He's been like this all season, but for all these frustrating moments we're witnessing, we have to remember that he has scored 7 goals and has 10 assists already. Last season he finished with a total of 12 goals and 5 assists. He's a match winner and it's debatable whether there's anyone else in the league who can take a better free kick. i'd much rather have him than not!
In a way I agree Roo, he never managed more than 10 goals in a season in the Eredivise either which is why i really mean it when I say that I see his main asset as assists and general influence on the game. Maybe I'm being too harsh but for a player of his technical ability in his 3rd PL season, I feel that the latter has been falling short on a consistent basis throughout this season. With Alli, Son, Chadli and Lamela all scoring at a fair clip, we honestly don't notice Eriksen's relative lack of goals. It's the overall influence I'm more interested in and there's a part of me that worries perhaps we saw the extent of his abilities in this regard last season. With the whole team around him really kicking on this season i'd hoped he'd emerge as the absolute heartbeat of the team, setting the tempo and orchestrating attack after attack from the acres of space he'd have created for himself to operate in. I worry that maybe he isn't quite good enough to be 'that' player in a team that is now challenging for the title. Right now, in terms of overall influence on the team, I don't see him as indispensable. Kane, Dier, Toby and possibly Hugo are the only players we have in that category. If a bid north of £35m came in for him in the summer, would you say no?
And can the Liverpool fans please make use of the thread that has been specially designed by HIAG to cater for their burgeoning intellectual needs? I cannot fathom the obsession some of you have with lampooning onto our match threads as if you genuinely gave a ****e about the game going on. I don't think I've posted a single message on the Pool board in my time here.
Just got back and have to say I agree with what I have just heard Alan Pardew say on the radio, they were a bit more hungrier than us on the day, a wee bit more sharper and less wasteful in possession. Getting the ball to Kane through 4 or 5 players proved very difficult, oh for an in form Aaron Lennon to be playing for us today. Poor vocal support from our fans today, well outsung by Palace who were great up until Alan Mullery appeared at half time and then they showed a poor lack of class. We go again on Thursday. COYS.
I am genuinely interested in the start of #bottlejobgate whos to say this result is not the beginning of said event.
There's one scouser claiming we were lucky not to lose by 4 or 5 goals! Would have loved us to win the FA Cup ... its now 25 years and counting since our last one. I think Palace did their job well and our players looked off the pace in the 2nd half of the 2nd half (if that makes sense). Thought there was a good atmosphere but thought Palace were pretty mutted after the first 10 minutes until they scored. And was really disappointed with their classless booing of Alan Mullery...was that cos he was Brighton manager back in the late 1970s? Also wished we didn't bother booing Adebayor...thankfully that chant about his mother only got one outing...hate that chant. We were unlucky to concede on Thursday and unlucky not to score today so do not see any reason to worry as we weren't awful in either game. The next 2 weeks are going to be pivotal. .. Thursday we play Florentina, Sunday it's Swansea, the following Tuesday or Wednesday is West Ham away and the following weekend is Arsenal at home. The plus side is the is no real travel involved...but realistically, if we are to maintain an outside title chance we need at least 7 points from the league games.
It's our perennial problem, we're not clinical enough a lot of the time. We get possession, territory, but we too frequently huff & puff and end up banging our heads on a defensive wall. Like you, I was hoping Eriksen would be at least a partial solution to that. TBH, he looks knackered half he time. And can he please stop taking corners!
Spot on. The lack of travelling should greatly help us navigate a crazy 10 days of fixtures. Looking at the fixture list, if we progress in the EL it really is relentless from now until the international break at the end of March. If we'd equalised late on today I think I would've cried - where the heck were we supposed to fit a replay?! Even a straight win today would've left us with something like: March 2nd - West Ham March 5th - Arsenal March 10th - EL 16 March 12th - FAC QF March 14th - Aston Villa March 17th - EL 16 March 20th - B'mouth It's just insanity looking at it that way. Obviously we aren't yet past Fiorentina but I'm quietly confident we can do it. But a combination like that can derail a team's season. Most Arsenal fans I know are in absolute meltdown because they've now somehow got to squeeze a replay away to Hull somewhere in between facing Barcelona, United away, Swansea at home and then us away. I'd imagine they'll schedule the replay on the Tuesday or Wednesday after they play us, so they'll be kicked around by Hull, kicked some more by West Brom, then picked off by Barca at the Nou Camp. On reflection, I'm relieved today finished as it did.
I hear what you're saying and I don't disagree over the influence on the game/s. Often he doesn't pull the strings and can be anonymous. However, we should remember that for a long period until recently, he was used on the left. Many of us pointed out how he was less effective as he couldn't get into scoring positions, didn't have the pace to be a winger etc etc. - and it's only recently that he's gone more central, after supposedly being unhappy on the left. in our last 5 premier league games, he's score 3 goals and 3 assists. Coincidence? I think when used to his strengths he's a big asset and we'd severely miss him if we didn't have him.
I was told a replay would have to take place on the QF weekend, so probably Saturday 16 March. But Pardew was saying there had been a hint from the FA that they would ask us to have a replay on Tuesday March 7, which would have been 48 hours after Palace had a league game and 48 hours before we had a possible Europa game. All irrelevant now of course, but I would still prefer to face that fixture congestion than to be sat here tonight and be out of the FAC.
The 16th of March is a Wednesday OS. As far as I've seen, FAC QF games will be played anywhere from Sat 12th-Mon 14th of March. Presumably the 5th round replay would need to be played before the quarters? If so, the only time to have it would be Tues 8th or Wed 9th of March, hence the gooners now being in total meltdown as its a few days after playing us and if they progress, their game against West Brom would have to be moved to after the international break which further congests their run-in. In any event I don't see what they're getting so worked up about as they'll be out of the CL long before they even need to visit the Nou Camp.
I meant Saturday the 12th. The club did receive an indication from the FA that a replay on this date would be considered. My earlied post suggests Pardew is saying Palace were given another indication. As I say, it's irrelevant now, but I am gutted we're out of the competition.
So you would've been happier to take this to a replay rather than to go out? I'd draw the line there personally but I guess you see more firsthand what these lads are capable of and how much they can be stretched.
Surprised you didn't include Alli in that group. For his age and relative inexperience, he's had an unbelievable debut season scoring goals and providing assists from day one. I only see him growing and improving beyond any of our expectations. Somewhere close to where we hoped Eriksen would get yet he seems to have plateaued as far as progress is concerned. Alli on the other hand, looks set to be our next Bale if you ask me.
