Lush Vlad

Starting to agree. I love the bloke and his qualities suit this team, for sure. But he hasn't been anywhere near his best for a while now and I also think/hope we might be trying to progress and evolve tactically. So that we need a bit more than just runners in the side. If we are looking for another midfielder or two. Then you'd imagine Longstaff and/or Willock will be on their way.

Not as easy to tell from the camera angle in the second half. But I thought he stayed wider and it helped Tino. First half, Barnes seemed noticeably narrow. Out of possession, it was almost back to that 4-4-2 shape, with Barnes pressing up with Isak. On the ball, he was often infield offering Tino the overlap, which he never really tried and looked massively lost and isolated out there. It all got a bit congested with their flat back 5 and flat 3 in front of that. Second half, it seemed a bit more traditional, Tino was a bit better and we had more width. Hard to judge, really. As they had so many men behind the ball and that really doesn't suit many of our players. As I said in another thread, that doesn't suit many teams, TBH! But we really do have a lot of athletes who thrive on open spaces and a game that is stretched. We're a free range team, if you will We'll get that sort of game on Sunday. The problem is, we are starting to look very creaky and exposed at the back and that's where we're likely to come unstuck.

I think he was better second half and despite some of the issues with him playing there. He is our best option at LB for the final and the foreseeable. Seen a few mentioning that Trippier would be a better option there? On what basis? Less help for Burn defensively, he’d get less help from Barnes in front of him that side would be massively exposed and too reliant on Joelinton. We’d be back to Murphy and Tino on the right. Attacks break down all the while with those two and a general lack of quality on the ball from both. Also, I have it in my head we moved Tino to LB mid-game a couple of times last season. As Trippier was so bad there. Dortmund away against Adyemi I have in my head as one, for sure. Finally, have people watched Trippier at left back for England? He stops and plays sideways or backwards even more than Tino does there.

Ah. Show’s how much attention I’ve been paying

Was Bunce in the dressing room photo and in the video of them all walking back in? Certainly looked like him. At least him and Howe don’t hate each other after all like was made out earlier in the season, the same as with Mitchell.

C. Has the tools to become a more than solid B. If his attacking play was even anything close to his defensive ability. He’d end up as an A. But then he wouldn’t be playing for us if that were the case.

He was fine (by his standards) on his right. They weren’t pressing high. So he usually got it somewhere near an NUFC player or just moved it on to Burn or Schar. But FFS. When we pass it back to him on his left

I feel like he has a lot of intangible qualities that won’t show up even if you were looking at advanced stats. To use a cliche. Setting the tone would be one. Scaring the opposition would be another His recovery runs are really underrated, as even if he doesn’t get across. He is often there to shut off the cut back or pass back inside. He often becomes a bit of an out ball with some mid-range passes aimed into him at chest and head height. We miss that from the back when he is out. As nobody else in our team seems capable of holding the ball up back to goal. He can play out of trouble when facing his own goal because of his size. It doesn’t always work. But it often wins us a free kick or gets us up the pitch. Bit of a rogue and brain dead at times. Not the best technically. But I feel like he embodies all that has made this Howe team great, since the move to midfield.

Fair play to him. If there was any doubt about the final. I’d say he’s bagged himself a starting spot.

Yeah. Some brain dead fouls and his customary row Z shot. But that’s just Big Joe. Got to take the rough with the smooth. Hard to pick MOTM. No real standout and more flashes here and there. But he is up there with Trippier and Barnes, for me.

I don’t think he ever does much in general play. Not great on and off the ball. Pretty weak. Not got a trick. Quick’ish without being proper fast for a winger. But then comes alive near the box and was unlucky not to score tonight, to go with his assist.

It was bad. But you must have a short memory. Some of the Allardyce stuff was disgusting and regularly far worse than that. The Fulham 1-0 away when Barton scored a pen late on probably the worst offender.

Who’s coming in ahead of him? Willock? Osula certainly isn’t. We don’t have any other wingers with Gordon suspended.

Ugly, passing arguably the worst it’s been all season, no clue how to kill the game at the end. But fuck it, who cares. We just needed to win tonight to stay properly in the hunt for CL football. Take the points and focus on Sunday now.

Isak gets away with that push all the while. Didn’t he do it for both his goals here last season

He is so confident one v one defending and he is actually great driving with the ball. But going forward, he has become one of our worst players this season. Looks scared to do anything, so often doesn’t. Not the same as I remember last season. Always on his heels and like he is disconnected from it all and not paying attention. Hopefully he can find his rhythm a bit before Sunday. We’re going to need him defensively.

Tends to be the case when teams sit deep against us. TBF, to some degree, that is true for all teams. What is more annoying is how wasteful we have been with our decision making, or lack thereof. When we have had promising positions and a bit of space.

Not much point attacking the space with the ball, anyway. He’s up against one of the best one on one defenders in the league/world.

Dreadful game. We are painfully slow in possession most of the while, passes often too late or behind the man. Then we get near the box and rush it. Maddening. They’ve been crap and we have actually controlled large spells of that half. Yet they’ve had the better chances. Bit of a worry that Burn and Schar has gone from a solid, reliable pairing to a bit of a disaster in a short space of time. They just seem so nervy at times and not sure whether to attack the ball, drop off or jockey the man. That said, they are up against two very good players and they’ve not had many chances.

Barnes? Not involved in much in open play like the rest. But the Only fucker to have a shot anywhere near the goal

Bar the first 5-10. West Ham have been woeful. Really need to get a goal when the opposition are playing this badly.

4-5 fouls from Big Joe now. Next one he’s in the book and a 2 game ban.

Howe saying Pope is our Premier League keeper. Leaving it open for Sunday then. Would seem mad to rotate yet again. But if Pope drops another clanger tonight. It’s hard to say he should stick with him.

Pope was outstanding in the CL last season for us. They’re big enough games. But even as a fully signed up member of the Pope fan club. He started this season a bit up and down. Then looked extremely rusty and slow in the two league games recently. He’s our number one and showed he was a better keeper than Dubravka when we signed him. So can only assume that is the view Howe is still taking. Rightly or wrongly.

Spot on.