2020/21 Carlo Ancelotti

[Ancelotti]

Whereas the progressive, long term, shrewd, logical decision would be to sack Ancelotti and bring in Howe?

I'm quite happy with our manager thanks.

These players? Not so much

Where did I say Howe?

I want Graham Potter. A young manager who Spurs and Arsenal are looking at. Clear style of play - modern football. Excellent recruitment record.

I know he didn’t win trophies in the 80s like but his Brighton play better togger than the turgid stuff we serve up every single week and with worse players than us.

 

[Lanolin]

Of course it is - I don’t disagree.

We don’t have the personnel to play attacking football. Carlo’s said as much himself. That’s what this summer will be focused on changing.

Yeah my point was more just that we might find the defence isn't as set as we thought if we suddenly start attacking more.

 

[Daveysgingerlovechild]

He’s not the man for the future though is he? Not when you actually analyse everything.

Carlo is an old man now. His tactics look dated. He’s the wrong type of manager for a club which wants to steadily build. Carlo requires ready-made, world class players. We don’t and will never have that.

Some of you are behaving like Kopites did with Rafael Benitez. The worship of Carlo is worrying when he’s done nothing here.

At least that lot had reason to worship Benitez. Honestly it’s embarrassing the way some blues are behaving when it comes to Carlo, he’s above all criticism because of achievements in the past. We’ll appoint Mourinho next then shall we? Even though he’s clearly out of touch with the game now, let’s get him in because his Inter side were good.

Such short term, naive thinking from so many of you.

He's no Roy Hodgson or Kenny Dalgleish, is he?

 

[Jimishorts]

I don’t use the term “we” with them so it’s not even remotely similar. You can’t watch a team on TV a few times over the years and think you’re ‘we’.

From the Leipzig thread

Well here we go again

Another mis-truth from the super fan @longers

 

[blulouie]

There are literally no caveats in my post?! I'm just saying the league table is how you measure performance, not how many points you got 7 years ago. It's a pretty simple concept.

I also didn't 'attack' anyone, I just said I didn't understand why we needed to put a caveat in for the season we got more points but not for the seasons we got less. He was trying to put a spin on things, which is fine, but I was just pointing it out.

There are literally no caveats in my post?! I'm just saying the league table is how you measure performance, not how many points you got 7 years ago. It's a pretty simple concept.

I also didn't 'attack' anyone, I just said I didn't understand why we needed to put a caveat in for the season we got more points but not for the seasons we got less. He was trying to put a spin on things, which is fine, but I was just pointing it out.

Point taken on the caveat , post 22,670 hopefully explains the reasoning.

If you dont think its right judging progress over past seasons up to 6/7 years ago maybe just a quick comparison from last season.

19/20 W13 D10 L15 F44 A56 49pts

20/21 W16 D8 L11 F46 A42 56pts
With 3 to play.

That to me is progress in every area , ive earlier posted if we reached 60 points wether that gets us europe or not is good progress.

Now as for next season if the right business is done i would be looking for 70 points and consider that as part of the progression.

The man said evolution not revolution & i'm comfortable with that.

 

[Jim Hopper]

Where did I say Howe?

I want Graham Potter. A young manager who Spurs and Arsenal are looking at. Clear style of play - modern football. Excellent recruitment record.

I know he didn’t win trophies in the 80s like but his Brighton play better togger than the turgid stuff we serve up every single week and with worse players than us.

We tried the young manager approach with Martinez and Silva. That went well.

Different kettle of fish when you’re managing a small club with little to no expectations in front of 20k fans who don’t expect to win. As opposed to an owner and fan base who want success and demand improvements.

Ancelotti hasn’t even been given enough time here to yet to get his feet firmly under the table, you get your flavour of the month manager in and if he hasn’t set the world alight and got us playing tantalising football like he does for Brighton with a year and a half do we sack him and go again? Do we keep repeating this trend?

 

[allen]

Yeah my point was more just that we might find the defence isn't as set as we thought if we suddenly start attacking more.

Yes, I realise the point you're making.

My point is that we know how to play defensively, when appropriate. We're incapable of playing offensively - except in counter attack - when that's appropriate.

Like you say, it's about finding the balance - and the focus at this point absolutely has to be on improving our attacking play.

 

[ToffeeTim]

Where did I say Howe?

I want Graham Potter. A young manager who Spurs and Arsenal are looking at. Clear style of play - modern football. Excellent recruitment record.

I know he didn’t win trophies in the 80s like but his Brighton play better togger than the turgid stuff we serve up every single week and with worse players than us.

Ah yes, the Brighton manager. A side who can't score and can't defend properly. They look really pretty in the middle third of the field, and we all know that's where football is won and lost.

I know you didn't mention Howe. But since you mentioned Potter, then Howe maybe wasn't that far off!

And why are you talking about the 80's. Ancelotti won a league like 4 years ago and a CL 7 years ago.

