Says a lot about the players mentality and not in a good way. Can motivate themselves against the best teams as they fear a hammering but when it comes to the other games can't be arsed. Bunch of ****houses.
I’ve long thought they up their game because it’s good for their highlight reel to get a move away from Saints.
Were we any better with 4 at the back and 2 actual CMs? I've been hoping we'd play that way for a while. Our performance against Liverpool away, being the hardest fixture of the season, perhaps not the best litmus test.
It was a great first half from us and if we'd played like that from the start of the season, I don't think we'd find ourselves in this position. The gulf between our teams was so evident in the second half though, not only in players but also management. Even from the stands, Slot out managed Juric - his three subs at half time turned the game as Liverpool increased their work rate and intensity. However, our travelling support was great yesterday and in fine voice. Sully was really impressive driving forward and Liverpool could not handle him much to the consternation of the supporters around me (hahahaha). I felt for Fernandes in the second half, after another failed attack he just sat in Liverpool's box looking fed up. Hope we can keep hold of him next season.
No shame in eventually succumbing to the best side in the league. I wonder if we had played this system, albeit with an actual striker would be nice, for the entire season whether it would have been enough to beat the bottom half sides and give us a chance. Your comment on Fernandes is interesting too. If Sulemana just sat on his arse rather than track back he would be public enemy no.1!
I don't mind not playing a striker if the strikers who we have aren't good enough for this league. It's still not a good strategy - and that's our fault for repeatedly failing to replace Ings - but it's better than wasting a place in the starting line-up. The more important thing is to be adopting a strategy which fits the players who on the pitch. For example, if Onuachu isn't up front, stop banging the ball forward. We've done that too many times under Juric - when all it achieves is to give possession to the opposition CBs.
I agree with all of this. However, the booting the ball long does relive the pressure for a bit (albeit only for a bit until the next wave), and allows us to regroup. It is so much better than the suicideball of Russell Martin. Yesterday we were much better with 4 at the back and no stupid following your man wherever he is on the pitch.
I agree on the benefit of booting the ball to relieve pressure or regroup. But against the likes of Forest and Brighton we were doing it from our own KOs. And given how many goals we ship, we KO quite a lot! One pass back to KO, another pass back to Ramsdale, then bang it upfield in the hope that Archer has suddenly become Drogba. The result being that within seconds of us kicking off, our opponents are flying towards our goal.
It shouldn’t be a binary situation, but an analogue one You can’t do the same things all the time as that becomes easy for the opposition to counter Hence under Russ we should also have played long at times to push their block back But we should sometimes play short to try and avoid them just playing a low block and if they press play past the press You then need to vary your long balls according to who you have up front For pace you play over the defense and down the channels, for height/holding the ball up you play high to your strongest forwards, if you have both you can do both If you have neither you can’t do it Unless you play high and expect to not win them but have midfielders who can win second balls It’s simple this football lark
I guess that were it not for the Russhambles and Ivangotanidea but the players haven’t games, we’d have taken that result, probably expected it around that score line etc. Yet you know our time in the PL is over, Mike Dean thinks our goal was offside, Nunez got the right colour card and all’s well with the world. VAR is generally weighted against us(not always though!) and our name is hardly mentioned in post match reviews. My outlook is now, a few more of seen to be trying harder in games, the summer clear out and happier days for a while in The Championship, all coming!!
