Not sure whether this is a good game for Fraser to make his return or not. On the one hand you would think he would prefer a relatively easy fixture to gain confidence where he wouldn't have much to do. But then again, as McCarthy isn't injured as such, and may well return next game, Forster may need to be busy to have any chance at staking a proper claim for the no.1 spot. he will certainly be very busy tomorrow!
Not sure Forster is the calibre we need, but he's what we've got so let's hope he has a good game. We need to restrict the number of shots against him so the defence will have to be bullet proof
McCarthy also has been playing slightly further out of his goal to deal with long balls over the top. Unless something massive has changed Forster is one of the least mobile keepers I’ve ever seen so we might have to play deeper to compensate
So, with the latest round of fixtures almost complete a win would put us level on points with Everton, spurs and man city. Whilst a win may not be the likely outcome, to be in this position after 16 games is testament to the hard work of this squad compared to the warchests the others have spent. Here's to a good start for 2021
Has anyone got an understanding of our tactics when the opposition have a free kick, out wide, about 30/35 yards out? What I have been seeing is that we are holding a very high line and just relying on VAR, as we don’t seem to be tracking any runners. Almost got caught out a few times, in recent weeks, with runners timing their runs okay but not finishing. With the likes of TAA to ping the ball into all that open space, I can see my heart getting quite a workout tomorrow.
I mentioned this in the West Ham thread, it looked, as you say, like Saints were relying entirely on hoping at least one of the attacking side would move early, and that VAR would pick it up. To me, this seems a strategy fraught with risk, and it’s only because we haven’t been punished for it that we keep doing it. It’s the equivalent kind of riskiness as the high line against Spurs which worked so well, and which we don’t do in open play any more. The thought of TAA and Robertson feeding Mané, Firmino and Salah from free kicks with the entire defence facing our goal and Fraser rooted to his line isn’t a pleasant one.
