I wouldn’t have played that open full stop. Palace set their players inside but level with our full backs, it was amazing to see us accept that risk as it didn’t equate to an attacking advantage, just left us open.
BUT he has us looking weak, panicky even in defence, Potteresque in attack and useless in midfield
For real? I didn’t hear it but you’d have to be a nuclear grade f’wit to sing that after our last 3 performances.
Sorry to pick on this particular comment, but I keep reading it’s our best ever squad but I’m not sure it is. Most expensively assembled for sure. But Caicedo, Mac A, Trossard, Bissouma, White, Cucurella, Gross would all start. Maybe Mwepu too. Dunk has aged badly. And none of the new boys has had a massive impact (yet). Baleba is raw, Rutter inconsistent and the rest have done pretty much nothing.
Fair comment, but they were also young kids, Gross apart, at the time much like the current squad but they were well coached and had a clear idea about how the manager wanted them to play. Do you really think the current squad have the same level of understanding about how they should play?
Well, does he have us looking like that or is our inexperienced and unbalanced squad structure making us look like that?
I don’t, but people also forget how turgid we were under Potter for a long time. I expected us to finish towards the top end of the bottom half this season and still do. We have a lot of new players, and a new manager, to bed in, all of whom are young. If anything the 4th place and the start we’ve had were the anomaly -I think we’re seeing a reversion to the mean, at least till a few more of the newbies start to find their feet. We’ve had nothing yet from Gruda, Ferdi, o’Riley because of injuries.
I’d still rather have Pervis that Cucurella but no one we have bought in is at the levels of those above when they left us. Mwepu would breeze into our central midfield.
We can't afford players who are at the level these players were when they left us.
Did you feel there was any real desire from Minteh, Atari, Baleba, Mitoma or Georginio to properly get back when we lost the ball today? I didn’t, and I didn’t think Estupinan showed enough desire to get back in at times either. The channel between our CBs and fullbacks was huge, any ball played in that area got in behind us.
I didn’t say we could replace with the same quality just agreed that the current side doesn’t have it. The fact our midfield two consists of a kid who couldn’t get a game for Coventry 6 months ago and Baleba who was miles off for a large chunk of last season is telling.
Its not optimal of course. In the best of worlds we sign a real midfielder to replace Alexis and that player would now have been in his second year with the club and perhaps grow into the league like Baleba has done (and will continue to do).
I’ve watched a lot of the 21s over the last 2 seasons. McConville is definitely ready for a punt at the first team, hence why he was on the bench today. Nice kid too, can see him going a long way with the right development.
As has already been said tonight it does make the Gilmour sale mystifying as he had established himself a decent PL operator and now looking like a gamble that isn’t paying off. I think the club badly over estimated Weiffer and O’Rileys ability to hit the ground running.
Well, I agree with that.
Not so sure we did (Hinshelwood) and that it would be the reason why he’s injured
Ayari hasn't been fine overall.
Maybe not but last season we started him game after game and he suffered a VERY typical "overplaying" injury (stress fracture).