Solitude20

Yeah, top 6 this season is virtually impossible now with our current team/injuries. It will be us, Brighton, West Ham, and Chelsea fighting for 7th and 8th for any European football next season.

Watch us beat Arsenal next week.

It’s not that Burn is vulnerable to quick wingers, it’s also how Tino has a lot to offer in the final third while Burn is just awkward in attacking positions. Our team looked more lively in the left flank as soon as he came on, as usual.

Botman isn’t a leftback. There is a reason why leftbacks should be quicker.

Miley just turned into a Pirlo with those delicious through balls.

I don’t think there are shit teams this season, except for Burnley and Sheffield.

It is not that he’s bad, it’s more like we have a better fullback sitting on the bench.

I was thinking the same. Gordon is really effective at cutting inside from the left flank.

Sorry it was a typo. I meant as an 8. He obviously has been playing as a 6 for the most past since Shelvey left.

Bruno played pretty much as an 8 all game until Tino came on for Miley. He hasn’t played in that role since Shelvey was here if I am not mistaken. Definitely loved how he was just everywhere and scoring two goals. Edit: typo, I meant as an 8.

Weird, is Murphy injured?

Longstaff doesn’t look small, yet he loses every single physical dual. He just gives up and throws himself to the ground.

It’s still half time, but this shows our previous bad form has nothing to do with fatigue. Injuries and suspensions definitely played a major role, but there is another factor that caused our form to drop compared to last season, other teams have learned how we played last season, and they have found ways to beat us through bypassing our flat and high-pressing midfield and targeting our slow fullback. Last season, we took the league by surprise, no body expected us to be a top 4 team. Teams now have watched us play well, and they have analyzed our style and found effective ways to beat us. Howe has to learn how to counter that.

Wilson should have done better

A goal assisted and scored by CBs.

I bet he would get along with Tonali pretty well.

And the same would apply to Miley had he been at Man City. I think it’s possible he will be getting his chance with us. watching some of those highlights, I think he could play as a deep lying forward as well, something similar to Isak. Let’s see what Howe does with him.

Thing is, Gordon will miss 2 matches with the next yellow card. If Wilson isn’t back, who is our striker then?

Sounds like we are on track then.

He might be my favorite player in the team right now, not Bruno, not Isak, I just like those composed defenders. I remember watching Serie A in the late 90s/early 2000s and how everyone was picking Ronaldo or Zidane as their favorite player, mine was Alessandro Nesta

So Bruno is getting a 2 match ban soon? That is not ideal, he should’ve got that yellow now so he would miss the matches against Luton Town and Forest. Let’s face it, there is no way Bruno isn’t getting a yellow card in the next few games. I don’t even know how our midfield would look like with the current lineup, Almiron as a CM?

Yeah, who would have though this thread would be so slow one day before the end of the window.

If we lose, there would be a 17 points gap between us, and it’s still January

He was rumored to be offered for loan late in the summer window, it was a good call to keep him. Imagine if we didn’t have him with the current injury situation.

Trippier faking his injury to keep Bayern away. Class.