Don't know why but I thought this was an away game. Obviously, more confident with it being at Anfield
Wonder if Macca will be available for this game. I would like to see Gomez or Bradley at RB so Sobz can play in midfield. Winning the midfield battle will be key in this game, so Macca, Sobz Grav, and Wirtz are essential in there. I have no concerns with the attack, even though Salah has not been at his best. Gakpo to start and Rio to come on with 30 minutes to go. Only real worry is Kerkez who seem to dive in a lot.
Saka out for 3-4 weeks. Odegaard likely to be assessed ahead of the game. We'll probably play Madueke on the right, with Max Dowman coming on as a sub. If there's no Odegaard, then I'd expect Eze to come in a play his position. If not then I think Eze will start on the left. As long as we can defend against your front three, then I think we've got a decent chance in this game. You'll want to come and attack us, which should suit us tbh. We're very good on the break and we also now have the option of a ball over the top to Gyokeres, who loves to feed on those sorts of balls in behind.
Agree with RB, I think Bradley will start. It'll be two of the three highlighted. Leaving the attacking four (Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo and Ekitike) the same. If all three highlighted play, then I think it'll be Gakpo that's dropped with Wirtz going left
And how much of that... (going easy after going up) allowed our squad to stay fresh all season? As painful as it is to see us turn off in an individual game- is it deliberate say we stay competitive in 38 games?
Yes... but 10 minutes into injury time is pretty late! The last few years- with injury time in all games lasting a lot longer than it did a decade ago has been really beneficial to us... I don't know the stats, but we seem to score more last minute injury goals than most teams.
Arsenal have brilliant record against big 6 - undefeated since Arteta came in but a lot of those are draws especially away from home. Saka out injured is big miss for them but they have depth. They’re the best defence in the league but we have brilliant attack even when not on form. The huge one will be how we cope with their set pieces though.
Rat-arsed in the pub last night, so didn't post. Got up at midday and saw that social media is awash with how Newcastle were 'robbed'. I didn't expect Gordon to get sent off, not because he patently didn't deserve to get a red, but up until then, Baldy had given them every ****ing decision going. Got to say though, I was utterly flabbergasted that 2-0 against 10 men, and we stopped attacking. 10% possession against 10 men, ffs, and their goals came as no surprise. But the number of times we got the ball on the break, sometimes with 4 or five breaking against three, and just gave them the ball back. Full credit to Newcastle, and Bruno in particular - dirty bastard, but a warrior. Souness-type performance. Ekitike was sound, but I thought Gakpo and Mo were hapless in that second half when we turned over possession - the old Mo, with Mane and Bobby, would have crucified Newcastle on the break in that 2nd half. Instead, we tried midfield tippy-tappy against a pack of hungry wolves. If ever a game needed Macca's cool head, this was it. Seen some figures of Jones' performance that imply it was a masterclass - I disagree. One of the advantages/disadvantages of watching in a pub is that you can barely hear the commentary, so I can only go on what I saw, and that is that his backward and sideways passing was okay, but every time we had a runner free going forward, he denied the pass, or didn't see it, or simply muffed it up. 3 points though, but problems are there, especially in that midfield. Maybe it will get better, but I think we look unbalanced. Oh, and Kerkez was ****e. This is not the player who was fantastic defending and going forward last season for Bournemouth. This has to be said. And we need Guehi, because if Real want Konate I'd let him go for £20m. never mind £40m.
Yes jones was dross. The problem is carragher rimmed him live on sky so now everyone says he must have been good. He wouldn't pass it simple. He'd hold it til.close then not pass it far, just close enough so we had to go back again. He lost the ball by making stupid passes to a plauer in tight space or being closed. It all looks great. Short pass. High completion rate but when you team is going backwards or losing the ball in a tackle a second after the pass completion you are putting us under pressure.
No 100% it bought us nothing. We were passing it about aimlessly at times last season and doing thst again. When you have to dig in and defend like mad like last night you will be tired. 2-0. Could have gone to 3 or at least kept them in their half while we k locked it about with intent. Instead we are defending defending defending. It does catch up.
Whoever wins this wins the title. Sorry- the other 30 odd games don't count, they're going to be cancelled after this game is over and the 2026 champions crowned.
It's an indictment of this current defence/midfield, though, that even with a 2-goal lead in the last two games (and against 10 men, even), that we can't relax and save ourselves, and our opponents know it. We need a CB AND a DM more than we need Isak, tbh, and does anyone know why we're not in the discussion for Hincipe as well? If we can get rid of Konate in this window, that would be a big plus, but we can only do it if we get 2 CBs now that Quansah has gone.
Oh, theres definitely problems. I don't think we need a DM, maybe a tweak to playing style. We absolutely need a CB though.
I'm gald my eyes weren't deceiving me. I think he was trying to be a slim Jan Molby and ended up being a Scouse Christian Poulsen.
You rest by pinning them in and moving it. The more they clear anywhere the easier it is get it back and pass it high up. There were stretches in thst gsme newcastle.were not pressing and vvd and konate were quite high just knocking it about. Then jones comes back and the ball ends up at alisson having to clear it long. You have to still move, you.cant just sleep. The difference between moving at half pace and sprinting and tacking and blocking. You.can move all day at half pace knocking ot about as long as you've an intent and an outball. It's a lot harder work when the forwards stop and theres no out. A lot of the time yesterday I was begging them to put it down the line wide to gakpo and salah but they wouldn't. They would just then go back but at least its will up the park.
Yep, that was my impression, the Ray Wilkins' school of possession football - sideways, sideways, sideways, then back to the goalie (and that's from the days when the goalie could pick a pass up).
