The performance of the new signings so far is very encouraging. Albeit from a small sample size. And if the reason there has been a delay in the further recruitment is because we are looking for similar then that is somewhat reassuring
Hopefully that will see the end of the 3 CB nonsense. We were unsurprisingly transformed when we switched to a back 4.
Was a great comeback but pretty piss poor before that. Honestly believe the formation is to blame and I hope to see at least once in the next 24 hours for Ralph to suggest that he got it wrong. My instincts are that he will blame the defending on the players and want to take credit for changing things round.
Was there today and as much as I have backed Ralph, it is piss poor it took him an entire pre season and almost 2 games to realise 3CBs does not work for us. As soon as we switched to a back 4 we dominated them in every aspect. I get that Perraud was injured so his hand was forced, but he played 45 against Monaco not long ago so cant be far away. Back 4 against Leicester please Ralph
Well done for putting a positive spin on my accurate observation although half the story is mathematically incorrect
It was good to see Ralph changing it up and the team responding but it shouldn't have taken until we were 2 down to do it. I've never been a fan of 3 CBs unless it's away against Citeh or the Scousers and I hope that this match convinces Ralph not to employ it. We looked like a dangerous team with a purpose after we scored and it'll be good for confidence to have pulled out a result from a tricky situation.
Some of it is a little OTT But clearly the formation was wrong today. Although I’m sure there would have been some uncomfortable squirming if we started with a back 4 with Djenepo as an orthodox left back Can we just get some full back cover in to make a back 4 more viable again?!
No more excuses to use three CBs going forward. Ralph must have seen how much better we were once we had a fourth attacker. It allows us to press more, attack quicker, and look so much more threatening. One point gained and two points dropped. ABK really impressed me on his debut. And Mara's cameo's was seriously good.
Yes, the 3-5-2 doesn’t seem to work. But the problems at the end of last season were that we leaked too many goals and we had no plan b. Ralph seems to have been trying to tackle both these issues. The experiment failed. We move on. And I’m a RalphOuter ffs.
This is fair. Because there was a point 4-2-2-2 stopped working as well. Completely I guess some more plan b options need to be considered
I don’t know what it is about 5 at the back that’s so hard, we didn’t bring on a holding midfielder when we changed formation? It can’t just be that the CB’s aren’t good enough?
Yep. 3-5-2 might be necessary from time to time still, eg; at Anfield and the Etihad. It will look much better with Perraud playing and the CBs more familiar with it.
Weren’t there a couple of games last season where 3-5-2 really worked for us ? And there hasn’t been that much player turnover I guess we need a Broja type striker to keep teams worried? Did he play in those? I’m struggling to remember Or was it the spurs match with the red card where we then had to change to a back 4 anyway to get a point?
Just back. This forum is hilarious, absolutely hilarious reading for the first time on the way home since 12pm when I left to go to the match. So predictable too that some posters pop up when we are 1 or 2 down for the first time, then meekly disappear with a token 'yay' when we equalise. Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious.
