Lush Vlad

He has never been clinical one on one. Been said plenty in here that if his finishing was better, he’d score a shit load. Probably wouldn’t be playing for us, either! He regularly goes for the ‘safe’ finish of just wanting to hit the target. Like lacing it on his left when he’s at an angle or a tame effort right at the keeper when he’s through. He’ll still score a good amount as he’s a livewire. But he isn’t a natural goalscorer or a clean striker of the ball.

Thought he was probably our MOTM, along with Big Joe. His passing range is excellent and something we need from the back with him and Schar.

The subs were terrible, I thought. Not all on him, of course. As he can’t make them perform. But I’m not sure why Tonali came off, unless he was gassed? I’m assuming Bruno was fucked after the long trip back from South America. But we are even more toothless without him and the game basically died for us once he came off. Willock and Miggy made us worse. Longstaff coming on just to take even worse set pieces than before also didn’t help much. Osula getting 9 minutes was a piss take.

Hall and Joelinton were good. Both made a howler in the same passage of play, mind. Burn saved them with some heroic defending. He was also decent enough. Save for a couple of clangers. Tonali and Bruno were alright. Tino was poor. Has all the attributes. But he makes weird decisions all the while. The rest of them were extremely frustrating/not good. We lack craft and guile in games like that. Just loads of players who like to sprint directly at the opposition with the ball and not offer a lot else. The formation probably doesn’t help, either.

Didn’t buy Gordon or Bruno’s dives to win cheap free kicks. Didn’t give what looked a blatant one on Barnes at the end. Yet a gust of wind knocking a Brighton player over and he couldn’t wait to give a foul. Shocker.

Fucking pathetic in the end that. Totally lost our way after the subs. Some of the finishing was horrendous. Non-league stuff. Shame, as yet again. We have played really well up until the box. Bit worried where the goals are coming from this season.

Frustrating that two games in a row we have played pretty well for the most part. But it’s also two games without scoring and looking toothless in attack.

Massive fan of Willock. But he has been terrible since returning from injury. Offered fuck all since coming on here.

Leave the striker signing on the bench. Leave Isak on the pitch when he looks like he’s playing in rigger boots. Bring on Almiron when we need a goal. Questionable subs.

Gordon is actually fucking me off now. Think that’s the third time he’s not gone to close the keeper down to stop him time wasting. As for that shot……

Gordon has been frustrating. Seems to just keep running at players and expecting them to move. Then dives when he loses the ball.

Noticed after 5 minutes Veltman is a complete shithouse. Wasn’t he the one involved in the Rice sending off? How is the ref buying these? They’re not even convincing. He rightly ignored two on Gordon. Just gives them everything because it’s in the final third and it’s an easy cop out to blow the whistle.

Our end product is atrocious.

Criminal defending from Schar. Then Hall and Tino are too soft on the cover. Other than that and being a bit wasteful. It’s our best half of the season by far. So of course we’re going in one down.

Fuck sake man

Loving the pace we are playing at. Press is working, finding loads of space out wide, passing is good for the most part. Just a touch wasteful when we get in some good areas and can’t keep this tempo up. So need to bag one whilst we’re so dominant.

Kudus is brilliant on the ball.

They are miles better at the back with van Hecke. Glad Joao Pedro is out, mind. He’d be finding space for fun.

I know he scored. But Bellingham regularly looks a bit unsure on what he is meant to be doing for England and almost gets in the way, somehow. Foden the same. Palmer wasn't great, either. So many massively talented players who are a bit different to what we have had at times in the past. It has seemed like for quite a while, we don't know how to get the best out of them.

Chelsea fans raving about Sancho's 3 assists so fat this season, the other week. 2 were just like this. That season Pogba went mad for assists and another with Ozil. Half of them were a pass to someone who blasted it in. Didn't Cabaye get an assist for HBA's goal vs Bolton?

True. But we do still rely heavily on his passing out from the back. Especially if we end up with the unholy ball playing trinity of Tino, Longstaff and Murphy down that right hand side. Hoping Trippier missing might be negated by Tonali now seemingly the starter, Hall on the opposite side offering some line breaking passes and possibly a change at RW. Barnes/Gordon or even Almiron, at times. We are so weak down that flank or side of the pitch in general when we have so many that are bad on the ball.

That has to be the Carsley experiment done with. Enjoyed him trying something different the first 2 games. But if Greece won 4-0. We couldn’t have complained and we looked utterly clueless for most of that. Still got loads of players who look positionless or just totally useless. When they are anything but.

Bellingham will be telling us we’re all idiots and haters after this inspiring performance and heroic comeback. Like he did at the Euros.

Yeah. Dubravka may be past it. But this lad isn’t even any better than Ruddy, is he? That is a safety smiley BTW. But he should be saving that.