Match Day Thread Not to worry, but we do lack a finishing touch sometimes - My thoughts on the Brighton game

Well, I think if we were offered 9th place and 9 points after 6 games at the start of the season, we'd have taken it.

If we win half our games this season I'll be over the moon, because it would make us Europa League contenders! But it's highly doubtful we'll be there.

It's not great that we lost to a relegation rival, but we've beaten others and we're still not losing dramatically. We just had it nicked from us.

The only thing I'm concerned about at times is that we don't have anyone that looks confident in front of goal at the moment.

Joselu will take time but maybe for £5m we shouldn't expect a man that will score more than 10 goals this season. Maybe he'll just be a good target man to bring others into play.

Ratings -

Elliot - 7.5 - Kept us in the game again.

Yedlin - 6.5 - I thought he was quite solid. He won quite a lot of headers for his size and apart from a few little silly mistakes he was mostly solid. The lad is quick.

Clark - 6.5 - Reasonably solid

Lascelles - 6.5 - Not bad.

Mbemba - 7 - Good defensively and going forward.

Ritchie - 6.5 - Worked hard, but didn't deliver as much as usual going forward.

Hayden - 5.5 - I don't really see what this guy offers other than work rate.

Merino - 7.5 - Some great passing and intercepting.

Atsu - 5 - His decision making really does frustrate, but he did threaten a few times.

Perez - 6.5 - Some good runs and work rate.

Joselu - 4.5 - Missed a good chance but apart from that didn't really have a chance. Anonymous.

Gayle - 6 - Got into some great positions but couldn't make much of a difference.

Shelvey - 6 - Looked a reasonable threat coming on but not enough.

Games - n/a

Benitez - 6 - I'm thinking that he probably should have started with Shelvey and Gayle against a side like this. We missed a good opportunity to expose Brighton on the counter in a game which they had to win. He made us too predictable and that's why Brighton dealt with us quite easily.

MOTM - I'll give it to Merino because he did look the best way forward for us at times.

 

merino get him signed up as soon as ..best player on the pitch by a mile for us .. very good review

 

Perez 6.5 lol. I remember my 1st pint of acid

 

Merino is unreal.

 

Some generous marks for me. Defensively we were ok. Yedlin was ****ing awful. Can he not tell black from blue because he spent the game giving the ball to Brighton. Lascelles did too but not to the extent Yedlin did. I thought Yedlin had potential but he does lack a brain which will always limit him.

Hayden was very poor. I've noticed whenever we go behind he goes missing. Joselu is so limited. We have a real big problem up top. We literally have nothing. Perez works hard but when he is on the ball he just seems to spend 50% of the time falling over it.

I can't really blame Benitez though. The team is set up correctly. If we had a proper partner for Merino, a no.10 with genuine quality and a striker who can finish, we would be a decent side. It's right down the spine which is killing our ability to do even better - if we can stay out the relegation zone it's job done however.

 

It was our wingers who were ****e today! Atsu showed why Gouffran was ahead of him in the Championship and Ritchie did his usual I'll just shoot routine again.

 

Neither were great but Hayden, Yedlin and Joselu wipe the floor with them for ****ness today. Joselu gives you no confidence. He never seems to connect truly with the ball. He reminds me of Rivière in that regard. The clue is in the name "striker".

 

The wingers were full on ****e! What is the point of having 2 wingers when 2 wingers don't cross the blooming ball.

Yedlin was alright, not great but not full on ****e.
Hayden was average.
Joselu needs confidence - though it looked good that Gayle looked hungry when he came on.

 

Rarely got in the right places mind, I said with Gayle in the champ if we create 3 in 90 mins he'll finish one of them. With his positioning, can we create three with him on the pitch in the prem.

 

Hayden is clearly not cutting it in the Prem, difference when Shelvey came on, we need to start Shelvey next game.

Joselu isn't ****, just has lack of service and is starved up front alone, we're expecting way too much of him right now. I know Rafa loves his lone striker, but we can't assume everything will come from Joselu.

Generally average performance, had the better chances, but weak defensively and blunt up front, exposing the lack of squad depth.

But yes, Merino is a sexy beast.

 

Joselu did look like he was creating a diamond from ****, that crap rides with Shearer but literally no one else that has played in attack for us since.
Merino has been a shining light since the season's start, I'm literally falling in love with him.
I think Hayden offers the defensive cover Shelves doesn't. I think.merino would need to play a subdued role with Shelves, something I'm not in favour of

 

One of those days. I said to my mate at half time it would take one moment to win the game and that's what it proved to be (and off the scorer's shin at that). A cagey game, a draw would have been a fair result. I do think we got somewhat outmuscled in the air by a physical and tall team. A lot of those balls knocked upfield landed on Brighton heads.

 

Merino was the best player on the pitch, comfortably. Hayden is very limited, Joselu is an absolute donkey, but Yedlin was bossed today down the right and Mbemba was pretty useless as well. Doesn't help when Solly March fouls Yedlin, and still gets the decision, but meh.

Rafa is so slow to react and change things, it's frustrating and shows a lack of confidence in his squad. What's wrong with Murphy? Why keep 3 cbs when losing and bringing on Shelvey to sit deep? Why change a striker for a striker? Why bring on a lb for a lb? Really poor game management overall.

Fair play Brighton, took their best chance and won the game, a deserved difference between the two sides.

 

The single biggest difference at PL level is passing under pressure and retaining possession - it is an absolute killer.

Yedlin just gives the ball away for fun. Hayden does it too but he mainly goes missing. Yedlin I was hopeful on but some of the places he gives away possession will cost goals. He was full on super ****e.

Gayle looked keen to prove a point but he needs a partner. Not sure that fits with Rafas plan. The subs were just weird. We were 1-0 down. Leave strikers on and take a risk. Gamez as your last roll of the dice??!!!

 

Normally I'd agree but we got three results from effectively ceceding possession. Yeh the Gamez thing was ridiculous, maybe he thought the lack of pace would become indifferent that far in and his passkng would help build attacks. You live and die by the sword, Bemitez will get some wronfg, but a damn site more right than Pardew who, might I remind, set some sick and depraved record for his inability to save us when losing

 

I had assumed Mbemba might have got a knock?

 

Pardew was a god among men

 

That's all very well but it's how you cede possession - if it is because you are sitting deep allowing the opposition to have it in non dangerous areas, that is fine.

However when you play like that you are relying on making the most of what possession you have. If you have numbnuts passing it to the opposition while you're trying to build an attack - then it's not fine. It's far from fine. You've then taken your dick from a nice juicy pussy and dipped it in an asshole that half an hour earlier was curling out a Cleveland steamer, and the owner of that asshole has not wiped properly. You've got a ****ty dick and it's not ok.

 

what on earth...

 

Perez was as usual an absolute no mark. Him and Hayden need to be dropped, they're downright useless.

Don't care if some members here find his little move and tricks fun to watch, he creates little, can be knocked down by a light breeze and is greedy to boot.