[Albion] De Zerbi: 'We deserved to lose...I understood the problem in January!"

[Kinky Gerbil]

Sounds like Jose when he doesn't get his way

 

[Weststander]

RDZ is forever telling the media how lucky he is to have the squad that he has. I am pretty certain he said it again this week in the pre-Fulham press conference.
A lot of what he says is actually contradictory. Saying that he is lucky to have the squad he has but also implying that he is not being backed is the finest example.

He couldn’t really say anything else when asked very direct questions by journalists.

But post match after yet another non-win with a squad decimated by injuries and from sales, he’s unable to keep his heart-on-sleeve feelings hidden.

This time last year he had this, plus Solly. Pace, power, brilliant specialists in their position. No wonder he’s sad.

The club failed to prepare properly for a season with far more games and genuine hopes of knocking around the top 7 again. We went from pace, power, a decent defence considering its an attacking game plan and sublime qualities, to a squad vulnerable to injuries and a Dad’s army of slow players.

 

[Guinness Boy]

We need to hold our nerve, We have hit a bad patch and it has been a frustrating season.

The narrative of blaming the manager or the club is the most depressing aspect of this though.

This premier league business is bloody hard and I am glad we have who we have navigating it. We need to manage our expectations and stay positive.

You say bad patch.

9th in the Prem, last 16 of the Europa League and with our attackers devastated and no midfield.

Potter just about got half that that with Bissouma, Caicedo, Mwepu, Mac Allister and Trossard.

 

[The Fits]

We need to hold our nerve, We have hit a bad patch and it has been a frustrating season.

The narrative of blaming the manager or the club is the most depressing aspect of this though.

This premier league business is bloody hard and I am glad we have who we have navigating it. We need to manage our expectations and stay positive.

Is it blaming the manager or is it calling him out when he is blaming everybody else?

 

[Bozza]

So we are all turning on RDZ now? Right-ho. FFS.

I listened to the full interview (not just the snippet clipped here for click bait) and thought everything he said was pretty much spot on.

Thought it was a strange team selection but he had very little choice. What is he supposed to do? He's not a miracle worker. He wants to achieve something with this club, but was always going to be difficult with the number of fixtures and injuries unless the club strengthened the squad.

I’m not (turning on him), no.

He’s the best manager we’ve ever had, delivered the best football we’ve ever played and taken the club to heights I didn’t think were possible.

But - I think there was always the potential for it go go a bit Poyet, and there are growing signs it may.

If it does all end in a cataclysmic implosion - what a ride it will have been!

 

[BadFish]

He couldn’t really say anything else when asked very direct questions by journalists.

But post match after yet another non-win with a squad decimated by injuries and from sales, he’s unable to keep his heart-on-sleeve feelings hidden.

This time last year he had this, plus Solly. Pace, power, brilliant specialists in their position. No wonder he’s sad.

View attachment 177872

The club failed to prepare properly for a season with far more games and genuine hopes of knocking around the top 7 again. We went from pace, power, a decent defence considering its an attacking game plan and sublime qualities, to a squad vulnerable to injuries and a Dad’s army of slow players.

That team is made up of some serious rabbit out of the hat, scouting/recruiting genius luck, either way several miracle signings that came off right here.

Of course, many of those are still there but for us to assume/expect the club to keep pulling the rabbits out of the hat season after season is surely madness?

Maybe the club did fail somewhat in the last two windows but can we really be that critical of that?

 

[amexer]

For an interview just after a defeat thought his interview was very good. I thought defeat was down to crap defending and players out of position but in hope of raising levels for next game Dezerbi was putting over that energy levels were down and this must be increased in training and next game
Lalana looked like he was going to cry and seemed concerned some were losing confidence.

We will never get away with throwing players forward in Rome. Just hope he reverts back to 2 proper FBs and 2 CBs.

 

[Weststander]

So we are all turning on RDZ now? Right-ho. FFS.

I listened to the full interview (not just the snippet clipped here for click bait) and thought everything he said was pretty much spot on.

Thought it was a strange team selection but he had very little choice. What is he supposed to do? He's not a miracle worker. He wants to achieve something with this club, but was always going to be difficult with the number of fixtures and injuries unless the club strengthened the squad.

It’s the stages of football mourning, people that said nothing to see here all is wonderful, are now sharpening their stilettos to claim this summer that they never really rated him anyway.

 

[Oh_aye]

If you watch De Zerbi's post match interview (it's on YouTube) he even goes further and seems to call out the staff, medical team, players and club to see if they want to go back to playing 1 game a week....

To be fair to him, I'm not convinced he's calling people out there - just my interpretation of course, but in a second d language it sounds more like a clumsy rallying cry for everyone to commit / trying not to just isolate the players as responsible. My main gripe is he really does give the gist of 'they' need to be up for the challenge, meaning everyone else. Not much in the way of self analysis or personal responsibility.

