Barnes23

I don't think it's a coincidence that our period of pressure and greater coherence going forward coincided with the introduction of Anderson. Starting to show a real maturity to his game, as well as win me over re: his suitability for a more central role

I agree in a general sense, and there's real cause for optimism that we can continue to progress this season and silence some of the pessimists who believed our performance level would drop off substantially this year. I would say though that a game which plays out in the manner that yesterday's did is not purely a question of personnel. That was systematic domination. They're the best team in the world for a reason, finding tactical solutions against them under Pep is just about the greatest challenge any coach can face right now. But if Howe is here for the long-term, as we all hope he will be, it is one metric (among many) against which he will be judged.

https://ge.globo.com/futebol/futebol-internacional/futebol-ingles/noticia/2023/08/18/aposta-em-cartao-amarelo-iniciou-investigacao-contra-lucas-paqueta-entenda.ghtml?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=Esporte&utm_campaign=globoesportecom Not looking great for Paqueta like if true, think Globo is pretty reliable as far as Brazilian things go? Too early to rush to any judgements, but even so

Forest 2-0 Sheff Utd Fulham 1-2 Brentford Liverpool 2-1 Bournemouth Wolves 1-2 Brighton Spurs 2-2 Man Utd Man City 2-2 Newcastle Villa 2-0 Everton West Ham 1-3 Chelsea Palace 1-3 Arsenal

I'm probably as cynical a person as you'll find, but Mehrdad and Amanda come across as having genuine sincerity and warmth. It's pretty clear that their passion and affinity for the club extends well beyond that of a merely transactional business deal. Not really sure why I should care about corporate speak in a boardroom context, on a programme such as this one, either. Showing the management of the club at the upper levels was one of the main premises of the show, it was never going to be purely centred around on-pitch events or be a showcase for the fanbase/city and nothing else.

Adam P fanning the flames for clicks, pretty low of him. Comments section overwhelmingly supportive of today's announcement to one degree or another from what I can see

He did pretty well when he came into the team in 21-22, in truth. Kept out both Almiron and Murphy for a time. Not sure exactly what has happened but I reckon he could still do a job in the PL if the application is there.

This is at least partly a reflection of yesterday's ecstatic win, but is there anyone in the Spurs team who would be an absolute inarguable upgrade to our first XI? Thinking in terms of the fit, our style of play, current form etc as much as objective quality. I honestly think there might not be.

I'd be surprised if Tonali starts. Had thought Anderson would come in after an excellent pre-season but my money would be on Longstaff now, I think.

Burnley 1-2 Man City Arsenal 3-0 Forest Bournemouth 2-1 West Ham Brighton 3-0 Luton Everton 1-0 Fulham Sheff Utd 1-1 Palace Newcastle 2-1 Villa Brentford 2-2 Spurs Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool Man Utd 3-0 Wolves

Would love to think this could make a difference, hope it gains a lot of traction.

I agree about the referee, but it was also very apparent in that game that we were tactically outmanoeuvred pretty much from the first minute to the last. I'm sure Eddie will have invested a lot of time since then working on what adjustments need to be made to counteract what Emery and Villa will have in store this time around.

Reliable source for Saudi transfers apparently, although I'm sceptical a deal will move forward

MOTM today for me. Can't quite believe he looked so good at RB, he continues to exceed expectations across the board Most impressive of all is how much his decision making has improved - lightyears ahead of his output a couple of years ago.

He's a livewire for sure, and we've seen some really positive signs over the Euros/pre-season. Today though his decision making in the final third was lacking too many times. Don't think that he is someone we can depend on in terms of end product right now, in terms of a position in the starting XI, IMO. I think that Howe might well start the season with him on the LW ahead of Barnes however, and I'll be more than happy to be proven wrong.

MOTM for me today, real all-action display. Love his energy and pressing but we're starting to see that married with a level of technical quality that we'd only really had glimpses of previously.

Mostly in terms of age tbh, I think we could get someone with a higher ceiling for the long-term. Andersen almost feels like a pure rotational option to me. Not to say he would be a bad signing, though.

Will be interesting to see what kind of profile we target at CB if that's true. Would prefer a Botman style signing to someone like Andersen