Conte’s still been calling the shots even when he’s absent. All this Stellini praise is a bit strange to me. He’s a good assistant but that’s it.
There might be something in coaches. But I think it’s also more likely that there’s just a freshness around the team and squad that is starting to motivate players. Emerson has strung together some convincing games since Porro signed. Skipp knows this is finally his big chance to stake his claim with a run of games since his long injury layoffs. Son is getting benched and while Richy isn’t exactly brimming with end product, he’s putting the effort in. Not saying that the likes of Bentancur weren’t putting effort in when he was in the team, he’s one of our best players and always seems committed. But squad additions, better rotation, and an enforced change in midfielders has just given us a little bit more of an edge in a couple of key positions IMO.
I agree, I think the pick up in form is down to several factors. To say it’s because the players perform better when Conte is absent isn’t something I believe
Davies playing as a wingback also helps in my opinion. I think he's better out there than as a left CB. People seem to forget that Pochettino often played three at the back with Rose/Davies sharing that role. Mason undoubtedly remembers and maybe he is more vocal about it in Conte's absence. Who knows?
There was a rumour a week or two back that ‘Arry was considering a return to management. If ever we needed a “pick me up” for the next few months…
When all is said and done, we are reaping the rewards of every single footballing decision since moving to the new stadium being a poor one. From sacking Poch in the first place, to the almost unfathomable choice of successors since, to a frankly abysmal recruitment policy that has seen us go through 7 transfer windows and in that time only added 3 players who genuinely look the business. The path from the academy to the first team has been an overgrown neglected mess since the emergence of Oliver Skipp five years ago. It all points to holistic confusion from top down. We don't have an identity and until that is fixed, inconsistency and over-reliance on individual quality will plague us at every turn. This summer needs a huge reset. Conte needs to go, as do appx a dozen members of the senior squad. Our first phone call come June should be to Roberto de Zerbi and Brighton's entire scouting network. Pay whatever it takes to bring them all in. The work he is doing there is magnificent and I'd love it if they win the FA Cup. That and Arsenal winning the league would be the biggest 'you've royally fecked up' possible in Levy's general direction and, I hope, the wake up call he's needed since his shiny award winning project opened that we have lost our way badly. This for me is the only comfort in Arsenal winning the big ticket. Barely a month after we sacked Poch and embarked on what can only be described as 3 years of complete nonsense, they appointed Arteta and embarked on a project, backing him through thick and thin. May it be a lesson to the morons currently running Spurs.
Sami Mokbel says that whilst no decision's been made it would seem likely we part ways with Conte in the summer - shock. Says that Levy and Poch still have a good relationship but others at the club would need convincing Poch is right to bring back. Apparently Steve Cooper and Oliver Glasner are both admired.
Hardly names that would placate the fans, are they? Glasner's done a decent job so far, but most people wouldn't have a clue who he is. Cooper would appear to be a very unambitious target. Both favour the use of wingbacks and similar formations to our current one. That would suggest that this is something that we're sticking with. Really not something that I'm in favour of.
I agree that from the general outset they aren't overly inspiring albeit I am a fan of Steve Cooper but then it's likely many probably would've said similar if we were linked with Potter and De Zerbi both pre-Brighton, or someone say like Frank pre-Brentford etc. As for wingbacks I think it's a case of having to stick with it due to the fact we've brought in four WBs over the last 12 months. Though that said, I'm not a believer that FB to WB or WB to FB should be such a foreign concept to a player, Rose and Walker/ Trippier had no issues switching between them, Porro strikes me as being able to do similar, Udogie is a bit lesser known until he kicks a ball here but I'd like to think he could switch it up.
It would be funny if we employed Steve Cooper and he wanted to bring Aurier with him. Looking to Germany for a manager makes more sense to me than the Latin countries that we have favoured for years without success. Argentina and Germany play more like the English football traditions than the Latins. I think we could see that with Pochettino.
