Newcastle United 4-1 Paris Saint-Germain (04/10/23)

[Dokko]

Don't come back to this thread or this moment often. Feels like a tide mark and years away from bettering it, if we do. 

[80]

2 hours ago, STM said:

 

In the last 7 games of last season we scored 20 goals, won 4, drew 1, lost 2, and one of those losses was away at Old Trafford.

 

I agree that we haven't reached the heights of that PSG game but also that's a very high standard to hold them to every week.

 

Just look at someone like Arsenal or Man City, they don't win all their games at the standard we know they are capable. Arsenal let a two goal lead slip against Leicester before winning, for example and Man City had to come from behind the other day.

 

Since that PSG win, we've also had some incredible results which would have been comparable to our very best under 12 years of MA:

 

Chelsea 4-1

Spurs 4-0

sunderland 3-0

Arsenal 1-0

Man United in the cup 0-3? 

 

And a fair few other decent ones 4-1 at Brentford for example, 5-1 against Sheffield United at home.

 

The point is, it's not all doom and gloom. 

Well, half the results you've listed there (the most impressive ones) came before the date of the decline I referenced in my post. So they probably support my point if anything.

 

And I wouldn't expect us to play to the PSG standard every week, that would be crazy. But you can go back to a ton of games over the 18 months or so prior to it and have similar thoughts.

 

The goals and results are halfway irrelevant to what I was saying. I did say, we've had good games and times since. But what we've generally missed is the cohesiveness that we displayed in the clean majority of games we played prior to that December going back to early 2022 (again, regardless of the results).

 

Even when we lost we looked like we had a plan and a conviction, whereas even during several wins (like the Sheffield United 5-1 you mentioned) we've spent a long time looking totally discombobulated. We've won with greater desire, quicker reactions in chaos and more exceptional moments of talent - which is laudable, but not as solid a foundation for future success.

 

So I wonder where the other bits went, and I don't want to pretend we never had them to make myself feel better about how things are now. I'm ok with how things are now, and I generally look for the positives because I don't think the team deserve to be given up on. There are justifiable possible explanations for many things, like Trippier's inevitable decline, the novelty and optimism wearing off, the hangover from that November-January fatigue etc. etc. But ultimately I'm hoping we can get back to what we were and what we need to be, as we proved over a prolonged period it can be done.