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I enjoyed that as much as any game I’ve watched for years. So comfortable quick passing out from the back, forward players finding space and the passes delivered. I wish I knew how to copy that video though as I want to text it to someone.
Very early days to even contemplate comments like that. I thought we were too open and exposed a lot of the time yesterday - that’s my worry. Not being negative, just honest. But the fact it was Liverpool and they were chasing a game was largely the reason for that I’m sure. I think I have a preconception of RDZ leaving the defence exposed too - but I am a little worried about it tbh.
He’s had all the players together for one day give him a chance.To be honest standing behind that goal I was worried that we seemed to be under strict instructions to always play along the back which at times put us under a lot of pressure and led to giving the ball away several times in very dangerous areas. That is how I remember Potter starting out before adapting to mixing it up a bit to become less predictable which drew better performances.
Now part of the problem was when we were really under it we only seemed to pass the ball sideways across the back and relatively slowly too. The midfield didn't seem to be moving to give a forward option either. Listening to RDZ interview it sounded like he was acknowledging we need to do quite a lot of work to improve playing that way particularly regard moving the ball at pace. So great if he's acknowledged where it wasn't working. Let's hope he can get it happening or at least accept we sometimes need to go a bit more direct against the best pressing teams.
He’s had all the players together for one day give him a chance.
Let's not get carried away here. Brilliant match, excellemt result, super performance - but this was basically a Potter team, playing the Potter way. De Zerbi will have barely had time to say 'hello' to some of them, and in many ways any of us could have probably given similar instructions - "You know who you are, you know how you play, get out there and do what you've been doing!'
Obviously, you can't go on just doing that forever - standing still = going backwards in the PL. RDZ will I'm sure want to put his stamp on things - and his own players. Haven't we already been linked with a player from Shaktar Donetsk? Tweaks will inevitably come, and some changes no doubt - and I hope RDZ gets them right!
But seriously though, anyone who was watching, was that performance really any different from a Potter one?
Yes, did you see how many players we had in their box most of the time?
To be honest standing behind that goal I was worried we seemed under strict instructions to always play along the back, which at times put us under a lot of pressure, and led to giving the ball away in very dangerous areas. That's how I remember Potter starting out before adapting to mixing it up a bit to become less predictable which drew better performances.
The problem was when we were really under it, we only seemed to pass the ball sideways across the back and relatively slowly too. The midfield didn't seem to be moving to give a forward option at all. Listening to RDZ interview it sounded like he was acknowledging we need to do quite a lot of work to improve playing that way particularly regard moving the ball at pace. So great if he's acknowledged where it wasn't working. Let's hope he can get it happening or at least accept we sometimes need to go a bit more direct against the best pressing teams.
Yes, did you see how many players we had in their box most of the time?