Stottie

Under Rafa, one four-goal defeat and only two three-goal ones. Bruce has bettered that already in seven games. I can see the second three-goal or worse one arriving very shortly.

In fairness, they should also show the number of red cards awarded against us. Including the Pickford rugby tackle where the ref didn't even know the rule.

That free kick we took alone is worth +2 on the relegationometer. If that's all Bruce can get them to do, we're ferked.

He's finished. He looked knackered about twenty minutes in against Liverpool too. We looked so much better after he went off that I hope we won't see him again for a while.

We didn't make any fatal defensive errors. That's it for the positives to count, I'm afraid. Lots of empty seats, so I suppose that's one too.

I can't see us growing into seasons as we did under Rafa, so I think these early games are more important than before.

Liverpool in second gear and a shame we've made mistakes and given them goals. Krafth was piss weak for the first and then Dubs has to do better on the second. It was a Liverpool in second gear throughball. When weak teams roll over in this way to strong ones, the game becomes a non-event.

Shelvey looks knackered already.

What a hit! Very pedestrian from Liverpool though, like us against Norwich.

Not bad but not good. A good chance for three points missed. Atsu played well and was very composed on the ball. Almiron lacks composure and maybe needs to slow it down and concentrate on basics like staying onside and finding a team mate. Jetro looked good. We bossed the first part of the second half, but they nearly won it after bringing their subs on. Bruce should have acted sooner.

Nearly an Arsenal goal there. Great pass and move.

Yeah, he should cut out the passive-aggressive comments. For a supposed fan of the club, he seems to like it being about himself. No amount of spin will wipe out his previous record of winning a low percentage of hundreds of PL matches. That is the main cause of people's concern.

Two banks of 5 and 4 for most of the game but they pulled it off. Regarding the inevitable comparison, Moura and Kane both fluffed good opportunities and the Lascelles one was a pen, so not quite a Rafa masterclass. Still pretty good though, and given who we've played, 4 against so far is a positive sign. I thought Joelinton looking like he was dawdling a bit in the big chance, but he scored and his overall game was very good.

Reminded me of a clip in the NFL. It certainly wasn't anything a football defender should be doing. Moura skies a sitter!

Martial blatantly pulled down but just about gets a shot in. Ref and VAR give nothing.

I can't wait till he settles in and hits his long term managerial average, over 10 PL seasons, of 1.11 points per game.

Flabby football. Doesn't bode well for the season.

Very wet so difficult conditions, but I think Arsenal were there for the taking first half. An opportunity we may later regret.

He could teach him the set penis.

I say 269 minutes, one fewer than a red-card suspension, which he'll probably get if the toolbox is down to argy bargy and no longer includes running.

If we're going down memory lane, can someone ask him about the dive when he was clean through against us for Liverpool? He had practically an open goal.

How to get lots of folk onside while spending the least possible money. From a football standpoint, I tried to find that stat about Matt Ritchie hitting the most crosses in the league last season, but couldn't find it. It is a plan B I suppose, but an all too predictable one. If Carroll gets fit enough to play, remind the lad that VAR is looking every time he jumps for the ball. You can't raise your arms any more.

Our current CMs only make do if we have Lejeune and Schar playing it out from the back. Stick a Lascelles and Phil Jones combo behind them and we'll get nowhere.

Without Rafa's system and guidance, I can see a lot of our players struggling. Rafa got the most out of many of them. Perez at Leicester will be fine because he's surrounded by better players and got a better manager than SB.

The likely fee meant that another English club would be the most likely buyer. I can only echo the comments that it's depressing to be so far behind Leicester.