As another poster has pointed out , we were beaten by a bloody good side who are challenging for the title. Move on , there are better opportunities to pick up points on the way. No need to panic.
Sunderland boss Gus Poyet says some of his team may have played themselves out of places in the starting XI for next weekend's Capital One Cup final after a poor display at Arsenal. The Black Cats will play Manchester City at Wembley next Sunday but did not enjoy a happy warm-up at the Emirates, conceding early on, falling further behind after a shocking back pass from Santiago Vergini, and eventually losing 4-1. And Poyet said: "We were very, very poor technically. "We did not give good angles and we were not brave enough as a team to pass the ball. If you only come here to defend, sooner or later you are going to concede. "Some people concede after 70 and lose the game anyway. We came today and conceded after a few minutes - then it becomes difficult. "After that, you cannot make mistakes, but we made a big one, and then it was a very long and difficult afternoon. "Let's not forget it was Arsenal we were playing away from home and they have got quality. "You need to be smart enough to slow down the game and organise. You have to be patient and press the ball, but we didn't." And Poyet admitted that he is now unsure about his line-up for the Wembley showpiece next week. "This was a perfect preparation because of the opposition, the pitch and the stadium," he said. "But only doubts I have got in my head now, plenty of doubts. "There are maybe players who are not expecting to play, who will play next week. "Apart from Manchester United in the cup semi-final, and Everton, we haven't played many of the top teams away from home. Today was the first time and it didn't look very good. We have to make sure we do better." Asked if he will now turn his thoughts to the date with Man City, he added: "I'm the person responsible, so I need to reflect on this tonight first and analyse what I did wrong." http://www1.skysports.com/football/...-plans-are-up-in-the-air-after-arsenal-defeat Video ^^
mannone bardo o'shea brown alonso johnson ki cattermole giacc fletcher borini subs ustari vergini whickham colback gardner altidore celustka
Their 5 man midfield would just stroll through our midfield 4, they'd hit us for a cricket score. The only chance is to match their 5 in midfield, press them high, disrupt them and break up their play. Even if they did play a midfield 4 then we'd still need a midfield 5 to stand a chance. Look at Stoke. Not many only get beat to the odd goal at their place. Just don't fancy Catts and Ji's chances against Fernandinho and Toure
i'd play -------------Mannone bardo-------wes--Jos-----Alonso ------------Catts-Jack AJ--------------Ki---------Borrini --------------Fletch Subs Scocco Bridcutt Ustari Whickham Cuellar Giacc
One of the features that struck me in the Everton Chelsea game yesterday was that Everton harassed the man on the ball but did not dive into the tackle with the consequence that Chelsea struggled to string their game together. Did a lot of falling over etc but ref kept game going. Could point the way for us next week as Everton were picking a fair few second balls.
this would involve putting one foot in front of the other which could be a tall order, but yes thats what should be done if we drop towards our back line we will get mullered
One part of Gus Poyet’s plan for his trip to the Emirates paid off – Lee Cattermole is not suspended for the Capital One Cup Final. A wretched display in losing 4-1 at Arsenal saw the Sunderland boss Poyet’s blueprint for taking on Manchester City at Wembley next Sunday go out the window. But while those on the pitch at the Emirates failed to put a convincing case to start the final, Poyet hopes leaving out his hard-tackling midfielder as a precaution will pay off. He said: “Unfortunately for me, it was the only decision I could control. “I don’t want to say something to get me fined, but for me the referee was one who normally sends Lee Cattermole off. Add to that the fact we were away to Arsenal – I am sure if we were to go two or three goals down, Lee is not the sort of player to have in the middle. “If there is one player starting next week, it is Lee Cattermole. The rest at the moment are substitutes.” Wes Brown may also be happy to have been suspended for this Black Cats' mauling. Now Poyet must hope the result against Arsenal proves a motivation rather than a crushing blow to confidence, after being surprised by the hunger for silverware on Wearside. He said: “If it does not help us, we are going to be in trouble. Badly. It was the perfect game to play before the final. Sometimes you come here and you play well and you think, 'Okay, we can go to Wembley confident – it’s easy.' No. “Sometimes a good kick in the backside at the right time is good to wake you up. But until the game next week I cannot tell you which one it is. But it is true it changed plenty of things in my mind. “Premier League survival is more important than the Cup final, but don’t tell the people in Sunderland. I thought it was just down to the manager to stay in the Premier League – apparently it is more important for a manager to win a cup in Sunderland because it makes you more famous. I am learning.”
