Funny how all these reports about players and managers getting death threats on social media suggest Liverpool fans are ambivalent about that never walking alone thing...
I feel like such a child admitting it, but I still derive so much pleasure from Chelsea getting soundly beaten.
What is it with Amorim? The defence never plays together as a unit for a whole match, never mind a run of games. How on earth are they expected to develop any understanding? It’s crucial they do - to play offside effectively, for example - but they never will. I’ve never known a successful team that didn’t have a settled back line.
Utd are poor. Even Cunha & Mbeumo appear to have little impact now. Fortunes spent again yet the team hasn’t improved. Failed to beat 10 man Everton & now a rubbish West Ham team; 1 point from 6 at home when having a great opportunity to take 6/6 and be top 4 with 27 points. At least Spurs have players who can make things happen - even if they tend to centre backs. Is it worse to have a team which tries but seems to be useless or one that seems lethargic and unmotivated but might have some ability?
Last season? None of our centre-halves managed to play in at least half of our league games. We started with van de Ven and Romero, who then both got injured, rushed back and re-injured. Dragusin then played a load of games in a row before also being injured. He's still out now. Davies and Gray deputised until we were forced to sign Danso in January. Just to pick an easy example, here's the back four from our four games against Utd: 3-0 at Old Trafford: Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie (subbed at half-time). 4-3 in League Cup: Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Spence. Forster in goal. 1-0 at home: Porro, Danso, Davies, Spence. 1-0 in Bilbao: Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie (subbed after 90 minutes). Romero made 18 league starts. Van de Ven made 12. Porro started 44 games in all competitions and was a sub a further 7 times. Literally played more games than both of our "starting" centre-backs. Djed Spence was an outcast at the start of the season and still played 35 games.
Yes, I accept what you say, but you still had a settled back line - even under Ange. It was just circumstances which didn’t allow it to play together that often. But nobody would disagree that it would be a back four of Porro, Romero, van den Ven, Udogie. That was the back four in the EL Final - and it played 90 minutes together and was instrumental in you winning the trophy. Amorim chops and changes personnel, absurdly subbing defenders for other defenders late in games, destabilising the back line and causing costly goals to be leaked when a settled defence might have seen the game out.
I think that we disagree about what a settled back four is. Did Postecoglou have a first choice defence and goalkeeper? Definitely. Did he have the opportunity to pick it with any regularity? Not remotely. I don't think that either approach is inherently bad. Managers of clubs that are regularly in Europe have to rotate regularly. It's arguably Guardiola's strength, though he obviously has the luxury of massive depth. The problem is balancing freshness, quality and rustiness. Get it right and you win trophies and you're hailed as a genius. Get it wrong and you're a tinkerer who doesn't know what he's doing.
