3 issues to be addressed

[Nymzee]

I’m sure
@Zatara
@Nymzee
And others will have ideas

Zaha

 

[Yarrgh]

We have 7/8 very good players capable of giving us the type of performances we need consistently. The rest are pure trash, passengers who offer very little and have been churning out the same garbage for 2/3 seasons.

I agree with this. And of those 7/8 players, if they're at the top of their game and the other 3 or 4 are playing well then we get a couple of games like the opening ones of the season. However the squad is quite threadbare beyond this. I know that all teams in the league are affected by the short turn arounds between games, but it does mean that those better players are quite often not all available at 100% fitness all the time.

The good news is that most of the teams in this league are in a fairly similar position. Apart from City, there's a lot of teams that have weak squads, after the 1st 11, that can mean holes can appear frequently in them that can be exploited. This season for me is a free hit at trying to accelerate into the top 4 because of this, and Ancelotti has used the squad to the best of his abilities to put us in the mix. Is this a top 4 side he has? No, but the seeds are there for one, and if we did nick a top 4 position, well nothing attracts Champions League quality players like being a Champions League team.

Yesterday was a critical game for top 4, but we still have a chance, it just means that the likes of the next game against Burnley become even more important. I'd have taken this position this time last season.

As for the original 3 points. Backpassing - yes it annoys me, and we need better movement up front to make those spaces. If we weren't so slow in getting the ball played up, then any movements the front players make might be enough to be more aggressive up front. A hard thing to get right with who we have. For point 2, I am constantly annoyed this season at our careless turning over of possession - it's appalling - it's suicidal at times and undoes any good work we have done almost instantly. As for 3 and pressing, I would love more pressing too, but I think with what we have and managing the team's fitness level (a whole topic on its own) and personnel that Ancelotti has found a way to effectively utilise what he has.

We are as ever a few transfer seasons away from where I'd want to be which is 3 summers as we know we do little in the December window. Hopefully a few more players might be just enough to shift the team to another level if we are fortunate with injuries.

 

[Yarrgh]

We do not have a Kop and will never do so.

Was it called the Kop, 130 years ago or so?

 

[Connor mcloud]

Was it called the Kop, 130 years ago or so?

1900 after a boer war battle, Sorry not sure it was named then but it was after that battle

 

[Yarrgh]

1900 after a boer war battle

Ahhh, so it's good to know that great great grandpappy Yarrrgh wasn't a koppite!

 

[chrismpw]

Was it called the Kop, 130 years ago or so?

Why was is called the kop then? What does it mean?
Killers of People?
Krusty old Pervs?

 

[bilyaletdinov_]

We don't have the squad to play a high press, maybe when/if we get a midfield 3 of Davies, Doucoure and Allan we will be better suited but players like Gomes and Sigurdsson are too easily bypassed and not quick enough to recover. Same might be said of Keane at CB.
Once Ancelotti gets our right side sorted (summer transfer window) we will be able to play on the front foot more I think.

 

[hallamblue]

Why was is called the kop then? What does it mean?
Killers of People?
Krusty old Pervs?

Named after a hill in South Africa made famous by a battle, Spion Kop. Quite a few clubs have ends named after it.

 

[Toffeelover]

BAWK

No swearing on here, so behave.

 

[Kaiser Soysauce]

We lose one game and instantly these sorts of threads appear. Our squad is trash and Carlo is doing everything wrong.

Shocker.

I don't think the OP was knee jerking. They were all valid, well written points, and for me, the whole point of a fans forum.

He has merely questioned current tactics and levels of desire and intensity.

Head, and wobble mate. Sort it.

 

[Noisy noise annoys]

We lose one game and instantly these sorts of threads appear. Our squad is trash and Carlo is doing everything wrong.

Shocker.

