Lush Vlad

Aye. Didn’t Napoli get beat 4-0 at home against Milan recently? I know they’ve lost Osimhen to injury and wobbled a bit of late. But shit happens. Even to the best teams, like you say.

Would need an All Saints - Pure Shores chant.

Looked alright against them at their place? They created fuck all bar that set piece, when Trippier was snoozing at the back post and let Kane score.

I can hear that image

Proper tea cosy

7. If we beat Spurs, then it would jump to a 9.

He skinned Burn about 30 times in our games against them this season. Yet somehow never actually went by him or created anything meaningful from it. Round and round in circles and constantly turning back. Must be infuriating for Man U fans. They’ve massively overpaid for him.

I dunno. I feel like they are in a similar position to ourselves. Albeit at a higher level. Looks like this was the perfect year to win the league. With Liverpool dropping right away and no real pressure from the ‘big 6’ other than City. They’ve been relentless and been on crazy winning runs. I feel like we’re the same in regards to CL qualification. Also like ourselves. They don’t have a deep squad and it has seemed like bar Jesus (where Nketiah covered for him admirably). They have been lucky with injuries all season. Right until Saliba got crocked. They will need heavy investment to compete in the CL and the league next season. Teams like Liverpool and Chelsea might do a bit better with only the league as the main focus. I only see more City domination for however long Pep wants to hang around for. Unless this FFP case against them actually results in some meaningful punishments. Which I’m skeptical about, to say the least.

Arsenal are going to do a Spurs and win the ‘put the pressure on’ title. Shame. I was hoping they could break the boring stranglehold City has over the league. But they’ve looked fragile of late.

I was a bit gutted when he turned us down. Thought he would be good for us and he has proven his class at Villa. All that said. It worked out alright in the end, didn’t it?! I’m glad he did turn us down and we got Howe, in hindsight. Just a shame he went to Villa and now have even more competition for the European places.

Yep. We need ASM back. Don’t carry much FRET without him.

Mixed bag of fixtures for us. Leicester and Southampton at home look decent opportunities. As do Leeds and Everton away, although tricky against teams fighting relegation. Arsenal I can’t see us getting much out of. Chelsea, who knows. Would be awful going into the last game of the season still needing a result there. Spurs and Brighton are both massive, for obvious reasons. Being at home makes it a bit easier. But next week is our biggest game of the season, for sure.

Exactly. Apart from Arsenal and Man City. Have any teams in the league not had ‘a bad day at the office’ and one of those games where every player is miles off it? Luckily for us, we’ve only really had one where it’s lasted the full game and that’s the only loss of 4 in the league. Where we have been comprehensively beaten and played off the park. After 30 games, that’s not bad going. If it started becoming a regular occurrence and it happened next week, then against Brighton and others. Then obviously that would be a concern.

This is it, for me. Trying to remain positive after that absolute shitshow. But I thought 5-7 points would be a decent return from the 3 away games. So 6 is bang in the middle and a good haul. Just a shame the loss was off an awful performance. By the sounds of it. That is by far the worst we have played all season and the only hammering we have taken under Howe since what, Man City away last season? Got to look at the bigger picture. This result should not define our season. That game seems like the exception to the rule that we’re solid and hard to beat. I’m hoping it’s just a one off! If we roll over like that and get twatted against Spurs. Then I’ll start to worry.

I thought last week, that first half was the worst we have played all season. By the sounds of this, I was massively wrong. Seems like we’re getting raped and they should be 5 up.

Are these genuine fouls? Or is the ref just giving every 50/50 to Villa? Seems like whenever the whistle goes. It is for Villa.

What’s the general consensus then? Hard to tell from the radio. But sounds like we’ve been battered, Isak barely been mentioned, Gordon not doing much and Burn poor, again? Wilson on for Gordon/Murphy and a similar formation to the second half at Brentford?

Got it on the radio. Sounds like we’re getting absolutely bopped.

“PAIN.”

It is good to get him back as a wide option. Sounds a bit weird saying I don’t want our top scorer straight back in the side. But I feel like we have been more balanced with a right footer on that flank and we’ve been a better team in attack overall. Murphy has done a good job and thought the next step might be Gordon starting there. It’s not all down to Almiron coming out the side, of course. As his injury coincided with Isak starting games, ASM coming back and Wilson returning to form. But it felt like we were getting too predictable and slow in our play on the right with Miggy in the side.

He really isn’t equally as effective wide left, IMO. I really don’t like him there and it makes it easier for the opposition to shut down our right hand side. As he isn’t particularly threatening. He doesn’t have as much influence on the game, isn’t involved for large spells and just isn’t a winger or a wide forward. I think it is obvious when he gets time and space out there on the ball in most games. The difference when we have two actual wide men playing on the flanks is massive. Whilst the Joelinton/Willock left side started well and is solid in protecting Burn. I really don’t want to see him played out there in future. Unless it’s needs must due to injuries. The Big Joe/Little Joe dovetail, often had Willock playing wider and beyond Joelinton, anyway and that was more effective. Possibly recency bias is having an influence on my opinion. As I thought he went from being one of our worst performers against Brentford. To our MOTM when he went centre mid.

What a fucking game that was. A real BARN BURNER.

Great result for them. But the stats from the Chelsea game are daft. They scored after a defensive error, which was still a cool finish TBF and an absolute shitpinger from McGinn. Their only two shots on target. Chelsea had all the ball and loads of chances. Think it was like 70-30 possession and 4 times the amount of shots. But they’re just a bit crap this season and they don’t have any goal scorers.

I didn’t realise Kamara is missing this. That’s massive for us. As he always impressed me whenever I saw him for them earlier this season.

I’d rather see Isak start. However, Wilson and Mings clearly don’t like each other and it worked in our favour last game. I thought Wilson took the absolute piss out of him up at our place and dominated their battle from start to finish. Both are looking sharp and have been amongst the goals of late. So happy with either of them.