Very tentative 1st half, Dortmund were slicker and quicker and ran the show with very clean swift passing. We played counter attack and were sluggish and careless with the ball. Second half we came alive and had we had a decent striker, might have won by several goals. Dortmund were hanging on for several spells and kept in it by their goalkeeper. Referee was yellow card happy and stopped too much play. Mudryk couldn't stay on his feet or keep the ball all game and needs much more time. RLC didn't do a lot , a fit Kova would be an upgrade. Much improved team performance but still far too much slow play , but when we attack we looked 10 times better . Need to get far more attack minded from the start at the Bridge, and we can get the win to take us through. Finally some real improvement.
We’ve now got some ridiculously quick players and Potter isn’t using them to full effect. I just think Potter is out of his depth trying to get the best from the talent at his disposal. Hansi Flick was at the game - I reckon he’ll be our next manager.
Especially noticeable was how well Dortmund players worked off the ball, all of them running and making themselves available for quick passes to someone forward or reversing play to someone on the other side. By comparison, we walk around and hang back waiting to see what those behind are going to do with the ball. Only Felix and Hernandez seem to be intuitive to anticipating where to run. RLC makes good runs , but like Mudryk , Mount , Ziyech and James, it's mostly "one out " stuff, not a combination a players working for one another. Can we blame Potter for that?? Probably, because it seems a fundamental problem that's not being sorted. Will it get better when he settles on a 1st 11, with bench players also in tune with the others ?? Hard to say, but little evidence to show it has or will.
Maybe, but like most of the Team he's wondering what the Plan is and which position he might be playing next game, if he gets a run at all.
Jose Mouriño, Hansi Flick, Antonio Conte, Pochetino - I’ve seen those names mentioned to replace Potter - a desperate situation we’re in and we need to appoint a proven top manager soon before there’s a total collapse.
Yes that is very true. But he was very obviously told by someone to get tight on Bellingham in the second half: even my daughter noticed... then again all her age group love JB
He looks excellent, as does Hall, then there's Levi Colewell and a seemingly never ending line of kids. But wait there's more...... we have bought a pile of under 20s including Santos, and the Italian kid who scores for fun in the under 18s or 20s. If they ever get past the mountain of expensive imports, and they seem to be the long term plan, then all the better. We just have to play them or lend them properly as has happened to Bellingham. A lesson for us there.
His last game he was poor but prior to that he played brilliantly , I think as a winger, then in the back 4 and then in midfield where he certainly faltered. MOM against City, so ready or not , he's a talent. Poor old Cucurella can't take a trick, he just can't get going like he did for Brighton, it sure looks as if he's not quite the player we thought. But Bellinghams progress is the kind of path all our kids need to take, and that's basically ,to play, either with us, or in a pretty decent loan team. Dortmund has been brilliant at bringing on young players, lesson for others there.
