Dyeyzzon

Anita doesn't look exhausted at all having played almost 180 minutes over the past 48 hours.

Marv

Prolly why a Carroll bid is in the air?

This. From form of his life to post-Ramadan form.

Luiz trying to do an Alex?

We got a head on the end of a set piece

"Ba! Ba! Ba!"

Simpson off. Wahey. Raylor to take the corner, gr8.

Hatem.

Cabaye looks knackered.

That corner.

Good hassling.

I feel sorry for Ben Arfa for playing for a team that will be labelled as "toothless" for this game.

So far, I have... - He's accepted that Ba and Cisse do not work well together and need a support player in the form of a younger target man like Shola. - Maintain his 4-4-2 because that shape bodes well for hoofball, which Carroll will profit in. (Not what I want) - Put on a smug troll face on Liverpool for basically gifting us money to build a top half side. - Gain another body to solve our depth crisis in attack. - He might dominate foreign teams in Europe with his power.

it's pardew's achilles heel atm. It seemed to be last season, fwiw I think we'll see 4-3-3 second half. The problem with 4-4-2 is that it's based on us being hard to break down and nicking a goal. If we're not hard to break down it falls on its arse and we find it hard to create. It's not the same as playing for a draw because we've got such good strikers, but it's similar. 4-4-2 would work well if we stuck to a hoof ball game plan with Shola or possibly Carroll up top alongside Ba or Cisse. See the ManU game last season when we bossed them by using a gritty central midfield duo and targeting their aerial weaknesses without Vidic. It seems to me that we are trying to play with this shape while also attempting to apply a passing game in the midfield, which will just not work out with just two CMs and attack-restricted wide midfielders imo. 4-3-3 would allow the CMs more options and better play for a passing game, and it will ensure that Ba and Cisse would not get in each others way when they get the chances. Ben Arfa as "right winger" rather than "right midfielder" would do well for his creativity too, imo.

Cabaye off? Sigh, I hope it's not like the home Chelsea game last season where we picked up injuries that curtailed our progress a bit.

They really have. The former more so on his diving career.

No, sadly.

Because we're 1-0 down? We could have had a fairer shot at this if we had more time to rest, tbh.

No but Hazard is So is Hatem.

From a set piece? :lol: It really is f***ing diabolical how that went from our main strength to one of our biggest attacking limitations so quickly.

Give him a full week's rest before a match against a big team, then we're talking.

Miss the "he dives when he wants" chants. Could use them here.

ramadan ? He was looking sharper in midweek but a second game so quickly may be too much for his resurgence straight after Ramadan.

20 good minutes of 4-4-2 then suddenly people want a 4-3-3 after going behind. good? We were playing nice stuff right up to the pen. As much as I love the 4-3-3 I think 4-4-2 has been okay with us so far.