Sibierski

Haaland has been so wank this season. Gets so many chances he’s got the goals, but he’s genuinely been proper shit all season.

Think it does for me, clear recognition that legs are needed centrally late on in the game. Might be just me, but does Bruno look a lot leaner now than earlier in season? Noticed it during the game, and that’ll help with the fitness.

The only thing I was disappointed with Rafa at the time, and is a big what if for me, is not trusting Adam Armstrong to be the main striker that season. Guy was 18 and just scored 20 goals in L1, smashing them in youth football for club and country. Should’ve been made the starting striker for what was going to be a dominant team in Championship, and he could’ve really grown. But sent packing on loan for two season where he was plugged outwide and it stunted him.

Don’t know how these are up there. We should be winning, and if we set up like we did last weekend, I fancy a routine 2-0 win.

Also for Barnes, I do feel Howe likes the LW to be able to come inside and take ball for possession. Willock/Joe are superb at it due to being naturals centrally and Gordon is very good at ball retention. Barnes, you don’t see as coming inside to take ball in CM positions, it’s always going to be high and wide, where if you’ve got the RW doing same, it creates gap?

Barnes must harbour England aspirations, especially since the household names of Grealish/Rashford are not sure things on LW, and he must back himself over Gordon/Eze. So being rotational option and likely not playing the big games, won’t help towards that. If he’s resigned to not playing for England again, then yea, he’s probably happy as the rotational option for a club that should be competing top end and in Europe next couple of seasons. Think he can play for Scotland too, so if he has tournament ambitions only, that may be the route he takes.

Agree, but Christ I’ll be more pissed in the short term if we sell Barnes after having lost Anderson due to the panic stations in the summer.

January for me is all about opportunist signings. Most of the successful ones, are usually players a club has lined up to sign eventually, and cards just happen to align to make that move happen in January. Giving we have a new structure in place, be surprised if we have players lined up this early, unless it’s someone that Mitchell had data on from previous roles and does back it. A loan with option to buy feels a risk free roll of dice for RW if everyone is content on waiting till end of season to make some serious moves. Step forward someone who could be available on loan…. Arda Guler

Once again both superb in those roles, gives us great balance and importantly helps us be more solid. Think it’s now Barnes/Gordon mostly for RW with Joe/Willock 1st choice for games on left, as it’s back to 21-22 stuff with them.

No coincidence he’s a lot more confident and comfortable when he had a RW who was a valid option going inside at times and importantly tracked back. Few errors with some play, but I don’t mind that as he’s always looking for the pass out and it will come with some iffy moments, but it’s needed as it beats the press and gets us on the attack man for man.

Would love him, but we’re not spending £40m on a 2nd striker unless Isak goes.

That was funny, but one thing I will give Pope in those situations, he knows his limitations and gets rid. Doesn’t try and do something he knows he’s not good at.

For me, always been massive on Hall. Such a huge talent, and people go way overboard on the defensive side, as there’s so few full backs in World football that regularly are flawless defensively.

England cap incoming and LB locked down going to World Cup.

Back to our old selves that game. Compact, some antics, strong tackles, attacking at pace at the right times, good ball playing. Just spot on and this week the benchmark for rest of season now. We’ve shown what we can deliver, now it’s the consistency.

When going with the Mrs, at home to a London side, now 3 wins out of 3

Injury record over played, resale is there (Wilson had value at 31 after 2 season output, no reason DCL can’t be similar) and he’s goal scoring is for a proper woeful non attacking Everton team. The punts in Championship for strikers isn’t there this season.

And Schar hasn't been the same of previous seasons either. Compare to left where Hall regularly has Burn / Joelinton / Gordon, it's levels for protection. Which side do teams mostly attack against us? Does the stats show it's down Tino side? As that would be the side I'd attack, because the pace isn't there and quality lower.

Like he's scoffed at DCL, but I'd wager good money that if we don't sign him on a free, one of the other clubs in last season top 5 will.

If we need to sign a GK / CB (possibly x2) RW and a ST at a minimum in the summer/January, then DCL makes sense if Isak is staying. As what's the point spending money on a 2nd/3rd striker option when the big game changers are other positions that will carry big money? Osula is loaned out, then the striker signing would be another young guy. Isak goes, then you will spend on a striker, and it makes more sense then to have your 2nd/3rd be someone reliable in case they don't settle straight away, which DCL is. Just a lot of good reasons to getting DCL as that squad option.

Think it’s near nailed on we’ll sign DCL on a free. Which I wouldn’t be against as it’s an experienced body who at this stage of his career, will be happy in the support role, especially for a club that will be in Europe and challenging for trophies you assume over the 3 years his contract would be.

Guler on loan with option to buy dream signing. A window is opening to sign him, and some club going to be lucky. Defence we can get through this season by just shoring things up, and adding genuine quality that pushes teams back in fear will help too (and ball retention higher up the pitch).

When you play the top sides, you need to meet them at the right time and we are. They haven’t clicked yet, Odegarrd been injured, Gabriel could be out, they’ve not been scoring as freely. If we can get the tempo going again early and get the early goal, I fancy us. Getting back to grinding out a 1-0 win would do us several more levels confidence then winning 3-2 for example IMO. As it’s that defensive solidity we are not confident in, and form all comes being solid at the back.

Yep, that’s how I feel about it too. Got something in his mind and that’s hard to get rid off, sometimes impossible. Defo feels his last season with us.

Bit like how we went about for Freedman, that was in hindsight a soft soft approach as we wanted to deal with palace for Guehi.