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Rafael Benitez


Jesse Pinkman

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He has to work out what he's going to do with our number 10 position. Perez continues to be largely unimpressive in the role, Diame has been a disappointment.  He's obviously stubbornly sticking with the 1 striker for the rest of the season but in that situation your number 10 needs to be one of your best players, if not the best player. We are dominating games without getting enough goals. We should have battered both Hull and Blackburn and even before the ref intervene tonight we didn't create enough from the possession we had.

 

completely agree with this

 

Ditto. Also, he must have expected Forest to set-up as they did. Early on, we had 75% possession, Shelvey had acres of space, Hayden was bullying them when they did have the ball. Yet we've very few options to hit in/near the box. Popping promising balls in for Gayle when he's surrounded by big (shirt-grabbing) defenders isn't the best plan.

 

Everyone knows how we're going to play. Because we always play the same way. Mix it up. Forest were shit, when we were down to 10 they were still sitting back and we were still bossing possession. We could and should have been well ahead before the majority of the soap opera began. Really do think two strikers, Mitro and Gayle, would have occupied three or four of the planks occupying their box and either got something themselves or made space for more meaningful chances from midfield.

Aye, if Shelvey is the plan as main outlet then don't play the number 10 especially if it's not working

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Lads, we're never ever going to play 2 up top with Benitez :lol: Ever! It will be 4-2-3-1, or maybe 4-1-4-1. Rafa favors the 3 CM's, especially the #10. Defensively it allows us to sit on an oppo's #6, whilst if needs be he can drop in to create 5 in midfield. In this league a fair few teams will play a sitting midfielder. Attacking-wise, it means we have 3 players playing in front of the oppositions back four in between the lines, when our Wingers come inside and Full Backs go high. The aim with this is for Shelvey to find one of those 3 players free in pockets of space, or to ping diagonals into the Full Backs.

 

Our build up play is slow, and it does allow us to take up good positions and control the game- we were able to do this comfortable against 10 men ffs- but I do agree that there needs to be a personnel change in the AM position. Perez isn't a 10 for me, he's a ST. Diame is thick as fuck and shouldn't be near this team tbh, so we're already out of options.

 

Think it's a minor frustration that we're going to have to live with for this season until we can invest in a good AM for next season. I still would love to see 4-4-2, though.

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Got to appeal that one. Never a sending off in a billion years.

 

can't be arsed to find the dummett thread but he was f***ing horrible up to the sending off last night, worst player on the pitch, and i think he's been decent overall down a level

 

Ronaldo's going to kick off when he sees this! :frantic: You're not allowed to have a go at Paul!

 

But I agree, he was all over the place.

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Got to appeal that one. Never a sending off in a billion years.

 

can't be arsed to find the dummett thread but he was f***ing horrible up to the sending off last night, worst player on the pitch, and i think he's been decent overall down a level

 

Ronaldo's going to kick off when he sees this! :frantic: You're not allowed to have a go at Paul!

 

But I agree, he was all over the place.

 

his overall ineptitude up to that point, getting beat and stumbling into attackers etc., probably played into the mind of the ref when he saw the challenge and lack of reaction from dummett tbh

 

not that that excuses such a poor decision of course

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Guest neesy111

[emoji38] please stop it

Why?  I'm just putting my thoughts out.

 

This is a forum.

 

Sorry forgot you're not allowed an opinion on here.

 

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:lol: think neesy is echoing some stuff a few other people have voiced at times, i.e. we should be dominating a bit more and battering some of the shite in this league

 

problem with that is until this last week we were flying so it was quite clearly working, we've had 1 bad performance, 1 unlucky knockout in the cup and 1 case of daylight robbery

 

no need to reinvent the wheel

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Guest neesy111

We're all frustrated man Neesy, it's been a shocking week, but Blackburn aside we've looked like the same team that are comfortably the top scorers in the league.

Well speaking to friends outside of this forum, while we were winning games people were concerned about the lack of chances we've been creating.  We've been very clinical in taking our chances, which is good.

