Smal

absolutely no idea what Pep is doing with this team again. He really has gone nuts.

A top right winger who compliments Tino (+ ball carrying, but - passing/creativity) is a must really, isn’t it. Tino is here for the long term so it has to be planned as such. A Kulusevski type profile would be ideal imo - doesn’t have to be pacey but intelligence and creativity are absolute musts on that side now. Olise would’ve been incredible wouldn’t he.

I think there’s something in this. Whenever we go on a winning run Howe likes to name the same XI every game. When we’re out of form he chops and changes it. No idea what the answer is

our record without him is awful and shows his importance to the team, so by the same measure it makes sense that our performances are poor when he’s playing badly. Needs to buck his ideas up tbh, he’s supposed to be the leader of the team now. I said it at the time but I think the whole captaincy thing in the summer was a mess and not something I’d expect to see at a top or well run club. I’m not really convinced he has the captain mentality but aside from that I don’t think it’s helped Bruno, and it’s certainly not helped Trippier or the rest of the team. Trippier and Lascelles’ contracts are up at the end of the season, it would’ve been so much better and more natural to have just made the leadership changes then. Can only speculate but the forced nature of it comes across like it was a stipulation of his contract talks.

yeah, last season: vs this season:

I thought we started really well today btw, for the first 10 minutes or so. Seems a bit of a theme this season, which makes me think we’re set up to win games but the players lose their heads too easily.

Really poor for the goal, down to his left again.

agreed, but we have a system that works for them. We scored absolutely shit tonnes of goals last season using it. The players have to be responsible for the effort they put in and Gordon has been lazy as fuck all season and Bruno doesn't look anything like he did last season physically, even if he is statistically running further than anyone else in the league.

It goes some of the way to explaining it though, because those two have been very important to how we play and at times they don't look like they can control a ball or kick one straight this season.

I'm really starting to feel like poor individual performances are costing him more than anything. Some of the stuff we've seen from Bruno and Gordon - two of our most important players last season - has been really inexplicable and nothing to do with coaching or tactics. They just don't look like very good players at all this season. It's hard to account for your best players just not doing it at all as a manager.

Pope

Joelinton desperately trying to stop the ball going out for a corner to us

the duels is arguably the worst metric today. 61% - 39% in their favour in the part of the game we're usually strongest at.

great delivery from Sandro

what on earth is Bruno doing recently man

you'll never sing that, you'll never sing thaaat winning with no shots on target you'll never sing that

Bruno in DM instead and Mateta's clean through on goal.

He had the opportunity to do that there, but he can't even do that with any confidence atm.

just absolutely zero conviction in AG's game.

those beautiful legs

yeah, definitely not a player to go through the motions. Runs around with actual purpose.

No need for a set piece coach iyam

Confused by how we use Willock. He had a really good game against Arsenal basically as a supporting to the striker but we've not done that with him since.

him being on the left or right has no bearing on his ability to run or to kick a ball in a straight line, like. I don't think his head is in it this season at all.

I think playing Burn at left back means you can have an extra tall player and that was a big part of it too. Not that I'm suggesting we go back to that.