Match Day Thread Watford v Southampton Sat 4/3/17 3.00 PM

Redmond had gone up a notch since.. oh, just after Christmas. He was dynamite against Liverpool in the League Cup, and since Manolo has come along he's raised his game again. I think he's playing extremely well at the moment. Sometimes still makes the wrong decision, but who can argue with 2 goals today.?

 

I would but a certain teddy bear (not the legendary mathematician from on here) is occupying it at the moment!

 

Don't be 100% sure on one of them not making it.

 

Sorry, that's an absolutely horrid idea. Why would you play one of the best centre backs in the world out of position!

 

From your own admission, the belly is similar.

Tbh, I've been eating a little too much pasta myself lately.

 

11 points behind a bang in form Everton? I can't see it.

(And that's assuming that the FA Cup winner comes from the top 6 - but given the names left in the cup, that is very likely)

 

I thought we had the opposite problem for most of the season. we had a midfield 3 from Clasie (DM) Hojbjerg (DM) Romeu (DM) Ward-Prowse (CM/RM) and Davis (CM) early in the season we were creating chances with the diamond but had bad luck with strikers finishing them, them we went to a 4 3 3 and i felt we lacked people with the ability to take the ball forward from midfield and we were just too defensive minded. seems like we've dropped a DM and replaced him with Tadic which has changed the balance quite a bit!

i would like to see Hojbjerg given a chance, if only because i haven't seen much of him as i rarely get to see midweek games.

 

I'd kept weight off until the last month. Four weeks travelling with colleagues in old job and two weeks travelling in new job. Hotels and restaurants most nights. Tough battle.

 

Browsing through SW, you'd have thought we lost ffs

Genuinely don't know why I go on there

 

I went on there earlier, saw people criticising Puel and saying 'Cacares MUST start' as if they had any idea what kind of shape he is in right now.

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I much prefer you lot.

 

I I didn't realise hojoyleberberberg was a DM. Classie is not fantastic as a CDM, maybe rose tinted but think I would prefer cork given the choice. Davis Ward prowse etc are not DM's.
We did play defensively, but was the way we set up and tactics not the personnel. My argument is simply we need another out and out DM. Reed may be the future but I have my doubts, for me DM requires similar physicality to CB.

 

He's been brilliant since the turn of the year for me... probably needs a song.

Yep, said much the same.

 

36 points to go is it.? I wouldn't say it's cut and dried just yet.

 

There's absolutely no chance of us reaching Europe this season.

Top 10 would be a good season for me, try and keep Virgil and make a crack at it next year.

 

I'll probably have a look tonight. Only time I do is night shifts as it passes the time.

It genuinely makes me laugh on there sometimes.

 

You are perfectly welcome to continue to hold out hope. But 11 points is one-third of our whole total. And as I say, Everton are in-form.

On the same basis, you probably should have highlighted my comment about relegation too. Because mathematically that is still possible as well. But neither are going happen.

Just catching WBA in 8th would be a very good achievement for us from here, in my view.

 

You would if you were preparing to become the England manager.

 

VVD is a world class CB. It would be ludicrous to move him from there.

 

If Everton merely keeps up their points per game pace for the season (rather than their recent form), we would need to take 32 of those remaining 36 points. How good they are has gotten lost a bit owing to how top-heavy the league is this season...they're on pace to better our marks in points and GD of a year ago, but that's good enough merely to be cut adrift from the CL contenders. It's entirely possible, maybe even likely, that two teams will miss CL this season with a points total that would have earned second place a year ago.

 

I've seen less of Hoj than a lot of people probably as i wasn't able to see any of our European games live and thats when he usualy seems to start, but he was touted as a DM when he joined i think, to me he seems to be the closest player to a schneiderlin we have, though clearly not at his level. He also played at the base of the diamond in an EL match to give Romeu a rest i believe.

Personally i would sell Clasie in the summer and buy a more physical replacement.