Lush Vlad

Don’t mind it. Looked quicker than I remembered against Fulham. Would be our 3rd choice right back and cover for CB as a kind of 5th/6th choice option. I guess keeping him as squad filler is seen as cheaper than trying to buy a utility player. That would also be happy as a back up to a back up.

Really? It's blatantly obvious that he is. He has even got himself in trouble from being too aggressive or misreading it (Liverpool at home last season, West Ham away). He isn't coming out and dribbling it about and then playing Pirlo'esque diagonals, no. But he is quite clearly a sweeper keeper. Even if he is bad with the ball at his feet. Pretty much all keepers are going to come out and clear the danger and the ball into touch. Not come out and start passing it about. https://fbref.com/en/players/4b40d9ca/Nick-Pope Last two stats regarding defensive actions clearly show he is. There was a stat on Sky the other day showing similar. Think it is in the Pope thread, even.

I wonder if people are gambling a bit now? I know a few people that have been going on others tickets. As mates have said it has seemed a deterrent more than it being enforced en masse. Still a bit of a risk, mind.

Well obviously, yeah. But Tonali has played there plenty and it would give more chance for Bruno to get forward than he currently does as a 6. Like I said though. I can’t see us shifting to that formation. So it’s all a bit moot.

Willock doesn’t play as an attacking midfielder for us, though. Maybe he did under Bruce. But I’m not sure Bruce knew where he was playing him Willock does waste some great positions, though. A bit like Gallagher.

Instead of who? Quite hard to legislate for Barnes being injured for 4 months with a dodgy toe and Tonali loving a gary gamble. Would have seemed quite a risk based on the fee and the wages at the time. Easy to say now in hindsight. Much like Maddison. Even if we could pay the money. Who’s to say he would choose to come here over Chelsea?

Didn’t Tonali play as a DM/the 6 with Brescia and then in a 2 during one of his season’s in Milan? Been a long time since I read anything about him. Playing in the 2 in a 4-2-3-1 doesn’t mean they’re going to be deep all the while or playing as 2 holding mids. All a bit irrelevant. As I don’t see Howe changing systems.

It wasn’t a huge change. But he tweaked the midfield on Saturday, at least. Thought we had more controlled possession for a change. Partly because of Trippier stepping inside and Bruno going further forward. I suppose also because that is how Forest set up. To play on the break. Wr seemed back to pressing a bit higher up the pitch. Which left us wide open for counters and pace in behind. I think we have definitely been sitting deeper since Pope went down. Bar the two games against Forest and maybe Dubs first few games. We have sat deeper, IMO. Although it would be good to find a graphic to confirm or deny that. It’s the space between the midfield and defence that hasn’t been right since all the injuries in there and Dubravka coming in.

It is fucking awful. Especialy with ‘CHEW-SEE’ randomly shoehorned in. I’ve put it on mute. Worst cunts going Chelsea and their fans

I wish they’d stop singing Bob Marley FFS.

Arguably his best performance was as a midfielder against Man U when we drew 1-1 in December 2021, not long after he changed positions. I'm sure there have been plenty of games where he has played in the midfield 3 and been MOTM or close to it this season and Willock has barely played. Chelsea, Man U and Milan all at home he was brilliant in midfield, from memory. Arsenal? I'm sure there are some I've missed. We have certainly missed him since sunderland. A very simplistic way of viewing it saying his best performances come from wide left. The tactical versatility of both players when Willock is on that side meant they would dovetail really well and switch seamlessly between both roles. The joke always being that Joelinton seems to play 2-3 positions at once. Personally think he is far more effective in the box to box role and it's only really his passing that lets him down. Meaning it might see him moved on. Well...... That, FFP and wage demands.

Why would we move him in to form that midfield when in possession, as a destroyer, though? He’d only be stepping in when we have the ball in certain situations, surely?

I'm not purely blaming it on the change of keeper, am I? I've just mentioned loads of reasons. Who's to say we would have had much better results if Pope was playing. Considering the midfield, all of the injuries and lack of rotation. I personally think we would have picked up a few more points along the way. As IMO, Pope is clearly the superior goalkeeper and integral to how we now want to play. But there is no way of telling for sure. It's not really quantifiable.

