I think the real take from the games this weekend is that Bournemouth would have ripped Arsenal to shreds
I dont know the dictionary definition of 'a pop', but Ange would do well to understand that the mood in the stadium is what he and Daniel have created. When you charge the prices that we do and produce this **** over and over again, does he expect olés and chants of his name? Mate, when you're in a hole...
I think he knows that. The comment he made was more about how the players might have responded in a bad way to it, but didn't. I don't think he was 'judging' or condemning the fans for their uproar. People are desperate to foster a narrative of Ange vs the fans. It's weird. He always makes a point of not judging the fans or telling them how to feel. The closest he got was explaining what might help the team when AZ arrive next week. Making it hostile for them.
I'm sure that fans will do their best. The atmosphere against Citeh, in the CL QF, was off the scale. I understand that against 'them' under Conte, it was even better. Our fans get criticised unfairly. Given the awful football and results over the last few years, there's been very minimal unrest. However, the stadium is likely to be rammed with Dutch fans going mental.
It's a precarious situation. An early goal for the Dutch will silence the place, and it will get very toxic very quickly. The entire season (and tbh all of last season too) rests on Thursday night, which is a ridiculous position for us to be in, but here we are.
Even fate is trying to help the man. Win the 2nd leg, and there is a 4 week gap before the QF 1st leg. All that is required is to get a decent run of PL form going, with the prospect of the strongest starting XI returning to the fold fully fit at the perfect time. The last 3 games have blown the morale of the 3 games prior.
Things are going to come to a head. It's inevitable. The club is all wrong, from top to bottom. Poor decision has followed poor decision. Back when Mourinho was sacked, the lack of a plan was obvious. Since then, every turn has been the wrong one. Ange is a symptom, rather than the problem but he has to go. He is the crowning glory of the last 6 or 7 years of incompetence but, if I was going to the match, I would be roaring my support until my throat and lung hurt. I have no confidence that we'll win, but we just have to hope...
fwiw, I felt Ange made much more sense than Mourinho or Conte. Both their style of football and their need to buy the best in every position to succeed meant they were doomed to fail. I also wasn't as put off by Ange's obscure background and unimpressive CV. We plucked BMJ from similar anonymity and he took us to within a lasagne of the champions league. But for me, the wheels fell off a long time ago. I actually think he could be really successful if only he'd be less stubborn about shoe-horning players into a very specific formation and even more specific style of play. With just a couple of tactical tweaks I think we'd be winning more than losing, but there's something they say about a leopard and its spots and at the age of 60, I doubt he's going to change.
The biggest issue, and I've been calling it out for a while, is our starting tactics this season are the backup tactics from last season when we were looking to score a late goal: overload the flanks with pace, drill crosses across the six yard line, and a tap-in or deflection will do the rest Last season this wasn't an issue, because it meant if Plan A wasn't working we actually had a Plan B for the first time in what felt like years - this season, however, we are using 50% of the tactical plan in spite an increase in fixtures
Sorry to be pessimistic, but I haven't seen any semblance of a plan since we lost to Chelsea at home last season.
It was quite obvious we had a Plan B weeks if not months after the match: move Deki inside, bring on Johnson and Werner, and attack the flanks with pace and directness Which is our current Plan A, yet we don't seem to have actually thought of a Plan C to move up the ranks as our current backup plan seems to be the same as the default but passing in front of teammates instead of behind them...which we should be doing anyway
Am going on Thursday and my biggest fear is that it'll be like the Milan match where we were 1 down and ended drawing the home leg nil nil in one of the worst performances I have ever seen from a spurs team...1 effort on target ... in 90th min!!!! I am concerned about what happens atmosphere wise if it's a poor performance...some of the last game atmospheres under Conte were ****ing horrifically poisonous
I was there that night, we were woeful, but I thought the fans stuck with the team pretty well that night until Romero was sent off and Conte needing a goal replaced Kulu with Sanchez, and I think that sent everyone over an edge from which Conte never recovered.
The thing with this is just who is supposed to be playing on the right? If everything's done the way the manager wants, then Porro's in the middle, Johnson's at the back post, so...? The system's just broken.
JJohnson comes in from the right at the start of the phase, so that doesn't necessarily seem broken The gulf on the right of the pitch where any midfielder should be, on the other hand, does cause grave concerns: Porro and Bentancur started at RB and RCM, yet both of them are breaking into/drifting towards the box from the left side of the pitch, while there's nobody in a white shirt within 15-20 yards of Johnson on the right side
Mind you, this looks like a tough crowd to please.... You think that was a tough crowd. Imagine if this lot turned....
