[Albion] What WAS Roberto thinking?

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Shearer on MOTD saying our midfield got BULLIED today. He is totally right and RDZ has to take responsibility for the team selection. A total novice and a striker at CAM alongside a Gilmour who gifted the ball to Villa for several goals with the support. This amount of rotation has to stop.

He said that while showing a clip of our right back getting bullied

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

He said that while showing a clip of our right back getting bullied

But he is dead right

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

But he is dead right

I really don't think he is. We were bullied in every single position on the pitch and conceded the game from wide positions. The 'bullied in midfield' thing is just lazy tripe because we had a youngster in there. Estupinan and Veltman in particular were battered off the park

 

[Bozza]

He is totally right and RDZ has to take responsibility for the team selection.

He did.

"The biggest responsibility is mine because I am coach.​

​

"We have to adapt this season. It is totally different to last season. It is very tough, we’re playing every three days.​

​

"We want to compete in every competition and we have to show if we are ready or not. When you play like today, the responsibility is with the coach."​

 

[Icy Gull]

But he is dead right

Well as long as RDZ “learns from it”, we move on, it is what it is

Didn’t United get thrashed 7-0 by Liverpool and still end up in the CL? It’s a marathon not a sprint

 

[The Grockle]

We could have played our "strongest" 11 and still have lost. RDZ quite rightly would have picked a team with one eye on Marseille.

Its a disappointing result and somewhat embarrassing scoreline but it's one result and much like Villa's thrashing agaisnt Newcastle, will quickly be forgotten.

 

[Poskettspurpose]

I was miserable yesterday, worse I suppose because I had an inkling things were going to go wrong as soon as I saw the team sheet. However, I feel far more positive today as City and Liverpool lost and the latter with 2 players sent off and now suspended for our game I believe. Roberto is learning, the players are learning and I'm now looking forward to the next European game a lot more positive than I was 19 hours ago.

 

[Justice]

Play the better keeper Bart can’t remember the last time Steele actually made a save that wasn’t routine. This isn’t helping the defenders one little bit with the constant swapping.

 

[moggy]

Play the better keeper Bart can’t remember the last time Steele actually made a save that wasn’t routine. This isn’t helping the defenders one little bit with the constant swapping.

Steele is a really poor keeper. Even the Sunderland fans will tell you that. Great at distribution and passing but shite with his hands

 

[raymondo]

What worries me is that our play from defence to midfield is predictable....there may be many patterns of play but clever opposition can workout how to block them.
For me our spontaneity is from midfield to attack, there is more freedom in our play there.
We need more spontaneity in how to play out from the back when needed.

 

[jcdenton08]

Play the better keeper Bart can’t remember the last time Steele actually made a save that wasn’t routine. This isn’t helping the defenders one little bit with the constant swapping.

Steele makes a lot of excellent saves. He had a poor game yesterday but so did everyone else. That said, conceding six is never a good thing especially given their XG, so I expect Verbruggen to be given the nod on Thursday.

 

[Justice]

Steele makes a lot of excellent saves. He had a poor game yesterday but so did everyone else. That said, conceding six is never a good thing especially given their XG, so I expect Verbruggen to be given the nod on Thursday.

Steele makes a lot of excellent saves. He had a poor game yesterday but so did everyone else. That said, conceding six is never a good thing especially given their XG, so I expect Verbruggen to be given the nod on Thursday.

Six shots six goals bar one deflection isn’t good enough and it’s not the first time with him in goal. I haven’t a clue what he was doing for AEK’s winner either.

 

[Bakero]

Well as long as RDZ “learns from it”, we move on, it is what it is

Didn’t United get thrashed 7-0 by Liverpool and still end up in the CL? It’s a marathon not a sprint

That season when Arsenal got beaten 8-2 by Man U, they still finished 3. Likewise, Man U lost 6-1 at home to City the same year and still finished 2nd.

 

[Silverhatch]

I really don't think he is. We were bullied in every single position on the pitch and conceded the game from wide positions. The 'bullied in midfield' thing is just lazy tripe because we had a youngster in there. Estupinan and Veltman in particular were battered off the park

From my Seat at VP we really did need a classic holding midfielder. Someone sitting in front of the back 4. When we lose the ball there is no Caicedo or Bissouma to get it back. If Baleba is not ready to play RDZ ball he is probably still good enough to break up play or be a physical body in the engine room. Still played some good football yesterday but Villa did overpower us.

 

[amexer]

What is strange was 4 expensive, 1 free transfer and 1 Barcelona loan have come in and none of them selected for just the 7th league game

 

[Peteinblack]

The reason he is making changes is to accommodate the Thursday games.
Once we no longer have those games after Xmas, we can can play 1 game a week. (I’m assuming we go out of Europe, and hope we do)
This will provide us a weekly game schedule and get back to a consistent selection for second half of the season.
We therefore have picked up experience and allows us to focus on the 19 league games left to finish top 6 again.

Depends whether, and how far, we've slipped down the table by Christmas; might be too much ground to make up by then?

 

[Bridcutt]

Steele makes a lot of excellent saves. He had a poor game yesterday but so did everyone else. That said, conceding six is never a good thing especially given their XG, so I expect Verbruggen to be given the nod on Thursday.

When does he make excellent saves?

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Six shots six goals bar one deflection isn’t good enough and it’s not the first time with him in goal. I haven’t a clue what he was doing for AEK’s winner either.

He’s not covered himself in glory yesterday, but to bring up that goal is ridiculous. He’s left completely exposed, and actually makes a good save - but the ball ricocheted back of the forward. A complete fluke and abso zero fault with the keeper at all.

 

[7dialssouthpaw]

Six shots six goals bar one deflection isn’t good enough and it’s not the first time with him in goal. I haven’t a clue what he was doing for AEK’s winner either.

for me, he lets in way too many at the near post - I feel other teams have sussed this out.

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

That Blueprint to stop us has been there for a while. It’s (usually) easier said than done

Absolutely. It also depends on how pragmatic the opposition manager is. Moyes and Emery are as pragmatic as managers at this level get, which partly explains why it’s successful for them against us.

It also explains why we tend to do better against bigger sides who can’t get away with sitting men back, staying narrow and hitting us on the counter.