Stupid post, we have been winning playing like this too, it was only a matter of time before people notice that we play bad football most of the time. We have not dominated a game for months, this stupid " we won, stop moaning" thing is mad, we have been outplayed by relegation fodder many times this season.If we were playing like this under marco, fat sam etc people would be far less forgiving

There is noting wrong with constructive criticism

 

[Khalekan]

Is anyone else getting frustrated by this tendency to pass back all the time? Allan, davies, keane, holgate and even Gomez are serious culprits. I noticed it in a big way against United and it's the same [Poor language removed] yarn since then. DCL and Richarldson are busting a gut up front and no one is trying to find them. I'd much prefer losing the possession with an audacious through ball then keeping it tiky tak

2. Not keeping possession
This is a major issue. Chelsea were knocking the ball around tonight like any team should when they are protecting a lead. When we're ahead it's just 'sit back and absorb'. Against teams like man city this is going to have crucified.

3. Not pressing enough
Ashley Cole alluded to this after the west Brom game. He said 'they dont run enough off the ball for my liking. If you're chasing your dreams you've got to work much harder'. This is spot on. The aggression and pressure in the second half tonight was excellent, but why arent they like this every game? Why does it take going 2 nil down? A Guardiola side suffocates you, the pressure is immense and you dont get a chance to think. Coleman, davies and allan have great intensity, but I just wish there was this desire aggression from the whole side. Love to see players doubling up and crowding out the opposition. Can't understand why it requires a 2-0 deficit to motivate them into playing like demons.

All these issues can be rectified in a single team talk. Cant understand why they're reappearing game after game. Anyone else notice this lack of intensity and aggression?

I could half live with this if I could see some purpose to it.

But here is what I see happening all too often, especially last night.

We have the ball in the opponent’s half.

A bit of passing sideways befire the back passing takes it all the way back to Pickford.

A couple of passes takes us back over the halfway line and the same thing happens.

At which point our goalie launches it long....straight on to the head of an opposition defender 90% of tge time and the ball is coming back toward us again.

Or DCL gets a directionless nod sideways under pressure.

It does my head in.

 

[Blue Roo]

1st issue
richarlison, DCL, ?
digne, davies, alan, ?
godfrey, keane, holgate

As a first team, that's CL level, if there's two top class players ahead of Holgate on the right.
Imo, if these two are world class, and with Carlo at the helm, that's more than just reaching Europe, its proper competitive for any of the titles.

2nd issue
Will Pickford be the best keeper for the team going forward. He's def picked up, but are his instincts and temperament that of a title winner.

3rd issue
Squad depth. This a major challenge.
Am optimistic that Brands can get in two right sided players and it will instantly make a difference, but getting players at a European level across positions is obviously a bigger challenge which will have a lot to do with whether trophies can be achieved. At the moment we've got James, Doucs and Mina.

The good thing in all this is that the major issues are playing personnel rather than culture and/or management.
Think its fair to say things have moved on a bit.

 

[Brisan123]

1st issue
richarlison, DCL, ?
digne, davies, alan, ?
godfrey, keane, holgate

As a first team, that's CL level, if there's two top class players ahead of Holgate on the right.
Imo, if these two are world class, and with Carlo at the helm, that's more than just reaching Europe, its proper competitive for any of the titles.

2nd issue
Will Pickford be the best keeper for the team going forward. He's def picked up, but are his instincts and temperament that of a title winner.

3rd issue
Squad depth. This a major challenge.
Am optimistic that Brands can get in two right sided players and it will instantly make a difference, but getting players at a European level across positions is obviously a bigger challenge which will have a lot to do with whether trophies can be achieved. At the moment we've got James, Doucs and Mina.

The good thing in all this is that the major issues are playing personnel rather than culture and/or management.
Think its fair to say things have moved on a bit.

Any team with Davies and Holgate as first choice is not going to be challenging for titles

 

[brieverton]

We are miles off being in a position where we can start a season thinking we are genuine Top 4 contenders, let alone anything beyond.

The progress this season has been down to Ancelotti making the proverbial silk purse from a sows ear.

As he said himself, the technical ability of the players is deficient and that must be addressed in the summer.

We can't keep possession, we constantly look hurried and harassed on the ball.

Midfield is still the big issue, and our right side.

We need a conductor in the middle, but one with some dynamism ideally to cope with the pace of the league. And we need far more goals from midfield as well, and from the wings.

With another three or four signings RB/RW/CM/F we will be much better placed, but then so will the sides around us.

We have the momentum and positivity of a team on an upward trajectory though, with the stadium as well. We've shown the type of signings we can still attract even with no Europe so there is much to be optimistic about.