I agree with this, Dele isn’t in the XI I want us to try, which is more of a fluid 3 behind Kane with Son, Gil and Lucas. It’s scary how important Skipp is already looking, isn’t it. Weirdly, Dele and Højbjerg were basically doing the same thing on the left and right in the first few games - getting up and down the pitch and specifically trying to set pressing traps in the wide areas so we could regain the ball. That both were more notable for their defensive actions than their offensive ones is telling, like you say.
Very scary, before the season started I did think there was a possibility Skipp could start alongside Hojbjerg to create a solid midfield base (instead of initial talk he’d be Hojbjerg’s backup) but I wasn’t expecting him to be so crucial to not only the defence but in also aiding Hojbjerg’s game. I like Hojbjerg very much, he has his mistakes but I think in general he’s been a very good player for us and is already one of our “better players” after Kane and Son but I’m starting to already think Skipp may well be a better player for the pure fact of how he’s able to improve those around him. Players who help others excel are absolute gems in my opinion and one of the first priorities this club should have outside of incomings is doubling or tripling Skipp’s current wage and ensuring there’s about 5 years to run on his deal. Him and Gil are our future but I think they also need to be our present too, such is the state of this team at the moment.
I'm not sure if it's been mentioned that yesterday's starting XI didn't include a single player who wasn't here last season. Not one. Not even Skippy, who was at least owned by us during his time at Norwich. Nothing has ****ing changed. Let alone revolution, we haven't even evolved. It's an absolute ****ing **** show. WTF was Nuno asked at his job interview? What style of play did he indicate he was going to use? Was he asked what he needed to do it?...because from the outside, it looks like he was asked "Will you say 'Yes', if we offer you a 2 year contract?" and that was that. It was bloody obvious that we came up light in the search for a manager and failed to fill fundamental gaps in the squad...with keeping Kane at the club as the primary aim. I'm at a loss to see how anyone can be satisfied with this bollocks and Levy should be shown the door by Lewis when he sacks Nuno. It's his fault.
These are some very interesting quotes and the fact that they don't surprise me in the slightest means I won't doubt their veracity. We have short memories indeed if we forget the run of games following the 4-0 win over QPR in 2014 that saw us win just 2 of the next 9 games - both by a single goal and the one against Villa almost entirely due to them going down to 10 men. That run included one of the single worst displays I have ever seen from us; the 2-1 loss at home to Stoke in which Bojan of all people picked up the ball after 5 mins, walked calmly past our entire midfield and defence, and scored. It was a truly horrific game and had we not beaten Hull (again - scraped it with a last minute winner after they went down to 10 men) in the following game, the pressure on Poch would've been dire. It took him until mid December to really get us going. We picked up 3 wins on the trot then held United to a draw after which was THAT game against Chelsea. And we didn't really look back from then on. My main concern with Nuno is whereas Poch was clearly innovating and experimenting throughout his first 3 months, Nuno has persisted with the same formation and more or less the same tactics as didn't work under Jose.
And what’s worse is that it was even weaker than last season as we didn’t have Bale on the right. Lucas is a solid player to have in the squad but he’s not a starter. No goals, no assists so far this season… poor.
That Newcastle match thread: https://www.not606.com/threads/tott...tle-united-match-history-1905-to-2014.281257/
**** me - were you taking something that day? Happy, clappy soul of the party! (And 100% right. Well done!)
Not sure if this is true, but I read on Twitter that in the 2 years Ndombele has been with you, he's only completed a full 90 minutes on 9 occasions (in the league). If we assume that figure is legitimate, that's diabolical. I know he's a supremely talented player, but it means nothing if you don't apply yourself or show it on a frequent basis. There was a moment in the second half where you had a free-kick and I was watching him. The guy was panting like crazy as if he'd run a full marathon. He can't possibly have covered much ground in that game to be sweating profusely. What is the deal with him? Is he not suited to the league? Does he have excess weight he needs to get rid of? Is it the type of manager that you've hired during his time at the club that don't fit in with his strengths? Because when you signed him (and Lo Celso too), I was very jealous. But neither of them seem to have had the desired impact.
He’s not good enough to have the team adjust to him though. Apparently he’s a difficult individual to get on with off the pitch and he’s not the best trainer too. Imo the cons outweigh the pros when it comes to Dele Alli and now it’s time for him to go elsewhere.
One's a fat lazy prick with a lot of talent but chooses not to fully utilise it and probably never will. The other just isn't all that. But tries being a bit like Lamela with ****housery. £97m well spent.
Lyon fans said he grows into fitness over a season My first thought was to see if Ligue 1 matches have 30 minute halves...
His stamina's diabolical, but he does surprisingly well in the stats on a lot of closing down stuff, rather bizarrely. He's an utter liability defensively and may as well not know what's happening behind him in a game, like he's blinkered. Needs to either play as an attacking midfielder or not at all.
Harsh words but bang on. I feel the same and we’re not the only ones. The fact Spurs had Lo Celso on loan, saw him up close and still decided to sign him is just
Then the fact Pochettino actually chose to wait a whole year for Ndombele and pass up the opportunity to sign Tielemans in that time frame is also just
Considering you paid a club record fee for him, I guess maybe you'd expect more from him considering his natural ability. I don't quite understand why his stamina is as bad as it is. I genuinely believe he has the talent to be one of the best midfielders in the league considering his skillset. But he just doesn't do enough IMO. Maybe he needs a different manager to unlock his full potential. Obviously I'm delighted that it's not working out, but if I were in your position, I'd be gutted that a player as good as him isn't doing what he's capable of. Just a huge waste of resources and time.
Either we decide that his creativity is something we need and we build a line up around him, warts and all...or we banish him to the bench and minor cup games. Nuno's pick...the poor ****er. Nuno's space for experimentation was very small from the off and is getting smaller by the day. It's not his fault that he's been appointed into the worst atmosphere in a long time...but that's why he got the job - because a number of others said "No"...and they weren't wrong. He's got a very poor selection of midfielders, so an unfit, unmotivated, wantaway is getting games and could end up having a team built around him. He's shuffled players, particularly defenders, like a pack of cards. Now it's time to pick a unit and try to train it to do its job. Currently, it's like he's drawing names out of a hat. Hojbjerg and Skipp have to be fixtures in PL games (God help us if they get injured!), to try to win the midfield and hopefully we play someone in there who can move the ball forward quickly and accurately...it's Ndombele or Lo Celso...because it certainly isn't Winks We either sort Kane out and get him to try or we drop him and go with Bryan, Sonny and A.N. Other. It may not work, but if he doesn't start making smart choices, he's gone...and soon, at that. Levy will throw him to the wolves when the booing starts, the poor ****er.