 

[Tree13]

Well there’s a difference between the unit and the individuals that make it up. I’m talking more about the unit.

I’m pretty happy that we know how to defend as a team. The problem is we don’t know how to attack.

Leaving aside for a moment that I am less convinced of our defensive prowess than you, let's look at the limitations in our attacking play.

1) Would they be immediately improved with the arrival of a new RB?
2) Would they potentially be improved if our CBs didn't have to sit so deep (due to their own lack of pace)?

The unit *might* be better at defending than I believe - I'm happy to leave that point. But the same personnel within that unit are part of the reason we struggle to attack. If we do nothing to change the personnel across the back 4, we remain completely reliant on the midfield and forwards to attack. Succes in modern football however demands that fullbacks contribute regularly in attacking play, and that CBs can at least move upfield with the ball at pace IF there is space to do so. Additionally if the CBs can play higher up the field when we are in possession, we can then have the midfield move further upfield in immediate support of the forwards.

I'm not saying we don't need to recruit better midfielders - I am firmly of the belief that we should be buying two new central midfielders this summer ( a DM and a box-to-box), and it's glaringly obvious that we need upgrades on Iwobi and Bernard in the wide midfield areas. I'm not saying we don't need another wide forward / winger - we clearly do. I am just saying that our defence needs addressing too.

Until all those areas are addressed the current squad is not good enough to put out a full first 11 without any glaring weaknesses, even if everyone is fully fit. All that being said, we're still in with a chance of finishing 6th (above Arsenal and Spurs) with three games to go, with THIS squad. It's absolutely mad to suggest that Ancelloti has in any way underachieved with this club.

 

[blulouie]

Where did I say Howe?

I want Graham Potter. A young manager who Spurs and Arsenal are looking at. Clear style of play - modern football. Excellent recruitment record.

I know he didn’t win trophies in the 80s like but his Brighton play better togger than the turgid stuff we serve up every single week and with worse players than us.

This for real lol

 

[Egil Olsen]

Ah yes, the Brighton manager. A side who can't score and can't defend properly. They look really pretty in the middle third of the field, and we all know that's where football is won and lost.

I know you didn't mention Howe. But since you mentioned Potter, then Howe maybe wasn't that far off!

And why are you talking about the 80's. Ancelotti won a league like 4 years ago and a CL 7 years ago.

I do not want to fire Ancelotti, and therefore Potter is not relevant. But what the statistics show, and what you see when Brighton play, is that they have a very well established system and play good football. They lack quality in front of their own and the opponent's goals, but what the manager has done is to facilitate that they produce goal chances and get few chances against. The fact that Brighton scores too few goals, and concedes too many goals, can therefore easily be fixed with quality. The system works well. Potter is an exciting manager, but we already have Ancelotti.

 

[ToffeeTim]

I do not want to fire Ancelotti, and therefore Potter is not relevant. But what the statistics show, and what you see when Brighton play, is that they have a very well established system and play good football. They lack quality in front of their own and the opponent's goals, but what the manager has done is to facilitate that they produce goal chances and get few chances against. The fact that Brighton scores too few goals, and concedes too many goals, can therefore easily be fixed with quality. The system works well. Potter is an exciting manager, but we already have Ancelotti.

I'm afraid we'll have to agree to disagree.

The way Brighton play is exactly how I don't like a team to play in this league. It's the definition of style over substance. Keeping the ball well and being neat and tidy in possession is irrelevant if you are not well organised, good at set plays, and good on the transition.

They are really bad at all 3 of those things and I don't see how you can ever be successful in the PL if aren't good on at least 2 out of those 3.

We are starting to show signs of setting a foundation. What we need now are the 3 or 4 players who add that extra quality to win tight games. We can't expect to be blowing decent sides away, but with extra quality at full back, in midfield and in attack, the nil nils become 1 or 2 nil wins, and the bad days at the office end up being draws rather than narrow losses.

I wouldn't say Chelsea for example play really expansive football. They make up for it by being very solid and having quality in the final third. That's what we need to do. We don't need to be playing super ultra aggressive attacking football.

 

[JMT]

Where did I say Howe?

I want Graham Potter. A young manager who Spurs and Arsenal are looking at. Clear style of play - modern football. Excellent recruitment record.

I know he didn’t win trophies in the 80s like but his Brighton play better togger than the turgid stuff we serve up every single week and with worse players than us.

 

[kev101]

I just watched his post match interview, we apparently played well. OK mate, yeah, wonderful

 

[Daveysgingerlovechild]

Where did I say Howe?

I want Graham Potter. A young manager who Spurs and Arsenal are looking at. Clear style of play - modern football. Excellent recruitment record.

I know he didn’t win trophies in the 80s like but his Brighton play better togger than the turgid stuff we serve up every single week and with worse players than us.

Oh mate. You are fo sho on the wind up.