Yes, absolutely. But we’re not world beaters. On a club football forum, why shouldn’t we talk through these issues? If this was a general Premier League forum, do you think I’d be moaning about some aspects of Albion's game? No! Of course I wouldn’t. I’m here among friends. We can discuss this stuff frankly.
I agree. I think we know why RDZ does it (resting certain players etc) but we are not good enough to get away with it. He always ends up having to introduce our better players early in the second half and take off the "lesser players" but by then we are chasing the game.
Indeed we can (and should), but surely at a level of realism? We didn't win today, but did enough that we 'could' have done. We have scored more goals than at the same point last season. We 'could' have gone 5th today, had we poked one more goal in. We're still 8th and still in the Europa League.
It was bad defending to let the lad have all that space and fire off a shot. The chances of it then hitting one of the many defenders in front of him not closing down properly and diverting the ball were relatively high and isn’t really that much bad luck. IMO the deflection wasnt even that bad and was still easily close enough to Bart to expect him to save it.
It could have been worse, I think Burnley’s last PL away win was against…..Brighton. We could easily have lost that game on how things went.
They are two awful results. 29 shots, 11 on target, xG of 2.52 and only 1 goal is terrible. There's no getting away from it.
Two average results - nothing more and nothing less. Awful would have been losing....but we didn't.
29 shots, 11 on target, 1 goal.
And? Shots don't = goals, only goals do.
I totally agree. I understand the importance of positivity. But after the home games against West Ham, AEK, Fulham, Sheff Utd, and now Burnley (and near misses vs Bournemouth and Brentford), I’m detecting a pattern of us underestimating 'weaker' teams in home matches. Like you, I could take a 1-1 vs Burnley… if it wasn’t for those other matches mentioned.
And? We beat Manure away and Saudi at home, we've beaten Ajax home and away . . . Shit happens. .
Then perhaps balance those thoughts when we beat teams that (again, on paper) we should be losing to....yet don't.
Understood. But it’s almost as if we’re taking some matches more seriously than others — and getting bitten on the arse for underestimating certain sides.
Yes, it seems so easy to forget that we are missing key players, yet are expected to perform to our best, both in the Prem and in Europe.
We lost to Chelsea two matches ago.
