Pilko Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 The Premier League was much more exciting and interesting before everyone decided your central midfielders need to be dull as dishwater. All Claude Makelele's fault tbh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainhaircut Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Sissoko and Gini as a pair would be as effective as playing Lampard and Gerrard together. Why would you limit two of our most potent attacking players by making it so one has to stay back? Especially since McClaren clearly wants a deep lying midfielder so the full backs can get forward. Madness. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Unchanged team. 2-1 defeat. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
xLiaaamx Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Have to win. We'll be bottom going in to September if we dont Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixx Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Sissoko and Gini as a pair would be as effective as playing Lampard and Gerrard together. Why would you limit two of our most potent attacking players by making it so one has to stay back? Especially since McClaren clearly wants a deep lying midfielder so the full backs can get forward. Madness. To be fair I haven't seen much of Wijnaldum as I don't watch the Dutch League. Just somehow got the impression Wijnaldum functions best as a box to box midfielder (I could very well be wrong) and I sort of like the idea of two b2b midfielders behind a playmaker of sorts. I'd also be fine with Gini stepping up to the no10 position with Sissoko and Anita/Colback behind him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interpolic Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Think we'll nick a draw, just looking at the fixtures until October and McClaren will want us to get something as it's going to be tough going until then. We'll be lurking around the bottom by that stage given the fixtures so hopefully the players don't get too disheartened and we can kick on from there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Going all Brendan Rodgers here but the passing percentages at full time will be interesting. I imagine over the last 3-4 years that Southampton & Swansea have had about 60-65% of the ball against us. Will be a definite sign of our brand of football improving if we have a similar figure to Swansea on Saturday after having had more possession than Southampton last week. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Score draw I reckon which I'd be pretty content with. Hope Papiss has another decent game against these, 2 braces at their place in the last 3 games? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bodson Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 We will probably see: Krul Janmaat-Mbemba-Colo-Dummett Tiote-Colback Sissoko-Wijnaldum-Obertan Cisse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeloEmre Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 No we won't. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliottman Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 We will probably see: Krul Janmaat-Mbemba-Colo-Dummett Tiote-Colback Sissoko-Wijnaldum-Obertan Cisse dummett is injured and Anita is fit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeDubbleYoo Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Tiote is so far away from ready to start. Unless it's walking football. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEMTEX Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Mcclaren is not going to start tiote unless he's completely out of alternatives. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stottie Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Swansea should be much tougher defensively than the new/makeshift back five Southampton had out last week. The stats have them down as not much of a crossing team though, so they mightn't be able to exploit our most glaring weakness in the opening game. Maybe a low scoring game. 1-0 to them or 1-1. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AY Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Sissoko really isn't very good as a number 6. Wijnaldum is miles ahead in that position. So if we need to play both centrally, it should be Gini and Anita/Tiote/Colback deeper and Sissoko as no 10. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Have to win. We'll be bottom going in to September if we dont This...or at least, get a point - cannot see any more points coming in the following 2 games v Man U & Arsenal so vital to pick something up to avoid being dragged down early. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Mcclaren is not going to start tiote unless he's completely out of alternatives. ..and he'd be quite right - Tiote looked as if he didn't give a stuff last week and in my opinion, we probably lost 2 points after he came on because he just sat back and didn't attempt to pressure Saints m/f or offer an alternative going forward. Needs to be sold. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzza Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 I don't think they are man for man better than us, we will hopefully improve upon last week and I think we will score against them so I'm going for a 1-2 win! Team will almost certainly be the same as last week, if Anita is unfit I could see Gini being moved back and siem/ayoze slotting in to the no10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stottie Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Towards the end of the game when Tiote was on, Southampton started getting lots of joy going straight through us up the middle. When I say they, it was mainly Mane on his own. Swansea are a throughball team, so we'll need pressure on Ki and Shelvey otherwise they'll pass us to ribbons. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnonel Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Its going to be a good possession vs counter attack game - should be intriguing Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collage Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Should be a good, close game. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
themanupstairs Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Its going to be a good possession vs counter attack game - should be intriguing If we get our counter formula right, we could get a result in this game IMO. Wijnaldum with Anita in the middle, Sissoko and Aarons out wide, Ayoze and Cisse in the number 10 and 9 respectively. That's what I'd like to see. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzza Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Montero and ayew on the wings, I hope Haidara has been putting in some extra work this week!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noodles Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Expecting a loss - Swansea have strengthened well in the window. It won't be the absolute trouncing it would have been last year mind you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotus Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 Montero and ayew on the wings, I hope Haidara has been putting in some extra work this week!!! Tbf, the heat maps (i know, i know) seemed to show Ayew didn't spend much time on the wing against Chelsea. Played a lot closer to Gomis. Of course, they'll have looked at us and realised Obertan offered no protection whatsoever and so they might be able to double up there and just force Haidara to play tight to Colo and have the space on the left to themselves. You'd hope someone put a rocket up Obertans arse over that during the week. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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