Patience. Soon it will all be so lillywhite bright, the only upset we will have is missing out on winning a treble one season😁
 
He was exceptionally bad, but I bet that if I go read some Everton fan chat they'll be claiming he has a Tottenham tattoo somewhere.
I use to like Oliver when he started. Now I know whenever he is in our games we will get fudge all.

On LWS podcast I heard a suggestion that refs let things go now cos they have VAR to fall back on. Maybe something in that. But I also think cos it's personal! But every team can say that and they would also be right.

And honestly Ange would be saint if he went all season and said nothing about them. Cos quite frankly if it's not other teams getting away with yellow cards all day long. It will now be nudging goalies. And let me tell you. We do that to Alison at pool or sneeze his way and it's a foul.

So now we do the same to theirs. But not Romero as the ref would likely send him off and not Kulu or Biss. Anyone else can......
 
I think teams have worked out that they need to pack the middle of the pitch and turn it into a real battle -- and it's working. Over to Ange to find a way to mitigate/work around that. Try something different; keep the fullbacks wide and play more natural inside forwards for a bit.

I'm not at all concerned but he's never come up against this calibre of coaches and teams before. In the past, he's usually moved on long before other clubs can counter his tactics.
Think this is a really good post. Seen a lot of “when x, y and z come back, we’ll be as good as we were in the first 10 games.”

I’m not so sure. There was a bit of the element of surprise about those games and we overachieved. Other clubs are now finding ways to counter Ange’s tactics and finding little chinks in our armour so there’s a lot for Ange to do.
 
Think this is a really good post. Seen a lot of “when x, y and z come back, we’ll be as good as we were in the first 10 games.”

I’m not so sure. There was a bit of the element of surprise about those games and we overachieved. Other clubs are now finding ways to counter Ange’s tactics and finding little chinks in our armour so there’s a lot for Ange to do.
What we can’t do is carry a player
Anyone who isn’t playing at 100% hinders us
We have seen in the last 3 games that bentacur isn’t up to speed currently, but what’s the alternative?
Maddison needs the games to get match fit which again is an issue
These games are won and lost in midfield and the last 3 games we have okayed we have had real issues in those roles
 
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