Goes back to the age old accusation though that perhaps to be a good manager you may have to be an insane egotist.

 

[Ike and Tina Burner]

Is it blaming the manager or is it calling him out when he is blaming everybody else?

We achieved 6th last season with a stronger squad and less games. We've asked more from him this season and given him less to do it with. Based on that and where we are I think he's doing a f***ing fantastic job. His drive for success this season has not been matched by anyone at the club imo and that’s why he's lashing out.

 

[Weststander]

That team is made up of some serious rabbit out of the hat, scouting/recruiting genius luck, either way several miracle signings that came off right here.

Of course, many of those are still there but for us to assume/expect the club to keep pulling the rabbits out of the hat season after season is surely madness?

Maybe the club did fail somewhat in the last two windows but can we really be that critical of that?

The transfer record is probably only beaten by Liverpool and Sporting Lisbon. A bit of a stumble just now in that Ferguson and Estupinan’s form have crashed. Hopefully Rob Edwards or Carlos Kickaball can get their development back on track from August.

 

[Guinness Boy]

We achieved 6th last season with a stronger squad and less games. We've asked more from him this season and given him less to do it with. Based on that and where we are I think he's doing a f***ing fantastic job. His drive for success this season has not been matched by anyone at the club imo and that’s why he's lashing out.

Nailed it

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

It’s the stages of football mourning, people that said nothing to see here all is wonderful, are now sharpening their stilettos to claim this summer that they never really rated him anyway.

I honestly don't give a shit about all this cry-baby bollocks. We have 39 points. We lose a few games. Pull up you knickers and make me a cup of tea.

(Not you, obviously. You have no idea where I keep my tea bags )

 

[BadFish]

Is it blaming the manager or is it calling him out when he is blaming everybody else?

I've not read all the posts on here but from what I have seen its both. It also seems to be a bit of both in terms of criticising the club for the last couple of windows.

My point is that we should avoid buying into this narrative.

The fact is De Zerbi is right, our squad was not what it should be, we all knew it at the beginning of the season. What is not being mentioned is how hard it is to continue to perform miracles in the transfer market (especially when everyone knows how good our recruiting is). We are not a top club that should be expecting improvement/success year on year. The fact is that our progress is always going to be in fits and starts, two steps forward one step back.

Personally, I love the fact we have a manager who wears his heart on his sleeve and speaks his mind. The downside of this is that he will say stuff out of frustration about the way he sees things. IMHO it is better than "it is what it is" platitudes.

 

[Questions]

It is what it is.

 

[Withdean11]

We achieved 6th last season with a stronger squad and less games. We've asked more from him this season and given him less to do it with. Based on that and where we are I think he's doing a f***ing fantastic job. His drive for success this season has not been matched by anyone at the club imo and that’s why he's lashing out.

Yep, spot on.

Maybe the club are happy with being a mid table side, but RDZ is not.

His comments about the squad/recruitment are spot on IMO.

 

[Berty23]

He couldn’t really say anything else when asked very direct questions by journalists.

But post match after yet another non-win with a squad decimated by injuries and from sales, he’s unable to keep his heart-on-sleeve feelings hidden.

This time last year he had this, plus Solly. Pace, power, brilliant specialists in their position. No wonder he’s sad.

View attachment 177872

The club failed to prepare properly for a season with far more games and genuine hopes of knocking around the top 7 again. We went from pace, power, a decent defence considering its an attacking game plan and sublime qualities, to a squad vulnerable to injuries and a Dad’s army of slow players.

So this year he has basically swapped Colwill for JPVH which is not a downgrade.

Caicedo has become WBG which is a downgrade of sorts because completely different players

Alexis has become Pedro (if he was not injured).

Also been given Fati and he has Adingra.

I think the squad depth this season is better than last year but we were not ripped to pieces by injuries. It is not just the number of injuries we have had but same positions.

We can’t carry a squad with three people for every spot. If they happened to all be fit then lots not in said.

I am fed up with RDZ moaning tbh.

 

[BadFish]

Yep, spot on.

Maybe the club are happy with being a mid table side, but RDZ is not.

His comments about the squad/recruitment are spot on IMO.

Do you think the club are happy with being a midtable club or did the transfers/scouting just not come off as successfully this year?

 

[Uh_huh_him]

We achieved 6th last season with a stronger squad and less games. We've asked more from him this season and given him less to do it with. Based on that and where we are I think he's doing a f***ing fantastic job. His drive for success this season has not been matched by anyone at the club imo and that’s why he's lashing out.

THIS!!!

Well said

 

[Clive Walker]

The club want champs league in the next 3 years. The appetite isn’t matched by the investment.