Lush Vlad

Fair enough and good to know. He has certainly been reluctant to do so in the past, though. I get he is obviously trying to strike a balance and he sees Gordon as the starting LW. But when Barnes is too good to sit on the bench and when the other options for RW are players that should have been moved on. Or at best, kept as back ups. Then it is a bit ridiculous that he doesn’t start and Gordon moves over and/or they rotate. I don’t think he will suddenly start playing both of them left and right. Quite a large sample size now to say he is reluctant to do so.

Yep. I think that’s a negative against Howe. He seems reluctant to play what should be our best 3 and for various reasons. Seems to have decided that not shifting Gordon to the right and starting Murphy there is a better option.

He was very good. But he always looks uncomfortable when he has to press high and follow attackers over the halfway line. His lack of mobility means he’s susceptible to yellows like the one he got today and then looking unsure whether to stick or twist for the rest of the game. The other team know it and he’s then on thin ice. It leaves us vulnerable to counters and means we are back to having that big space between defence and midfield. Botman and Kelly would be a lot more comfortable doing this. But one isn’t available and one hasn’t shown enough to be starting.

Yeah. He started alright. But he often wanted an extra touch and just slowed everything down, let Brighton players get back and then he’d just pass back inside, anyway. Complete failure of the club and/or Howe that he is still starting games at RW and Almiron seems to be the second choice. He’s no better.

His movement was good. Got in behind a few times. He just looked like he was playing in rigger boots. Fell over/stumbled a couple of times, his usually silky touch deserted him along with his decisiveness. Took an age on the ball a few times and the chance came and went. Should be scoring that one on one and he also looked leggy trying to reach for the ball.

Yep. I do think today was a mixture of bad passes/decisions in the final third mixed in with some dreadful finishing. It just still feels like we are a bit unsure what to do in the final third. The 2/3 before that have been miles better the last few games.

I’d argue, that based on the last 3 games, our possession and control of games is getting a lot better. The press has been very good for most of those games, too. The finishing and creativity is just miles off.

I agree. But the lack of goals and ability to regularly create decent chances is a worry. Even last year, we seemed to score quite a few, as well as concede quite a few! I think Barnes needs to start. As we need more goalscorers on the pitch. 1 goal, a penalty, in 3 games where we have had large spells where we have been dominant, is not good enough. It wasn’t like we were free scoring before that, either.

His workrate, dribbling, movement, pace. All world class. Technically, he really is lacking a lot of the time, though. Panics in front of goal, always snatches at chances or just goes for a tame, safe finish. He now seems to not make a decision in the final third. Just runs directly at players hoping he might run through them. Not been at the races all season. Which after how brilliant he was last season. It is a bit of a head scratcher. Fully aware that if we at least got a point today. A lot of these players critiques would be far leas harsh but Gordon has been annoying me with certain things this season.

He has been woeful since coming back from injury. Doesn’t look like he wants to fully open up a lot of the time. His touch and passing are miles off. Like he’s deliberately aiming the ball nowhere near our players A bit like Barnes. It feels like he needs a run of games to find some form and consistency. But he won’t get that. As the players ahead of him are just better, or better suited to the system, in Howe’s eyes. Unlike Barnes. Willock has done anything to warrant a start since coming back, mind.

That’s where xG should only really be used as a guide, though. Gordon inexplicably taking that shot so early won’t have had a high xG. But it could/should have been a brilliant chance. I bet his header was quite low and all. But that was a glaring miss. Isak seemed to have 2-3 chances that probably ended up as 0.00. As he just dillied and dallied until the chance had gone. His 1 on 1 was almost automatic last season. So again, you’re fully expecting that to go in and fuck what xG says in that instance Outside of that, it was a lot of huff and puff, bad final balls, close to getting on the end of stuff etc. So wouldn’t really show up. We had enough decent chances and opportunities to score 3-4 today and the fact we didn’t even get 1 is baffling. Not world class saves or anything. Just abysmal finishing.

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.