Centre mid

[TSB]

Middlesbrough we're hard to break down as you put it. Means nothing

Spot on. Nail hit firmly on its head.

What a load of crap.
As you seem oblivious to it, I'll explain: it means that we have a good chance at keeping clean sheets. That gives our attacking players the assurance that we're always in a game and one goal might win it.

Palace looked lively going forward but couldn't defend, so would have needed to score four today.

We won't score three or four very often (and neither will they)
It makes a big difference.

 

[martin tyler]

To judge a CM partnership which has been together 6 days against a team with prob 3 of the best CM in te league with just as good options on the bench is just stupid. They also had to deal with CBs adding to the numbers in there. They did a very good job containing them. It will be like that against a lot of the top 6 I'm afraid. They will be a lot more exspansive against lower teams and willmore than Likley give those teams some problems.

 

[Seat Stealer]

Proud of our team. proud of our club. Any points against top 6 are a bonus. .............Palace did well!

 

[Weststander]

What a load of crap.
As you seem oblivious to it, I'll explain: it means that we have a good chance at keeping clean sheets. That gives our attacking players the assurance that we're always in a game and one goal might win it.

Palace looked lively going forward but couldn't defend, so would have needed to score four today.

We won't score three or four very often (and neither will they)
It makes a big difference.

Depends on what you have up front. If the team has top flight quality pace and goals, you're quite right,

Without that, the defensive work would stand for little and we've have stats all round like Boro 2016/17.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Day one of the season against a club predicted by many to win the title ...lots to learn ..but we were far from embarrassed

 

[Eeyore]

Propper made some school boy errors today. That's amendable which is why I'm not concerned. Technically he looks sound. First day struggles. Oh, and an opposition camped in our half.

It's not really matches like this, and at this time, that I'm drawing too many conclusions from.

 

[StonehamPark]

Cannot judge anything from that game. Citeh will be the best side we play this year by some distance. Onwards

Can't agree with that to be honest.
We have 9 more games against teams of similar quality. We need to judge what went well and what must be improved.

Our defence was great.
Wingers very good.
Strikers got little service or enough time to judge fairly.
Centre midfield was poor at best.

Overall, the biggest criticism of that game was 90+ minutes of giving the ball straight back to City.
This needs to be the first improvement in my opinion.

Of course we were up against the favourites for the title, but there are clear improvements that we need to make to survive.

 

[TSB]

Depends on what you have up front. If the team has top flight quality pace and goals, you're quite right,

Without that, the defensive work would stand for little and we've have stats all round like Boro 2016/17.

What, in one game against Man City?
Every man, woman and child knows we need more firepower but until we have it (and for the majority of games after we do) we will have to grind and scrap for every point.
It's all well and good to point at Boro and say 'that's what we're like' but Burnley were very similar and they stayed up.

Reassess after the second International break I think.

 

[trueblue]

Hmm OP. I wonder if some of the other teams might not be quite as good as Manchester City [emoji849]

 

[AZ Gull]

Propper made some school boy errors today. That's amendable which is why I'm not concerned.

I thought it was a very nervy opening 30 minutes from him, but he seemed to settle down after that. However, it was Stephens who gave away two clumsy free-kicks in dangerous positions (an accusation that was leveled at Sidwell last season, so only fair that the same standard applies to Dale) and then clumsily gave away possession to gift City their opening goal.

 

[trueblue]

Day one of the season against a club predicted by many to win the title ...lots to learn ..but we were far from embarrassed

Absolutely right. But as usual a few on here are doing their best to embarrass themselves.

Man City are Champions League quality. Let's see how we do against teams that are just Premier League quality.

 

[Skaville]

I quite like our policy of signing players from other leagues rather than premier league failures, but our lack of premier league experience showed today. Zero composure in possession. One player in particular stood up. Take a bow, Solly March

 

[BevBHA]

What a load of crap.
As you seem oblivious to it, I'll explain: it means that we have a good chance at keeping clean sheets. That gives our attacking players the assurance that we're always in a game and one goal might win it.

Palace looked lively going forward but couldn't defend, so would have needed to score four today.

We won't score three or four very often (and neither will they)
It makes a big difference.

Load of tosh. It's easy to look good defensively when, every time your opponent gets the ball, you put 10 men behind the ball and defend on the edge of your box. You have to be solid but be braver and take risks when attacking

 

[Albion Dan]

Hmm OP. I wonder if some of the other teams might not be quite as good as Manchester City [emoji849]

If our centre mids play like that the opposition is irrelevant. They were piss poor and need to improve dramatically. Skill levels of opponents are no excuse for not going in for second balls or headers. We were embarrassing in the areas where skill levels make no difference. Rabbits in headlights.

 

[Albion Dan]

Absolutely right. But as usual a few on here are doing their best to embarrass themselves.

Man City are Champions League quality. Let's see how we do against teams that are just Premier League quality.

Wake up. Palace stayed up by beating teams that are champs league quality. Your attitude will get us relegated already.

 

[WhingForPresident]

We were playing the best side in the league on paper today. Take the positives, forget the negatives and move on to the next one.

 

[Deadly Danson]

Wake up. Palace stayed up by beating teams that are champs league quality. Your attitude will get us relegated already.

Whereas yours is going to help enormously.

 

[WhingForPresident]

Wake up. Palace stayed up by beating teams that are champs league quality. Your attitude will get us relegated already.

Get a grip.

 

[ewe2]

From what i saw the whole team needs not to give the ball away so cheaply........!

 

[Albion Dan]

Get a grip.

Ahhh it's ok our CMs were atrocious we were playing big bad Man City. It's ok mummy not all of those teams are good like that.

Go and buy some fanny wipes you're gonna need them.