Colonel Mustard
Well-known member
- Jun 18, 2023
- 2,240
We got a lot of things wrong tonight, but the biggest thing we got wrong was our understanding of AEK. Had they been the flimsy bunch that we’d convinced ourselves they were going to be, even this new Albion line-up would have comfortably seen them off. But they weren’t. They hadn’t come here to lay down, as some of us thought. They were confident, muscular, determined and energetic. Halfway through the first half I was comforting myself with the thought that they couldn’t keep us this energy for long but they did. The wouldn’t let us settle, they fought for everything, and ultimately they deserved this victory.
We might have got away with it if AEK had been less singleminded. But we were poor, and had nowhere to hide. I can’t think of one player I’d single out for praise. I’ve seen Fati twice now and can see his quality a mile off — but he hasn’t yet been fully integrated into the team and our style of play. What I like about him is his instinctive, decisive passing and movement. What he does, he does well. We just haven’t yet seen enough of it. It’s hard to criticise someone who won and scored two penalties but I’m afraid I don’t fully share the love for Pedro I’ve seen from some posters here. He’s elegant and gets involved in delicate interplay but in a way is the opposite of Fati in that I find him indecisive and over-elaborate sometimes. Fati sees something and goes for it. Pedro, despite his obvious ball skills and quick feet, doesn’t have such developed instincts. He seems to hesitate sometimes, as if surprised to find himself in a good position, and can make the wrong decision. But as I say, hard to be too negative about a guy who produces two excellent penalties under pressure. Pervis was inexplicably poor tonight with barely a single pass finding its target. And…. but it’s best not to go through the team as there’s almost nothing positive to say.
The one consolation for me is that it might actually do us some good. After the West Ham defeat, the bloke next to me said something similar. "Sometimes we need to be reminded not to believe all the bullshit", he said, and thought the West Ham result might be a useful kick up the arse — as the results against Newcastle and United seemed to bear out. We all know that RDZ rarely repeats his mistakes. I think it’s true that he’s never lost two games in a row here (except possibly right at the beginning) because he quickly learns from his mistakes. So I’m expecting a a big rebound against Bournemouth, and against Marseille. Disappointing though the evening was, in the long run, it might just be the reality check we all needed.
We might have got away with it if AEK had been less singleminded. But we were poor, and had nowhere to hide. I can’t think of one player I’d single out for praise. I’ve seen Fati twice now and can see his quality a mile off — but he hasn’t yet been fully integrated into the team and our style of play. What I like about him is his instinctive, decisive passing and movement. What he does, he does well. We just haven’t yet seen enough of it. It’s hard to criticise someone who won and scored two penalties but I’m afraid I don’t fully share the love for Pedro I’ve seen from some posters here. He’s elegant and gets involved in delicate interplay but in a way is the opposite of Fati in that I find him indecisive and over-elaborate sometimes. Fati sees something and goes for it. Pedro, despite his obvious ball skills and quick feet, doesn’t have such developed instincts. He seems to hesitate sometimes, as if surprised to find himself in a good position, and can make the wrong decision. But as I say, hard to be too negative about a guy who produces two excellent penalties under pressure. Pervis was inexplicably poor tonight with barely a single pass finding its target. And…. but it’s best not to go through the team as there’s almost nothing positive to say.
The one consolation for me is that it might actually do us some good. After the West Ham defeat, the bloke next to me said something similar. "Sometimes we need to be reminded not to believe all the bullshit", he said, and thought the West Ham result might be a useful kick up the arse — as the results against Newcastle and United seemed to bear out. We all know that RDZ rarely repeats his mistakes. I think it’s true that he’s never lost two games in a row here (except possibly right at the beginning) because he quickly learns from his mistakes. So I’m expecting a a big rebound against Bournemouth, and against Marseille. Disappointing though the evening was, in the long run, it might just be the reality check we all needed.
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