Don't subscribe to the myth out squad is better than yours (or Arsenal's). Take Mata and Hazard out our side and our squad is probably on par with Everton/Liverpool. We have more experience but not more quality. Cech, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Ivanovic, Cole, Ramires, Mikel, Mata, Hazard, Oscar. I don't rate any of the rest, midtable players I've said the same to PISKIE who seems adamant we will only get 1 point from Liverpool, Spurs and United. Unlike Arsenal we do better against the better sides where Benitez doesn't make any ****ty team selections and the players are at their best and have higher levels of concentration. 1 win from 6 against Reading, QPR and Southampton says it all. Honestly not worried about Liverpool/United away or you lot at home. Top 4 will be won or lost in games like yesterday, Sunderland next week and Villa away etc, big games take care of themselves.
I wouldn't pay too much attention to Piskie's predictions, DL. He always thinks that Arsenal will win and their rivals won't, regardless of the opposition.
Terry? Cahill? Torres? Ba? Marin?! Terry is a ****, but he's still a top CB Cahill is a very good CB also. Whatever people want to say about Torres, he's a world class striker. - He's proven himself, but chelsea is just the wrong club for him and he needs to move on. Ba is a proven prem striker, certainly above Midtable standard. And Marko Marin is also another exceptional young talent, IMO. I was desperate for us to sign him, but he's had a tough first season. Injured for ages, and when fit doesn't get a run of games. I thought he looked excellent yesterday. - But again, it's probably a case of him being at the wrong club, one which is full of midfield talent. we're probably both quite evenly matched (in terms of numbers) with "good" players. However, I think your "good" players have that little bit extra in terms of quality, over ours.
You're being extreme YV, i don't know why you think I've suggested gung ho attack for 90, thats being ridiculous...obviously. I'm saying the emphasis should be that, not come out 2nd half, 2 up with a see how it goes attitude. Everytime we attempt this it backfires due to having weak links trying to defend. You encourage this in one sentence, then say the defence is crap in another, so I'm not sure where you're coming from?? If we're trying to emulate the Barca style in some way, do you see them come out defending 2 nil? no, all I'm saying is we should stick to our principles for the entire game perhaps, just play to our strengths, don't fix what ain't broke an all that. I've never been a fan of sitting on leads, even if it comes off, its boring, but it usually ends with us being the architects of our own downfall.
Exactly. Defending one, or even two goal leads, is not our natural game - and we're no bloody good at it either!..Spurs, apparently, have dropped 19 points from winning positions alone this season!.
Brilliant first twenty minutes, decent last ten, and a deer caught in headlights for the hour in between. If there's a better defender in football than Jan, I 'd like to know who he is. Brilliant goal, brilliant assist, and great defending all game. The crucial problem seemed to be stepping off the gas after the second goal. We never recovered from that. If we'd kept on the front foot it might have been an easy game. As it was, we went right back to the pattern that hurt us against Inter and had been hurting us early in the year. I find it hard to blame Friedel, who played very well, I thought. The whole team went into a shell. Unlike many, I thought Dembele was very good and Parker and Ade were decent. I'd definitely much rather have Ade than Defoe at this point, though I do wonder if we could play Jan at striker. Naughton isn't a left back and isn't a top four starter but did his best. Walker was worse. Dawson was good. Lennon and Gylfi were strangely quiet, though maybe that was due to poor play from the fullbacks. Swansea looked very good and deserved at least a point. Good luck to them.
Well done lads, except for the time wasting! Think our ball boys will get special instructions next season, when you play us at the Liberty, and we go ahead, we'll roll out Charlie Morgan! Your lucky you have Bale!......................
To be fair to the ref, I think he added on every last second that Friedel wasted. 2 minutes in the first half and 5 in the second for a game with no real stoppages.
Bale in my view, was poor for Wales mid week, but his goal yesterday off his left foot, was top draw, I was sitting high behind the goal, and got a birds eye view, you'll do well to keep him end of season! As you mentioned the Ref PNP, thought he was poor, and some of his calls or the lack of them, was disappointing, too many games where the officials are not up to standard, not an excuse though for your win yesterday, which was all done and dusted in the first 20 minutes ..............
The ref had didn't have the best of games for both teams. Michu should have seen red after his two pathetic dives in quick succession (had that been Bale it would have been back page news) AND the push in the head on Vertonghen, the ref was more than lenient towards him there. Both teams had fouls given (and not given) which were debatable and it looks like Swansea's goal came from a corner that shouldn't have been. On the whole we deserved it, first half we were great, Swansea came back in the second but we still had chances to kill it off (Sig, Defoe, Bale plus Ade's lame shot in the first half). Much needed win, away from home against a good side will boost the lads confidence up after the past few defeats. Vertonghen was MOTM by a country mile, amazing performance. Still rooting for him as our POTY.
Not to mention his attempt to get Vertonghen sent off by rolling around holding his face in the same incident. Something seemed to really rile Michu up at half-time and his behaviour in the second half was pretty poor.
I actually thought our creativity was good yesterday. We created more chances despite Swansea having the ball. Dembele, Jan (obviously), Ade, Gylfi (though only once) and Bale (obviously) created threats. It would have been a very good effort if we'd stayed on the front foot, or at least didn't panic the way we've been known to do. The most painful thing, and it happened a few times, was seeing a player with the ball in a lot of space after a long run of pressure just turn and boot it back to Swansea instead of dribbling, passing and relieving the pressure. The player that seems to keep us from panicking is Beni.
