Very poor 1st half imo The only positive is that we showed bottle getting an immediate equaliser ... please can we pass and move quicker?
One word can sum up that first half... bewildering! We spent most of the half leisurely passing it around, insistent on trying to break down a narrow Sunderland team though the middle with little willingness to press and commit bodies forward. We then get sloppy and concede a goal from their fist real opportunity. Then suddenly decide to wake up and go for it and instantly equalise. Now we've gone back into the same mentality we had before we scored. Really odd.
We only ever look,like scoring when Sunderland start to get a bit adventurous and come out, giving us some space on the counter. Otherwise, we can't seem to break their defense down, just like we failed to do against Leicester.
Need to do better with our chances or score a cracker from distance. It's gone as expected really, Sunderland defending deep and narrow with everyone bar Defoe back. We need to take more risks with our passing and movement too. Even if we lose the ball it forces them to change shape as they try and attack but we're good at winning the ball back so we have to trust ourselves a bit and play quicker, make it difficult for Sunderland to settle. Once again we're conceding from the first chance the opposition have, this seriously needs to be looked at. Alli and Lloris with the errors this time. Get Son upfront and have Kane making late runs into the box to give us something other than what Sunderland are expecting. I'd take Dembele off as we don't need him for this type of game.
We're too narrow most of the time. Plus, as we've seen so many times before, we lack the guile to break down packed defenses.
I ain't laying into the players cos they have done us proud so far this season imo...and MP has done really well too..but the club need to pull their finger out and get a striker and defensive midfielder or our season will go the way of 2012 when when, instead of getting a decent striker and defender we got Saha and Nelson (decent in their time but only signed cos we messed around and they were what was left on the last day of the window). The dropped points v Everton, Leicester and today will cost us top 4
It seems glaringly obvious to me that width will win us this game. Tripper showed that from his great first time volley cross that went straight across the goal. If we push the full backs up, get some bodies in the box, Sunderland will be stretched and suddenly, gaps will open up. All this tippy tappy stuff is meat and potatoes to Sunderland. We need to test their legs more and see how they like it when their back four is defending farther apart.
Southampton signed Austin for £4m today. That will prove to be a steal, no matter how many games he may/may not play in.
Here's hoping.....width would have won us a few more points this season. We play too narrow, Poch needs to tinker a bit. COYS.
What a comedy show! Complete **** up of a free kick. Give the ball away, nobody at home in defense - lucky it's not 1-2!
I love what Poch is doing at our club and he's moulding a great team together BUT his insistent attitude towards our attacking system is infuriating at times. He's like someone who doesn't know how to use a sat nav correctly. Even though it's telling you there's a massive traffic jam up ahead, he still insists on taking that route every time, happy to sit going nowhere for hours because it's the most direct, shortest path even though a detour is clearly the quicker way to get to the destination. The pitch is wider that 20 yards but you do wonder sometimes if he realises that.
All too easy for Sunderland.. No real potency or desire to actual win this game from us. Worrying., very worrying.
