KaKa

He didn't see eye to eye with Howe and wasn't going to go out of his way to do him any favours I imagine. Sometimes can't help but wonder what kinds of signings would have been made if they had come to an agreement on the players Mitchell was looking to bring in.

Yes, he mostly played with another striker. In the under 21s Euros, he was usually paired with Tresoldi or Weiper too if I remember correctly.

No use if it's being done without any thought behind it. Just before that sequence where they scored, he had gone flying up the pitch to close down their goalkeeper for God knows what reason. I suspect he was somewhat tired sprinting all of the way back which likely contributed to him losing his bearings and putting a lazy leg out when he finally realises Truffert is free in the box. It's just not good enough.

Saw some glimpses of him playing centrally as a second striker just off Osula today when he came on, and it looked like it could have some potential if persisted with. It's pretty much the ideal position you'd want to have him playing in the Prem I think. We are now in April, and I think it's ridiculous we haven't seen more of this setup to try something different, considering how poorly the team has played the majority of the season. Especially when you consider that Howe has used this kind of setup previously at Bournemouth, when he would play King off of Wilson in a two striker system. At this point why not just play that way the rest of the season? Be surprised if we do though.

I swear every time Gordon plays on the left Hall is bombing up the pitch on the overlap and Gordon never uses him. Then as soon as Barnes is out there you don't see Hall overlapping as much, when Barnes really needs that kind of support. Can't help but feel tactically the team just isn't being setup well enough to put players with specific strengths in positions to get the best out of them. He is not a 1 on 1 winger but keeps being expected to make something happen in that way. It's a mess.

He's an incredibly limited player that could be a threat if he is put in specific positions and is given a basic set of instructions to follow. We don't seem to have any sort of plan to try and get anything productive out of him. The players are just out there doing whatever. This is a player that struggles to pick out a pass and keep possession in tight spaces, and most of that game both Tonali and Tino were crowding the right wing and bringing their defenders with them, which meant he had no space to even try to run at his man and just put a ball in the box often enough like you ideally want, and instead he was then trying to do the things you never want him to do, which is get involved in any type of intricate link up play. On the other side the opposite was happening with Barnes. Who wasn't getting enough support from other players to work one-twos with to help him get by Jimenez. He was instead afforded all kinds of space to run at Jimenez 1 on 1, which Barnes is not good at, and he just kept getting the ball taken off him. There just doesn't seem to be a good enough tactical plan to get the most out of the players who are not good enough to just put out there and expect them to figure things out. This is ultimately going to get Howe in big trouble.

Completely out of position on their winner after running past the goal scorer Truffert with his hands behind his back even though the man crossing the ball was nowhere near him and was being covered by Thiaw. Some of the strangest defending you'll see. Just not disciplined or aware enough to cover the back four.

He has terrible defensive instincts outside of transition moments. He just jogs past Truffert in the first instance and ends up almost off the pitch just standing there watching the cross and never thinks to look at what is going on behind him and picking up the free man.

Garnacho been so bad man. Wow.

Diabolical

Dan Burn man ... you are not allowed to miss that at 6 ft 7!

Look at the state of Murphy man. Just cross it first time you clown.

Barnes has lost it again ...

What kind of goal was that to concede man?! Look at the fucking state of Tonali on that goal. Completely unaware of who is around him. Ball watching and marking no one.

This Jimenez looked atrocious against Arsenal last week. He's dominated Barnes today.

Look at the state of Barnes man ... can't even use our wingers as outlets in transition. So bad.

They should stop playing him to make sure he gets the move. He's such a liability.

Fucking Tino man. So sick of this guy.

Oh man. Clearly Evanilson with the touch! Absolutely delighted for Osula man. What a finish. The guy's goal scoring record by mins played is looking more and more impressive.

Brilliant take and finish from Osula. Looks like it won't count though.

Which Barnes is this?!

God this team is infuriating Elanga and Barnes have been so depressing.

Don't think Howe liked the Hall vs Rayan matchup. It wasn't going well.

This guy is so bad in the final third it's untrue. Has got to the point he's refusing to put a cross in when it's right there to do, and instead starts passing backwards!

On the left Barnes isn't great at beating his full back 1 on 1 and there's nobody around him to offer support for him to link with when he gets it, which is what you want him doing ideally. On the other side, where you just want Elanga to try and beat his man on the outside and attempt to put a ball in, Tonali and Tino are on top of him all the time so he has no space to try and do so, and then has to try and combine with them which is not what you want him doing because inevitably a poor pass will soon come! Painful to watch.