Over analysing? You're the one digging into it on a game by game basis, all I've said is Carvalho has scored 5 goals Omur has scored none and yet Carvalho is getting the stick!
It did look like he played on the right - along with Slater If he played on the right who took Coyle's place?
I didn't think anyone did, I thought we changed shape to basically just play with one CB and two full backs.
I'm not going game by game at all. I'm saying there's a correlation between his level of performance and the overall team. And I think he is more likely to underperform in the less glamour games - but that he isn't alone in that. It's quite simple really. You're the one trying to read more into it. So knock yourself out.
Carvaalho is obviously talented but given the way we are playing he doesnt get a lot of opportunity to show it
He's not alone in underperforming in some games and has done well in the rest. Absolutely. So what I started by saying. Why you turn simple statements into these back and forths I'll never understand.
I've defended him previously and he starts in the 10 for me, But he hasn't quite been the player we expected him to be, grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck and dictating it, rather a series of moments within games. Whether that's based on unrealistic expectations or not is open for debate, but my point (observation) is he's like a bellwether player.
I don't think Carvalho has been bad, he's just not been as good as he was hyped up to be. He's the best technician we've had in ages and I just want to see more from him. That's where the frustration is for me anyway. I won't lie I think his focus is on pre season and impressing the new Liverpool gaffer and he's playing a bit within himself as a result but I wouldn't say he not trying, just wary of getting injured and using us a springboard to get his sharpness back and play regularly
He's not going to die for the shirt though is he? Or even risk coming off worse in a 50/50. We've got too many like that. Won't risk a slagging to take a risk that might win you a game or make you look stupid. Let alone get hurt. But then why would you when you're more interested in your future profile than actually playing for the club you're being paid to represent? We brought too many in who've seen us as a stepping stone. We also brought too many in full-stop. Every window under this new ownership. And it's inevitably going to be the same again next summer. We need to sort that to give any head coach a chance of meeting their squads potential. We need a core of a solid side first, then bring in the prodigies on loan. Not make the strategy about prodigies on loan. And have huge churn every window. Whoever is in charge is going to struggle with this.
Put his foot in on the Morton cross to score against Leeds when he could have pulled out to be fair but yeah I think this is why I've come around to what I've seen a few people saying and think we should be playing as many players who'll be here next season over the loanees. Even while not writing the play offs off, I think there's an extra motivation from the likes of Tufan/Slater/Omur to Zaroury/Morton/Ohio.
I'm not saying he's doing it on purpose, and flaking out but it's more subconsciously he's knows there's bigger challenges ahead for him and where we finish doesn't have any impact on his career. If we go up, any lads contracted to us likely double their money. Players are definitely thinking about their futures at this stage in the season and it shows. It's funny but I think we'd have been better off not signing Zaroury and Carvalho. We ripped up a team that was well on course for the playoffs when we only needed a bit of fine-tuning and we've not settled since.
I raised it a few weeks back but I actually think if we went up we'd have a crack at signing him permanently as I don't think the fee demanded for him would be as outrageous as some might think it would be. Yeah I suggested that the other day too, that hindsight would say that not signing Zaroury and Fabio and instead playing Tufan and Omur wouldn't see a huge decrease in output in that frontline, and those funds could have been better spent elsewhere.
It's people like Adama too, 12 months ago he was flying when he came back but he's not had a sniff this year. First, we signed Twine who was an anti-climax and then we brought the lads in in Jan which has severely limited his minutes. I think that they all just got a little too excited in January and I'm sure they'll learn in future. Everyone remarks how we've got an inexperienced gaffer, but we've got an inexperienced board too and it does show. Acun's amazing but he definitely gets over excited and we've seen it a few times now. Yes, of course. It's just an odd coincidence that a lot of players have lost form at the same time too. Morton (had his best game in ages yesterday mind), Connolly etc. I find the goalscoring thing puzzling because in November/December we had 4 players on the verge of hitting double figures and we're in April now and nobody has hit the 10 goal mark. It's certainly not as simple as the system doesn't work because it was working fine for the first half/two-thirds of the season. LR is also a bit of a victim of his own success, I think had we been 8-10th all year and never really challenged the play offs the fanbase would be more content as it's steady progression but because we've spent most the season in the play-offs and fallen away, it leaves a sour taste. Prior to the season, most people were happy with the thought of a top 10 season but now people want him fired for achieving the previously accepted target
Yeah, I said the other day it's a tough one because when you have the chance to sign Carvalho you leap at it, but if you leap at all those chances just because you have the ability to sign a player without thinking through how they fit in with what you've already got, you get a squad like we have. It's why I think Giles signing permanently is eminently sensible because it's actually a position we need a player in. Outside of right wing and striker, I'm reasonably comfortable with the permanent options we already have (and at a push Slater can play there, whether people want to scoff at that or not). I don't think an overhaul of our attacking positions is needed, just a signing or two to add some quality. But if most weeks we have a front four of Connolly (on first half form), Philogene, Tufan and Omur, I don't think that's too far wide of the mark. If Jaden goes then we replace him at a snip, and I'm sure we'll bring in another couple of strikers to supplement Connolly, but those positions actually feel reasonably ok. It's the support for Seri and defensive options we need to focus on, and then supplementing what we have, not improving upon it.
