I don't think Puel had any option but to rotate the squad yesterday but I do think he went way too far with the changes. I can't see why we didn't have Yoshida backing up alongside Gardos who I feel had to be selected to allow Claude to look at what he has to offer to the first time. In addition, the midfield was woeful and would have been massively assisted by either Romeo or Davis. I can appreciate why many fans are disappointed but had we had the likes of Austin, Rodriguez, Targett, Boufal, Van Djik, and JWP available the starting 11 would have been different.
There are several points I want to raise. I don't understand what has happened to Harrison Reed as he looks a totally different player from the one who was so promising a couple of seasons ago, There were rumours of Man Utd looking at him and comparisons with Paul Scholes but under Puel he doesn't look Premier League quality. The whole can be said for many of the other midfield players. There are moments of class from Hojbjorg but also far too many moments of madness. If he is seen as a replacement for Schneiderlin, I really feel that he needs some individual coaching as he is looking less of a credible selection with each game . When I saw him first, I thought that he looked like the best acquisition during the summer and now he looks like a piece of work in progress at best. Regarding Clasie, there are moments where he looks terrific but, again, these are too rare. I am not convinced. The other player who really staggered me was Lloyd Isgrove. I must admit that I was surprised he was still at the club. Sorry to say he is way out of his depth and I can't recall him touching the ball in the second half.
As remarked in an earlier comment, the squad needs some urgent additions. I would say that we have been treated cruelly by the injury crisis but there is no quality amongst the more marginal players. The biggest plus was Josh Simms who struck me as inheriting Shane Long's contagion for never wanting to give up and always attacking. This is a young player I really like and, I am sure, someone with an attacking spirit who is going to be loved by the fans.
The other point I wanted to add was that I wish we had taken the FA Cup more seriously. When I first started following football as a nipper there was almost a stigma in being dumped out of the cup. No one wanted to lose to a lower league team and to be the victim of an act of giant-killing was sufficient to put the mockers on the rest of the season. The FA cup is still the best cup competition in the world. I wish Claude had treated it with a bit more respect.