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Guest neesy111

[emoji38] think neesy is echoing some stuff a few other people have voiced at times, i.e. we should be dominating a bit more and battering some of the shite in this league

 

problem with that is until this last week we were flying so it was quite clearly working, we've had 1 bad performance, 1 unlucky knockout in the cup and 1 case of daylight robbery

 

no need to reinvent the wheel

We are controlling games, but you need to create chances when you are doing so.  Maybe we just need some players to come back into form.

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I think in some games we've smothered teams early on and then took our foot off the gas as the opposition struggles to trouble us. A few games we've looked pretty insipid in the first half and then come out in the 2nd and grabbed a goal or 2 pretty comfortably.

 

I agree we don't look like a massively dangerous side, like Liverpool for example, but I always expect us to be able to grab a couple of goals. Statistically it's working too.

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Guest neesy111

I think in some games we've smothered teams early on and then took our foot off the gas as the opposition struggles to trouble us. A few games we've looked pretty insipid in the first half and then come out in the 2nd and grabbed a goal or 2 pretty comfortably.

 

I agree we don't look like a massively dangerous side, like Liverpool for example, but I always expect us to be able to grab a couple of goals. Statistically it's working too.

:thup:

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We've absolutely torn some teams to shreds with fantastic attacking football. I think Rafa has different plans for different matches, sometimes he wants us to probe and sometimes he wants us to pile in. We've had numerous games with 20+ shots and a plethora of great chances.

 

Wouldn't be at all surprised if it's some kind of preparation for promotion.

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I worry about the last few games and how it could effect the team and then I realise Rafa will not let it have a negative effect on the team. The Blackburn game was poor but it was clear we had an eye on the cup game. Last night was just fucking ridiculous and you just know that the team will be fire don't up rather than disheartened by it. The performance last night after 120 minutes and a disappointing end on tuesday is proof that we will come out next Sat with the right attitude.

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Lads, we're never ever going to play 2 up top with Benitez :lol: Ever! It will be 4-2-3-1, or maybe 4-1-4-1. Rafa favors the 3 CM's, especially the #10. Defensively it allows us to sit on an oppo's #6, whilst if needs be he can drop in to create 5 in midfield. In this league a fair few teams will play a sitting midfielder. Attacking-wise, it means we have 3 players playing in front of the oppositions back four in between the lines, when our Wingers come inside and Full Backs go high. The aim with this is for Shelvey to find one of those 3 players free in pockets of space, or to ping diagonals into the Full Backs.

 

Our build up play is slow, and it does allow us to take up good positions and control the game- we were able to do this comfortable against 10 men ffs- but I do agree that there needs to be a personnel change in the AM position. Perez isn't a 10 for me, he's a ST. Diame is thick as f*** and shouldn't be near this team tbh, so we're already out of options.

 

Think it's a minor frustration that we're going to have to live with for this season until we can invest in a good AM for next season. I still would love to see 4-4-2, though.

 

Was clear as day we needed a quality attacking midfielder back in the summer

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Got to appeal that one. Never a sending off in a billion years.

 

can't be arsed to find the dummett thread but he was f***ing horrible up to the sending off last night, worst player on the pitch, and i think he's been decent overall down a level

 

Ronaldo's going to kick off when he sees this! :frantic: You're not allowed to have a go at Paul!

 

But I agree, he was all over the place.

 

Not at all, when someone's had a bad game I'll say it. Dummett was awful last night and he usually is after he's been out of the team for a couple of games.

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Guest Howaythetoon

Neesy makes valid points and it is a genuine concern us dominating yet not hurting teams more. Rafa needs to play two up top and to sort CM out. Its not exactly costing us big time, but it is curtailing us all the same. Play Mitrovic and Gayle up top and go for the jugglers and we piss this league. We are the equivalent of shopping in an expensive shop, with a wad full of money, but fannying on as to what to buy exactly. Buy, spend. Leave. In short get it fucking sorted man!

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