Sarr has made a huge difference. Having that mobility and engine in midfield makes us look so much more threatening going forwards
I suspect that his presence has been making Bissouma look better this season than the general performances suggest.
Decent enough half, although lucky not to concede ourselves and should have had at least another. Sarr is such an improvement on Hojbjerg
yeah agree. With Richarlison playing well and Kulusevski playing the Maddison role, the team isn’t severely weakened and we look much more like the team from the start of the season. We still look dodgy at the back but overall a huge improvement on the West Ham game.
This is where perhaps Ange doesn't get credit as a tactician, which is perhaps true of all managers who have very clearly defined styles of play - they are never going to make sweeping changes, so it is difficult to spot the little tweaks here and there. Pushing Richarlison up top freed up Son to take on Trippier - a player he knows extremely well and who has been struggling recently. Sometimes moving your top goalscorer to a position where he is less likely to score goals, actually increases your overall chances of scoring goals. It's these little touches that he isn't getting credit for imo.
If,and it’s a big if, we can see this out then hopefully even the naysayers on here will get back on board with what Ange is trying to do. The reality is the players who have come in aren’t good enough to play Ange type of football. But I really don’t agree that we should rip that up and play a different way just because those players aren’t good enough. I would much rather continue with what he is trying to instill into the team and continue the process. Going back to the boring defensive football hoping to nick a win is not the long term way forward IMO
Plus we now have four years of evidence proving that it doesn't work, even when you have one of the best strikers in the world playing for you.
Against Wolves, the team reverted to Portu-ball when there was no need to.. Against Villa, bad finishing by a rare starting XI cost the game. These results will be painful to watch, but the "natural selection" on the squad that arises will IMHO be worth it.
Not sure there are any 'naysayers' on this board as far as the bigger picture is concerned. Sure we have a few gripes over the recent self-inflicted wounds, but pretty sure everyone is 100% behind Ange