It’s not really unnecessary though because he is a genuinely bad footballer. His on the ball ability is arguably the worst at the club. He gets flack and stick because he’s often one of our poorest performers. He doesn’t suit this system one bit either, both in his natural position and certainly his secondary. We need a new RB but there’s more pressing needs in January at the moment, just have to hope Porro doesn’t join our injury list.
Yup, he’s a rank rotten RB and even worse CB To play him ahead of Dorrington and Phillips baffles me as both have a potential ceiling a lot higher than him.
Completely agree. I think he’s an absolute rotter of a player. In that Winks bracket for me. It’s a really bad message to our youth too; no matter how good or promising you are, you still won’t get in the side because poor squad players out of position are preferred. We’ve been a graveyard for our academy players the last 6 or 7 years and it looks like nothing’s changing.
In August before a ball was kicked most of us expected 10 -12th place season. To be in 5th is better than we could hope for but ... We started the season without Bentencur. We lost Peresic and Solomon in September ... but coped. We got Bentencur back. We then lost Maddison, VDV, Udogie, Romero, Bissouma, and then lost Bentencur again. Romero, Udogie and Bissouma all returned and we went a roll of 3 wins. Then lost Bissouma, Romero and skipp (who was very good v Everton) . The idea that we should cope with that number of players missing is beyond optimistic IMHO. We are relying on players that the manager wouldn't touch in other circumstances. Players like Son and Kuluchevski aren't able to be rested so are now struggling. On top of that we have a manager who is still getting used to a new league while having to get the best out of players like; Hoejberg, Skipp, Lo Celso, Richarlison, Royal, Gil and Dier ... non of those would be starting if not for the injury crisis. We don't see players in training, Ange does so he has the right to make his own decisions. The criticisms of a manager who is giving us some excellent football and currently has a team mostly made up of players who were giving us Jose/Nuno/Conte ball with much better results is way off the mark for me.
An awful player, completely unsuited to premier league standard football, needlessly bought for an inflated price by Pochettino along with Lo Celso and Ndombele?
Highlighted this bit in your post. You’re right in that we don’t see what goes on in training but we do see what some of these players do on the pitch and we know they’re not good enough. Almost every man and his dog can see Emerson can’t play CB (he can barely play RB) so people are rightly aggrieved that he gets picked over natural CBs. Conte saw Sarr and Bissouma in training and rarely chose to play them. Managers can make questionable selection calls. I can’t sit here and say Phillips or Dorrington would definitely be better than Emerson but what I do know is that I’d rather see a young player with high potential get a chance in the team over an absolute rotter of a player who is often amongst our poorest of performers. I don’t think anyone is denying Ange has been rocked by some rough luck with injuries and suspensions (though he isn’t the only manager this season) but it doesn’t mean he should get a free pass when making poor and/ or questionable calls. He got a lot wrong tonight and he’s been criticised for it. Just like how Son has been criticised for his performance, despite the fact he’s our star player and usually a shining light.
Emerson and Davies did little wrong tonight. No combination of CBs stops the two silly penalties being given away plus the worldie from Estupinan. We lost because all of our midfield and forwards played badly and gave away three goals.
Totally agree. I've been to a few games this season and am yet to see a single person wearing one. Hideous creation.
The entire back line plus Hojbjerg shoulder the blame for a really poor opening goal to concede. And Brighton were just pinging balls over the top with joy and ease because neither Royal nor Davies are strong enough in the air or on the turn to do anything about it. If he isn't going to start Dier, at the very least playing an actual CB there (Dorrington or Phillips) would be useful. Bmouth are also a physical side and Solanke is an absolute handful this season and will bully those two all game.
I genuinely do not get the criticism of the manager. 1. Wonder goal ... player not closed down by midfielder 2. Stupid penalty given away by midfielder. 3. Stupid penalty given away by sub midfielder. He sees players in training... there is obviously a reason for his decisions. He is new to the Premier league, has to play players who are not his choice as he has an injury crisis that I have not seen us have. City are struggling while missing Debryna and Harland...we are missing Peresic, Solomon, Bentencur, Maddison, VD Ven, Romero, Bissouma and have missed them for a long time. The idea that a settled team like Brighton, with players used to a manager and who the manager knows can do a job for him missing players is compatible with our situation is fanciful IMHO. We are 5th, playing attacking football that is good to watch. We'd have killed for that before a ball was kicked this season. Some fans seem to forget how **** we were to watch over the past four years. I think the club are well aware that Ange needs backing and think he will be. There is no way Levy will wanna piss him off cos job offers will come his way from clubs who will buy him suitable players. Chelsea and United could well be looking for a new manager sooner rather than later.
Emerson was at fault for the first. Got turned inside out as the covering defender. But I would largely agree otherwise.
I thought that they basically dealt with all of those, to be honest. A few hairy moments but you're going to get them with the high line. Didn't jump in, give away silly fouls or do anything particularly stupid, as far as I can recall.
They done little right either, especially the Brazilian. The lack of quality between the pair likely fills other players with fear and it probably subconsciously forces others to act irrational in the box where usually they’d be able to rely on a proper CB to take command. We’ve conceded 9 goals in 3 games when Emerson has played CB. He simply can’t play anything like Romero or van de Ven both defensively or from a tactical ball playing aspect, playing him at CB is basically giving Spurs a handicap at the start of the game.
As per my comments the other day, I'm not criticising Ange for this performance either. Players need to take responsibility - and not until it was arguably too late did they show any strength or commitment to the cause - which has been a shining light under the new coach this season. But equally this isn't a game that we can use the ' look at our injury list' excuse as Brighton have a similar situation. Tonight wasn't good enough. Ange knows it I am sure.
I think Kulusevski's suspension has come at a good time. He's had a really good run of games but has played practically every minute of the season so far and it is starting to show.
The teams who have managers that make them play at a high intensity are also the teams that have high levels of injuries. Newcastle, Tottenham, Brighton. It isn’t a coincidence. You haven’t been unlucky. It goes hand in hand with the style of play and demands from the managers.
The biggest issue tonight was two moronic decisions that led to penalties (by midfielders), a striker who got himself visibly offside needlessly ... twice and missed a very good chance at the end of the first half and a winger that seriously screwed up a great chance in the first half ( Johnson). None of that is on Royal. Had the 2nd worst signing in our history understood how the time his run properly, and had two midfielders not made moronic decisions we'd be having a very different debate on here. Throwing players who you don't think are up to the task in is gonna kill their confidence, while playing Dier would have killed any chance of playing with speed. Personally I don't see how we criticise Ange when he has 6 first teamers and 3 bench players missing. Royal and Davies did not cost us tonight. kuluchevski, Lo Celso, Johnson and Richarlison did. I don't think we should be scapegoating them but if anyone deserves criticism it's them not Ange or Royal.