The use of a clubs history is a tired clichë. He plays amazing attacking football, up with some of the great stuff played in the past. Why can't he emulate the solid defending?
It'll be interesting to see if you have turned a corner here, I'd guess at yes and you'll win a a few on the trot now.
We didn't look like we'd turned a corner for 70 minutes of that game on Saturday tbh. We lose that game and the pressure ramps up on Koeman massively....but irony or ironies he brings on the forgotten man Niasse and the game turned on his head. Football is a fickle beast and we got lucky on Saturday, maybe that bit of luck will be a defining point, I sincerely hope so.
It was home v a side that was awful. Look you are not Liverpool under hodgson. I don't think he's lost players and I don't think there's much wrong that can't be worked on. But you've got no pace so you've got to be more Solid at the back first then figure out the goals.
We've got plenty of pace, he's just not putting it on the pitch! Lookman, Mirallas, Lennon, Niasse and Vlasic are all quick pacey players. He picked 3x No.10's again on Saturday in Rooney, Siggy and Klaasen - all of whom want to tuck inside and none of whom have any pace, it just doesn't work. He needs to change the shape and accept that he can't pick those 3 in the same side.
Koeman's treatment of Niasse was a #joke all along. He came in and saw Martinez had written him off so never gave him a chance either. Only being #deperate after Moshiri's refusal to buy a forward after not getting the Barkley money forced him to reconsider.
He played him for 45 minutes of a pre-season game when he arrived and then promptly told him to **** off. The fella has obviously improved dramatically since then, and he's finally earned his chance. Fair play to him as he's never whined about the treatment he received. I'd written him off after seeing him when he arrived, so I was wrong as well.
Not sure we can make anything of that. I don't think he's different to when he first joined although we won't know as we never saw him play any first team games The fact he's not been close at all to the first team and Koemans wanted to get rid a few times. It was more a wild chuck at the dice by Koeman that paid off (and hopefully gets him gametime). I reckon Koeman just didn't fancy him because he wanted someone who has a bit more all round ability (looking at the strikers koeman has preferred). One thing about Niasse is he's enthusiastic, he's got a bit of pace and judging from his time at hull and he's 2 goals, he's got a good finish on him, pretty similar to batshuayi in respect. Technically he's a bit ropey but Koeman needs to start him more as i reckon he's better than Calvert Lewin who is a bit better in all round play but imo hasn't got that killer touch or that strikers movement.
He is mate, he made a couple of cameo appearances that had people literally laughing. Koeman has been forced to turn to him due to both necessity but also down to the fellas form in the U23's where he'd been banging them in.
Well, if the stats support it, then why is anyone arguing with it? My feelings were always that the assertion that you must have a good defence to succeed is a fallacy. When I looked into it I found that in fact the free-scoring teams won the PL more often than the mean defences. I merely reported that. My stance is, and has always been, that both is best - surely that's self evident? - but if you have to have one or the other the high scorers win more often. And it's more fun. Where did I ever say we'll win every game? No-one wins every game. Of course a quality attack will fail sometimes, but so will a strong defence. I'm going to leave it here, because there's only so many times I'm prepared to say the same thing. The facts speak for themselves, but it's a waste of time me trying to convince anyone so wedded to an idea that they'll refuse to accept anything that doesn't fit with it.
He wasn't fit when he came. Koeman didn't fancy him either. Buthe got his head down and has worked hard.
Before the Leceister game, I think the statistic I had read somewhere was we have scored only 3 goals in our last 70 shots. I don't think you can blame our shortcomings on defence alone. If our attack didn't waste so many opportunities, the attack-first mentality would be working.
AC Milan won the league with a GD of +21. Even Leicesters GD of +32 is very low. The highest in the past 17 years has been 71 which the average at +50
All out attack with scant regard for keeping a clean sheet will never win you the league in this country.
