Memphis

I'm trying hard not to freak out about how good he already is and how good he could end up being. He looks so calm at all times, picks out great passes and runs, and just looks so much more mature than his age would suggest.

One thing is clear - Dubravka is not good enough. Absolutely awful performance.

Look exhausted, more mentally than physically - particularly in attacking positions, just not many ideas.

There was an implicit bargain in the adoption of VAR. It was: you will have to give up some of the spontaneity and joy that football provides, but you will be rewarded with a product that is much more accurately officiated, and some of the injustices of the past will be rectified. It was a sacrifice for what was sold to us as "the greater good". Obviously VAR has utterly failed to live up to the bargain. And it has robbed us of even more joy, even more of those spontaneous moments that make football what it is. The original sin is trying to achieve perfection. Players can never be perfect. Neither can officials. And that is part of the fabric of the game. In every attempt to achieve perfection, it will become more and more obvious that not only is that an impossible goal, but even trying to achieve it will make the game worse. We have to accept that mistakes will happen no matter what. Mistakes pre-VAR at least kept the fabric and flow of the game intact. We have vandalized a beautiful piece of art by incorporating all these breaks and we still have an utterly flawed system. It's scandalous. The answer is not more technology. It's never more. It's only less. Goal line technology, fine. That's a black and white concept. Use it. Anything else, anything that requires subjectivity, get technology out of the game or you'll only see it damaged further.

The thing that I think makes Eddie Howe a truly world class manager is his unusual (for this level of manager) ability to learn from his own mistakes. He took time after Bournemouth to overhaul his thought process defensively and has now become fantastic at drilling defensive shapes with us. For Milan and Dortmund, he didn't want the players to train at the stadium the night before the match, preferring to stay in Newcastle longer. But for this match he took the team over earlier for training and we absolutely looked far more comfortable as a result. He modified our pressing structure last year as the season went on, he modified the formation against PSG to operate more flat in a 4-5-1 rather than the 4-3-3, I could go on. He's humble and ready to admit when he gets it wrong. I was always told, 'Never waste a failure.' and I think he's a great example of that concept. And the players obviously respond to his methods. I cannot ask for more and I cannot imagine a better manager for us in the position we are in.

He's either going to deliver a 10/10 performance or end up getting sent off. No inbetween.

I don't have much sympathy for Everton, the case against them is pretty cut and dried. The only defenses are: 1) the punishment is too harsh and 2) what about Chelsea/Man City. With regard to 1, I think it may be a bit harsh but I think the willful nature of the deceit is being punished here. The idea being that FFP representatives from a club are there to act in good faith, not act in the most deceitful possible way that is in an interpretation of the rules. Everton didn't do that and the PL is trying to make a statement about what that means. Which brings us to 2. The initial difference between these cases is that Man City/Chelsea have vigorously denied and are contesting the claims, which is delaying things hugely. That is their right. The rubber will meet the road if City/Chelsea are eventually found guilty, as by this standard, they would face an astronomical punishment. Would they enforce it? Would they try? Would they expect CAS or some such to intervene? I don't know. I do think they're going to have to do *something* as the coalition of clubs and owners who aren't a part of this will have a measure of influence to try to "clean it up", at least for appearances.

? Fair enough fuck him

I'll be totally honest. I don't have a fucking idea how. The rule is way more complex than I originally thought.

The point was - if both of the players end up with only one defender behind them, even a backward or level pass is offside. The image is from right before the ball ends up with Gordon. In that image, both players are behind Raya, leaving only one defender between them and the goal. If Joelinton passes that ball, it is absolutely offside no matter which direction the pass travels. The rule specifically says as much...you are only onside if you are behind two defenders or level with the second-last one. But since you can't quite tell how the ball gets to Gordon, it has to stand.

https://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/lawsandrules/laws/football-11-11/law-11---offside It doesn't really matter BUT there is nothing mentioned about being level/behind automatically making a player onside. If both players are standing in an offside position when the pass is made, any pass makes the receiver offside whether forward or backward. My point was that you can't tell when or how the ball was "passed" to Gordon so determining offside is virtually impossible.

It should also be noted that Gabriel is stooping to head the ball anyway because he knows Raya is never going to punch it. Gabriel is going down before Joelinton does anything. The ball isn't out of play. And the offside, who fucking knows? But it's nothing like a DISGRACE or THE WORST THING EVER

I didn't but someone else did and I'm glad they did

Weird how things change when you're on the receiving end.

Absolutely awesome intensity. Just hard to believe what we have become as a club in such a short time. I love each and every one of these lads. What effort, what desire, so many potential excuses to fall short and we've taken none of them.

Catlike quickness

Entertaining game, not a great quality game. Trippier has been off of late and that's really hurting us. Needs a rest. Burn vs Neto was like watching me against Usain Bolt. All in all, not a bad point but there are some concerning signs.

Maybe I'm being overly optimistic but I think this could be the making of him. Assuming he gets himself sorted out and gets the help he needs for his addiction, he will have seen this club support him and care for him during a difficult time. He will have had plenty of time to adjust to his new surroundings and learn the language, etc. If he is the player I think he is, this will be a massive motivation to return better, fitter, stronger than before. And if we care for him the way we have so far, he's going to care for us in a way few modern players could...

Frustrating one. Much improved second half without ever looking consistently threatening. Their defensive setup was smart and they executed it well. Learn from it and get better quickly. Hope the injuries aren't too bad. We are suddenly quite thin in some key spots.

We've really been spoiled by Trippier's quality this year. On a night like this, where he's a bit off, we haven't shown enough to be able to create without him.

Not Wilson's best game here. Their CBs have him in their pockets

Schär is such a superb player man

Sometimes losing happens because of how well your opponent plays, not necessarily because of how poorly you play. Feels like every time we lose, a segment of fans calls our play "crap" or blames effort or whatever, and that's silly on a day like this. We've not done especially badly but this is the fucking Champions League, not the Championship. Mistakes are ruthlessly punished and standards are high. Credit to Dortmund for their approach and not being intimidated. This is a brilliant chance for our team to learn.

Schlotterbeck is like a Pokemon evolution of Schar.

They're a good side and they're playing excellently. No shame in being down a goal to these. Need a bit more composure and some better decision-making in the final third. Plenty still in this one.