We are a side that has been playing a high line and really changed to a high pressing, aggressive side last season. Who have now had to revert back to dropping deeper, creating loads of room between the defence and mid, especially in transitions. Then when we do push high again like in the two games against Forest most noticeably. There is shit loads of space in behind. Feels like we’re often caught between whether to stick or twist. Throw in the most immobile midfield in the league that currently offers zero protection. With a young lad who isn’t physically there yet. Longstaff who suddenly seems scared to tackle and then Bruno who doesn’t dare make one for fear of a yellow. It’s not ideal Teams now have loads of tape on how we play, as well. They’re well aware of our weaknesses and how to exploit our press, I think. Injuries, unavailable players and lack of rotation has all contributed to a lot of this defensive mess. Either that or we really miss Targett and Krafth

He’s proactive coming for crosses from set pieces if they’re not too far from him. His handling is actually really good. It’s when the ball is on the deck he seems hesitant to come out and slow to make a decision. Even if it is in the box when it’s a bit of a scramble, for example. I wonder if the bollocking he got off Schar had some kind of bearing on his decision to come out for their first. Seemed so out of character for him, was obviously not comfortable doing so and made Elanga’s job really simple. I don’t even think Elanga is a particularly good finisher. As be proved when one on one with Dubs earlier in the game. So if he had done his usual. Ironically, it would have given him a better chance of saving it. Plenty of blame for the first. Starts with sloppy play up their end. Botman and Burn are miles apart and capped off with Dubravka’s brain dead decision.

2 game ban if he gets another yellow. Not sure if the FA Cup counts. As I don’t think the League cup does for yellows. He has 8 more league games to get through without a ticket.

Briefly? He was doing that for most of the game last night until we went to a back 5. I mentioned in the match thread. We tried it at times either last season or earlier this season. I honestly can’t remember which and it wasn’t so regular. He is that good on the ball that he can advance the ball from deep with his passing, whilst allowing Bruno to push on and not always be the one having to be receiving the ball from deep and dictate play. Tripps already does the passing bit, anyway. I’m sure I saw a stat about his progressive passing being up there with the best in the league. It doesn’t necessarily negate his attacking output or chances to get forward when he can, either. It certainly hasn’t hurt Trent playing in a similar role. I don’t see what Burn coming inside does in possession. He’s already a weak link on the ball and it isn’t going to link us to the forward players at all. Trippier has elite passing range and vision.

Tosin has been linked with Spurs and Liverpool, hasn’t he? Guessing the former might not be so interested now after getting Dragusin.

He’s left footed and plays left back or centre back.

If the Awoniyi one is a foul. Then so is the one on Longstaff. Which could have put us 2 up. Neither are pens IMO.

I think Barnes will start. Either because Gordon is playing up top in place of an injured Wilson, or on the right. Miggy has looked miles off it since getting ill. They’ve not been in great form since the turn of the year. Save for battering Swansea in the cup.

I wonder if that Trent/Stones/box midfield role will become a more regular thing for Trippier? Almiron was definitely ineffective and seemed to be playing narrow by design. But perhaps with Isak up top to stretch the opposition and Murphy or Gordon wide right looking to go in behind and holding the width. It would work a lot better. If Bruno is going to play further forward. Which he probably should. Then we certainly need Trippier on the ball more. Not sure Longstaff or Miley will be able to help us build from deep with their skill set. I’m sure Trippier did this sporadically last season? I forget the game. But I remember a statto, analytics loving mate who doesn’t even support us. Messaged me mid-game about it and saying what an impressive move it was.

It’s a recently stolen song. So we’ll sing it to death, regardless. Whilst rarely belting out the classics. It’s this season’s Bruno in the middle.

I was more meaning overall. Not just today. You bought a keeper to play out from the back. Then all of your ball playing defenders got injured. So that’s far from ideal, I‘ll give you that. But even last season. I didn’t understand what your style was other than counter attacking and it seems to have continued into this one. It’s not like you’ve got a really weak squad and no depth. Or the players available are shite. You’ve spent shit loads over the years and have a gigantic wage bill and pulling power for signings. Which is why I find it odd that a coach from Ajax. Hasn’t managed to implement a discernible style or philosophy (to my untrained eye, anyway) in a season and a half of being at such a big club.

Back to goal and hold up play is better than Isak’s. Between the posts in a traditional number 9 sense. He’s a more physical player and his movement in the box is (probably was, now) better. Just to be clear. I think Isak is the much better player and more suited to the team. I was more meaning in as a genuine 9/striker. Wilson is done here, IMO. No point even trying to manage his minutes. When he has gone from 2 games a week being too much. To 1 game a week being a bridge too far.