Cronky

Hojlund looks like he's trying too hard. He's only young, and it can't be easy with all the chaos going on around him. Meanwhile, it would help if Amorim could keep his mouth shut. The latest gaffe is him blaming the staff cuts on the poor quality of his team.

With the likes of Hall, Willock, Joelinton, and Gordon to choose from, we attack well down our left side, and Liverpool are relatively weak down their right. It's the one area where I think we have an advantage. Having said that, and considering we're away from home, Eddie might choose to play more defensively tonight. He might want to keep his more attacking approach under wraps until Wembley.

Salah is an obvious threat but maybe we should look at it another way. He doesn’t do very much defending so we can then have Gordon and Hall bearing down on Trent AA who isn’t the world’s greatest defender. Also bear in mind that if we can get the ball to Isak in space, he will cause problems for any defender, including Van Dijk. I think we can score against them. It will depend on how well we can defend.

I've had another look at it, and I'd still split the blame. Murphy was having to deal with a high bouncing ball, facing his own goal, and I think the options of a pass back to Burn or carrying the ball across the pitch would both have carried some risks. Footballers have to make these quick calculations about their best options, and instinct has its part to play. Tino often looks a bit tense to me, and he should in this case have been more cautious. After all, Murphy is not Zidane and he was put in a vulnerable position.

Livramento worries me a bit. He often doesn't look like he wants the ball and is prone to panic. Hall has made much more progress on the other side. I would hold Livramento equally to blame for their goal. As the taker of the throw-in he has to accept responsibility for judging what's on and what isn't. It was a really poor decision.

What would alarm me most if I was a Man U fan would be the regular stream of negative messages that he keeps giving out. 'Everything is going wrong' is the latest. How is he going to motivate his players, or indeed himself, if he's publicly wallowing in misery? You might say he's being honest, but they do have a few decent players, and that can't be the way to bring out the best in them. I would also worry that the younger players like Garnacho and Mainoo - good players both - may be suffering the most. I know I go on about him, but Eddie inherited a far worse situation, but right from the start, and in so many ways, he was telling the players how good they were.

Agreed, but fortunately games aren't won on paper. If we can defend well, there's always a chance with Isak around.

I do wonder whether at least part of the problem is now Pep himself. He seemed to be mulling over the possibility of leaving / retiring before deciding to give the club another two years. Not long afterwards, the job changed. Instead of maintaining a successful side, it's now a rebuild. There's also the PSR issue on the near horizon. Instead of a serene march to a triumphant farewell, it's a task that really needs someone with a long-term commitment who's prepared to weather what could be a difficult period in the short-term. Of course I don't doubt his ability, but I think this is a new situation for him. He's only managed clubs on an upward trajectory. Either he's facing a two-year slog only to hand over the reins to a new manager, or he'll have to make a longer-term commitment which a few months ago he didn't seem to want to do.

Centre mid just isn't the priority. The club seem to have identified the areas where we need new blood - right wing, centre back and, to a lesser extent, goalkeeper.

I hope to Christ that doesn't catch on. It is so embarrassing.

It's so good to see this guy playing with a smile on his face. He made a horrendous start here, on and off the pitch. I thought it was all going to end in tears. By all accounts, when he was in deep shit far from home, Eddie really circled the wagons and helped him through. He may have saved his life, not just his career.

This team is very mentally strong. It was a very difficult situation - away from home, freezing cold and driving rain, a newly put-together line-up and opposition who were out to intimidate. We kept our heads and played our football. Well done guys, I'm proud of you.

Off the top of my head, Gullit's team beat Spurs in a FA Cup semi-final (1999?) and we also beat Spurs in a League Cup semi (1976?) So I think the answer to your question is yes.

It feels like this team has crossed the boundary between hoping they can win, and knowing they can win. I've witnessed us in five domestic finals, and it's the first time I've detected that.

Worriers into warriors. There is no finer manager on the planet than this man.

And it was with his weaker foot. Incredible.

For me, overall, that Bonkers table does open up the distinct possibility that, if LIverpool should falter significantly (and that's quite a big if), then it's anybody's, including Forest, Bournemouth and our good selves. Chelsea have lost their way a bit, Arsenal aren't the same threat without Saka, Man City look like a re-work in progress and Man U and Spurs look out of it.

I came across the 'Bonkers Premier League Table' since Spurs beat Man City 4-0. All have played 10 games unless stated. Interesting - 1. Liverpool – 22 points, GD +17 2. Newcastle – 22 points, GD +14 3. Bournemouth – 22 points, GD +14 4. Arsenal – 22 points, GD +11 5. Nottingham Forest – 22 points, GD +3 6. Manchester City – 18 points, GD +12 (played 11) 7. Chelsea – 18 points, GD +6 (played 11) 8. Crystal Palace – 18 points, GD +3 9. Aston Villa – 17 points, GD -1 10. Fulham – 15 points, GD +4 11. Everton – 12 points, GD -2 12. Brentford – 11 points, GD -1 13. Brighton – 11 points GD -1 14. West Ham – 11 points, GD -9 (played 9) 15. Manchester United – 10 points, GD -5 16. Wolves – 7 points, GD -10 17. Leicester City – 7 points, GD -13 18. Ipswich Town – 7 points, GD -15 19. Tottenham – 5 points, GD -5 (played 11) 20. Southampton – 1 point, GD -22

Thank you.

In his goal celebration, Tonali held up 7 fingers. Anyone got an idea why?

I don't think there's any need to a) go public or b) use sarcasm. The Fountain is also right in pointing out that if they're trying to offload the player, telling the world that he's got a bad attitude won't help.

So many times, this guy does not get his brain into gear before opening his mouth. There's no need to insult a player like that. That won't go down well with his squad.

I think a factor that made it a red was that it wasn't a genuine attempt for the ball. Effectively, the stamp was not entirely accidental.

Indeed. As a footballer, I think he had some untapped potential. Eddie is so good at developing players, and he may well have had a more successful career under his guidance.

At first, I thought I was going to have to change my avatar, but there's some mitigating circumstances. Eddie would have made something of him.