Cardiff v Everton. 31st Aug @ 15.00.

[Steve0]

Deulofeu needs to start from now on. Put Mirallas up front? Jelavic is simply never going to be good enough.

 

[bicycleheader]

To me these players last season were playing some of the quick passing, one touch and link up play that Martinez and all of us would like to see more of now.

I think the tactics will be fine but some of the players have looked a level or two below last season. Mirallas disappointing so far and Osman looks done as a first teamer.

Quite happy we have not been done over by any of these teams playing the bus parking and counter style. Defence is holding just fine.

I think all this crap in the papers has to be affecting the manager and players and we are seeing the result. Fail to score in the first half and the anxiety kicks in.

We need the window shut whatever way it works out. I am happy we have a real tough one at home to Chelsea to make sure they all raise their game.

 

[blueburns1878]

As poor as Jela has been, why do I get the feeling that he would've tapped in Gerry's cross...

Why couldn't we have left 2 strikers on?

Might of but prob stood still like everyone else

 

[GrandOldTeam]

Personally I thought we played well, had lots of the ball and dominated the game, we did create some decent chances all we lack is a striker to stick the ball away.

I'm not so sure. We leave the striker so isolated that even Thierry Henry in his prime would struggle...

 

[Tree13]

Thoughts:

Howard - Can stay in the team is doing fine.

Coleman - Automatic pick
Jagielka/Distin - Currently doing fine.
Baines - Automatic pick, but has he played his last game?

Agree with all BUT: Jags should not be captain, and Baines should stay unless a £30m bid comes in. I'd give Baines the Captaincy.

Osman - Worst player by a country mile and somehow got another 90 mins. Must give a boss BJ.
Fellaini - Pretty anonymous the past few games in league. Mind elsewhere? Martinez ruined him forcing him to play deep?

Spot on about Osman, completely wrong re Felli. He's playing at DM to cover for Gibson's absence, and he was one of the best on the park for us today.

Mirallas - Has been terrible so far this season and a shambles today.
Pienaar - Looked ok but so slow, so predictable. Should be fighting for a starting spot but surprise surprise nobody to challenge him.
Barkley - Positive in play, at the moment has to start but ideally will know he needs to play well to stay in team.

All correct.

Jelavic/Kone - Both Championship standard at best and you have to question the manager for spending 5m on Kone. Awful player.

IF Kone cost £5m, I agree with you about him. However, I think both would perform better if they weren't isolated as the lone striker. We aren't gonna be able to sell them, so we need to find a way to get the best out of them and given how light we are in CM I think that calls for a 442.

 

[kenada_blue]

Final stats:

61% possession
13 goal attempts (3 on target) v 4(1)
5 corners v 4

Compared to City's game last week (City stats first)

70% possession
12 goal attempts (5 on target) v 10(8)
8 corners v 3

So we had roughly as many goal attempts as City, although they were nearly twice as accurate, and we limited Cardiff to only one shot on target compared to the 8 that they enjoyed last week.

Jelavic has scored 1 league goal in his last 20 league games. It's not acceptable.
Kone has 1 in 11 but he hasn't started all of those and he's still looking for sharpness after a disrupted pre-season.
Vic has 1 in 12 but hasn't started a lot either.

Forget signing a midfielder. We need a striker capable of scoring 1 in 4 as a minimum requirement.

And City have about a £70million striker force.

 

[Jags..class]

Most of us were worried about then defence, maybe Martinez should be brave and change the formation, we don't want him becoming Moyes and scared of losing games and upsetting the fans.

 

[teppic]

Boss scouting on Jelavic, Moyes.

 

[Steve0]

Anyway time for some positivity. Still unbeaten, two clean sheets in a row, would've won but for a shocking ref, Cardiff were nothing short of a disgrace given they were the home team, maybe we'll do better against teams that come to play.

 

[Joey66]

Might of but prob stood still like everyone else

Why did Jelly use his wrong foot when RB {MOTM} passed a great through ball scoring opportunity he used the wrong foot his left???????

 

[Del]

I'm not so sure. We leave the striker so isolated that even Thierry Henry in his prime would struggle...

Jelavic had a couple of chances, One that springs to mind is when he decided to hit the ball with the outside of his boot and sky the thing

A good striker makes space and is always on the move, Jelavic and Kone seem heavy legged and clumsy

 

[bourneblue]

Thoughts:

Howard - Can stay in the team is doing fine.

Coleman - Automatic pick
Jagielka/Distin - Currently doing fine.
Baines - Automatic pick, but has he played his last game?

Osman - Worst player by a country mile and somehow got another 90 mins. Must give a boss BJ.
Fellaini - Pretty anonymous the past few games in league. Mind elsewhere? Martinez ruined him forcing him to play deep?
Mirallas - Has been terrible so far this season and a shambles today.
Pienaar - Looked ok but so slow, so predictable. Should be fighting for a starting spot but surprise surprise nobody to challenge him.
Barkley - Positive in play, at the moment has to start but ideally will know he needs to play well to stay in team.

Jelavic/Kone - Both Championship standard at best and you have to question the manager for spending 5m on Kone. Awful player.

Thought Osman had a decent game myself,there were far worse performances than his. Getting a lot of stick lately Osman sometimes deservedly sometimes not (as in today) Now Neville has departed is he the new bunions whipping boy ?

 

[paulbefc]

That renowned goalscorer James McCarthy will solve our problems

We need someone to push the issue, not sweep the ball from side to side. James McCarthy could have played in Osman's place and I bet the exact same things would have happened. Imagine taking Fellaini out of that side and putting McCarthy in it. He's not what we need and that's an enormous understatement.

 

[billycopper]

Well I feel positive about this season.

3 draws against 3 teams who have put 11 players behind the ball - that won't happen every game.

People ****ging off Jelavic and Kone need to realise it isn't easy when you receive the ball surrounded by 3/4/5 players.

Deulofeu shoiuld be starting though.

Two clean sheets in three games and Norwich were fortunate with their goals. One of my biggest concerns with Martinez would be that we'd concede far too many.

We've had two really poor referees.

Our possession and shots on target stats are excellent, but we're not converting. It seems as if Jelavic is being given a chance until Kone gets up to speed. I'd like to see Vic and Vellios used in the mix though.

I was hoping that Martinez would offer us more variety but he seems to be sticking to Moyse' rigid system. If we were putting chances away it wouldn't be an issue but maybe we need to find ways of getting Fellaini and Mirallas on the end of more opportunities?

 

[banno]

one step back two steps forward. We are on target. Few little tweaks here and there and a big boot up Jelas ring.
We are not conceding that many chances so thats a positive. Hurry up back Gibbo