I believe he was sorely missed today and for the last few games. He has had some criticism on here for his mis-placed passes and getting caught in possession (which is fair), however his presence is massive. I have said previously that I wondered if we'd miss him when he is not here; I think we do. I think that Morgan played his old role today, dropping into the back line to pick the ball up where Vic would have been and this left us missing Morgan harassing their defenders and defensive midfielders further up the field. So, it is not just about missing big Vic, but what the others do when he's there or can't do when he is not. When fit, I'd like to see him, Jack and Morgan play, with Morgan pushed on to harass the opponents further forward. Any news on how long he'll be out for? Just my thoughts.
Possibly. First half I though he looked pretty good and then second half got caught a bit. That may have been down to fitness or the fact that everyone in red at St Mary's (players and fans) seemed to curl up and die after the third goal went in.
Wanyama helps out our defence a lot, but on the other hand Cork is better at distributing the ball accurately and quickly.
I think that we have missed Jose, Luke and Artur just as much.....Jack Cork has done ok in Vic's absence and I truly feel that we are well covered in midfield, but individual defensive errors from back up defenders and a rookie Keeper are undermining our good start...This is not an attack on individual players but if we are to progress, then these errors need to be eradicated.
why did you throw in the Cork v Victor bit? I said play them both. Jack is of huge value, but he doesn't have Victor's presence; Vic just fills spaces. Play them both.
Agree with this. We can look for reasons outside of the obvious, but the above is obviously why we are struggling. Big Vic might be good, but he can't make Gazza come off his line or sort Jos' feet out.
Right now I'd have Wantama and Cork; Schneiderlin doesn't look himself at the moment (I realise of course that by the time Wanyama is available Schneiderlin's form might be better).
From where I sit, even when we were making mistakes earlier in the season, the vast majority of the team were still putting in 8 or 9 out of 10 performances. Injuries and mistakes aside, apart from the Man City game, majority of players are putting in 6 or 7 out of 10 performances right now.
Is that because he's playing his old role though? I thought first 45 he was good today; not so second half.
In the last few games, Lovren, Lallana, Chambers have performed very well and Jayrod before today (thought he was off form) and I think you are right about the others.
Ah but this is where we/you must consider the bigger picture. Of course he can't prevent a goalie doing something wrong, but his influence can change the whole feel of the game and the confidence of the team and take pressure off a CB. Thus, I think we miss him.
Our main problem today was that we were lopsided and had no outlet down the left. We were trying to play through Tottenham with very little space to work in and we lost the ball as a result. We then started dropping deeper and Spurs did to us what we usually do to other teams. I think we need to have some more variation to our system.
Well, he was always the more adventurous between himself and Cork, and frankly he's not right now. He barely ever ventures forward and doesn't seem as terrier-like in defence as he normally is. Considering his effectiveness last season it seems unlikely this is a tactical decision. He just doesn't look match fit really.
I agree that I think he is not match fit and we were desperate to get him back last week. I just think that apart from the first 2 or 3 games this season, where he and Vic were working themselves out, he has looked good stealing the ball off the opposition further forward. If Morgan ticks, we tick.
I agree up to a point. If we had say, only Jos coming in then he could indeed be protected by Vic, but out of the back four and goalkeeper we had four replacements playing today (with only Chambers doing himself any credit) . Even Vic might have his hands full covering for that lot!
We basically had 5 of 6 out of our first choice defensive unit out today. As I've already said, even Chelsea/City etc would struggle under those conditions. Absolutely no need for panic.
We don't get enough players into the box or midfield runners in attacking positions do we. I am not sure if that is through discipline or lack of confidence/ability to do so.
