Thought Mendy was excellent. Couldnt believe CP dropped Albrighton. He must see something in Amartey that I dont. Still its a results business and we won (again!) We are a work in progress for sure. A young, talented squad and a bright future.
Results really aren't reflecting our performances at the mo, although i understand that winning while playing badly is how top teams do it, bar a spirited performance against Man U, you can't really say we deserved to beat Wolves or Southampton. Think Puels still walking on a very thin wire, though will give him credit for dealing with the biggest team overhaul in recent seasons.
Puel is a real enigma for me. He seems quite good at bringing youngsters on and even his purchases (if they are his) have been good. But he seems to lack the ability to get them playing consistently and does make some strange selection and substitution choices. Against Man Utd we looked very good and played with ambition. Against Wolves and Southampton that had all but disappeared. True there have been some changes while the manager tries to find his best eleven and formation, but the spirit on the pitch shouldn't change dramatically. I do wonder how much a team reflects the manager's character. Take Man City and Liverpool; in Guardiola and Klopp they have managers whose personalities are mirrored in the way their teams play. The same can be said about the Burnley side of last season and Bournemouth, both of whom have no real stars but who have inherited their manager's never say die attitude and often punch well above their weight against 'bigger' teams and always put in a wholehearted performance. I am starting to understand why Southampton sacked Puel even though the team had just had one of their best seasons ever. When you have a decent squad but the team is not performing up to the level they are capable of, it can get very frustrating. Maybe it's too early in the season to be hyper critical but just the merest hint of passion and expression from the manager would be very welcome indeed and would go a long way to raising the optimism and lifting the spirits of everyone involved with the club - players and fans. Unfortunately I don't think it's in his nature.
Think you’ve got it right here. Puel does a lot right off the pitch and results on the pitch - that awful run apart - aren’t bad but he is just sooooooo boring. I think he’s actually been quite lucky that we have some exciting players - Vardy, Mahrez (last year), Maddison, Gray, Okasaki (to an extent) - who’s game is naturally quite exciting and covers up for his boringness. Away from home is pretty dire
They say dont change a winning team. Albeit he didnt have the greatest game he dropped Jonny Evans. Bring Amartey back in for Albrighton is strange. Why spend £25M on a right back to play him on the wing And if Puel really likes Amartey why didnt he ever play him ahead of Simpson? I find his team selection bizarre at times but while we win you cant knock him for him but the moment we lose he will get hammered for it
The bloke can't win, can he!! We all want the same thing, so let's all get behind him. I think a lot of people want us to lose, just so they can give Puel some s***
Of course we all want the same thing - the team to be successful, but it makes no sense to bury your head in the sand to what is going on. So far we have a decent points return from our 3 games, but that hides some uncomfortable truths. We played some attractive attacking football against Man Utd and were unlucky to come away with nothing. But the performance itself looked very promising. Since then we have beaten a confident Wolves side (who do look quite good) due to some monumental luck, and struggled to beat a very poor Southampton side. Both of the last 2 games have seen us play very much on the back foot. Basically we are continuing where we left off last season. We have a squad with some real talent, but we are playing in a very subdued and unambitious manner and I fear that we will get well and truly turned over by Liverpool if we don't show some ambition against them . Where is the fearless attitude of 3 seasons ago? We all want to see the team be as successful as they can be based on their ability and it is frustrating to see us performing so unconvincingly with the talent we have in the squad. Who except the manager can dictate the way and tempo in which the team plays? I really hope Puel can turn the performances around because there are many things to like about his youth policy, but I can't help feeling that he is just one of nature's unexciting people and that will be reflected in how the teams he manages play. I hope very much that I'm wrong but fear that history might keep repeating itself.
If we look back our title winning seasons. Then we had a settled 11 for the whole season. During the championship winning season and the Premier League winning season the team didnt change unless we had an injury as a suspension Claudio Ranieri’s downfall started with him constantly changing the team. Often for changes sake. We picked up that season when Shakey got a consistent team out again Puel likes to change players far too often. He did at Southampton and did last season and has done the same again this season If we win a game 2-0 then for me you stay as unchanged as possible for the next one. Its a challenge to the people in the squad to keep the shirts and the bench to get them back But keep changing players and the put square pegs in round holes while doing it is bizarre. Amartey shouldnt ever start at right back unless there is injuries or suspension. He played Simpson and Albrighton ahead of Amartey there last season so why all of a sudden but he as first choice and then put your new £25M right back on the wing? Puel seems to be his own worst enemy and I think as good a manager as he is, he makes too many poor and questionable decisions that cost him
