Pre Match Pre Match - Brentford (A) - Sat 15:00

[Brizzle]

We simply have to get back to winning ways here. Two draws is ok as a small blip but anything more and our whole title challenge starts unravelling.

Obvious team for me

Alisson

Trent
Konate
Virgil
Tsimikas

Gravy
Macca
Jones

Salah
Jota
Gakpo

 

[Fabio]

Week by week we're accruing more and more "must win" games by fucking up others. It's a worrying trend

 

[Buddha]

Not the easiest of games when you really need to get back to winning ways…they’re a mediocre side in general but stubbornly good at home.

 

[Hansern]

Agee with the team bar Szobo for Jones.
He has to start.

 

[Brizzle]

Agee with the team bar Szobo for Jones.
He has to start.

I think he’s low on confidence. Too many times yesterday he either chose the wrong pass or was too scared to shoot. We need the Szobo who captains his country and stands up to be counted.

We can’t be hunting a title with him playing so tentatively and safely like he did yesterday.

 

[Modo]

Agee with the team bar Szobo for Jones.
He has to start.

Fuck Jones

 

[Modo]

Anyway, now that I've calmed down, I'm kinda fine with the draw yesterday.
I'm more pissed off over the Man U game. We have to win our home games.

 

[mark1975]

Fuck Jones

Fuck Szobo, they're both as bad as eachother at the minute, it's only you pair who've typically turned it into either or. I'd fuck the pair of them off after recent performances and play Elliott or Endo, however much that apparently unbalances us, it can't be any worse. What's the worst that will happen? Grav having to run the midfield on his own, again?

 

[Hansern]

I think he’s low on confidence. Too many times yesterday he either chose the wrong pass or was too scared to shoot. We need the Szobo who captains his country and stands up to be counted.

We can’t be hunting a title with him playing so tentatively and safely like he did yesterday.

Nah, the way he played in the 2nd half is exactly what we need going forward. The attacking returns and sharp passes in the final third comes with match fitness.

He has to start to give us the balance between defense and attack. Work rate was exceptional.

 

[Modo]

Fuck Szobo, they're both as bad as eachother at the minute, it's only you pair who've typically turned it into either or. I'd fuck the pair of them off after recent performances and play Elliott or Endo, however much that apparently unbalances us, it can't be any worse. What's the worst that will happen? Grav having to run the midfield on his own, again?

When in doubt I go with the better player and that's Szobo.

 

[Brizzle]

Nah, the way he played in the 2nd half is exactly what we need going forward. The attacking returns and sharp passes in the final third comes with match fitness.

He has to start to give us the balance between defense and attack. Work rate was exceptional.

The attacking returns need to come in the games where we have 75% possession and give him tons of the ball.

We can’t keep waiting for the idea of Szobo to turn up. It’s looking like his Spurs performance was an outlier.

 

[Hansern]

Fuck Szobo, they're both as bad as eachother at the minute, it's only you pair who've typically turned it into either or. I'd fuck the pair of them off after recent performances and play Elliott or Endo, however much that apparently unbalances us, it can't be any worse. What's the worst that will happen? Grav having to run the midfield on his own, again?

Endo as a 10? Thats... something... I guess.

 

[mark1975]

Nah, the way he played in the 2nd half is exactly what we need going forward. The attacking returns and sharp passes in the final third comes with match fitness.

He has to start to give us the balance between defense and attack. Work rate was exceptional.

When in doubt, exaggerate and fabricate a load of made up rubbish like a proper fanboy.

Endo as a 10? Thats... something... I guess.

Yes Hansern, a straight swap is what I meant 🙄

 

[tombrown]

Fuck Jones

 

[mark1975]

--------------Alisson--------------
Trent----Konate---VVD---Tsimikas
------------Endo--Grav------------
----------------Macca-------------
---Salah--------Jota------Gapko-

As with pretty much every away game we seem to be leaving ourselves open to the counter all the time and both flanks are getting targeted due to a lack of protection and Robbo and Trent being at sixes and sevens. Hopefully Endo and Grav together might combat that and allow Trent and Tsimikas to get forward more

We can't keep playing with passive players who are putting in a couple of decent performances in every ten:

Consistent (by and large):
Ali
Konate (only when returning from injury does he take a few games to get going)
Gomez (same as Konate)
Endo - (always gives his all)
Tsimi - (hasn't done much wrong this season)
Grav
Macca
Salah
Gapko - has one less goal than Diaz but is looking much more focused and playing as a team player

Hit and miss:
Trent (attacking brilliant, defensively shite, same old)
Quansah (poor season)
Robbo - (always gives everything but is quite obviously declining)
Szoko - great on paper for all of the usual Scando apologists, in reality is doing it as and when he feels like it, it seems, not good enough
Elliott - struggling to get going because of injury and a lack of game time
Jones - same as Szobo, up and down and not exerting enough influence on games, largely poor of late
Diaz - If his quality was measured on breathtaking runs and taking players on he'd be second to none, unfortunately his end product is hit and miss and he's not really an out and out striker/centre forward.
Nunez - shite all season

We need to stop talking about players who are performing inconsistently as being the "key" to us getting going, we're not getting going because a few players are dragging us back. We've got a good squad, fucking use it, instead of playing the game on paper like Football Manager happy clappy bellends.

 

[Fabio]

I'd be giving Elliott minutes ahead of the pair of them

We've got the Hungarian hendo and a ball greedy Scouser. At the moment I'm not enamoured by either of them

 

[Brizzle]

--------------Alisson--------------
Trent----Konate---VVD---Tsimikas
------------Endo--Grav------------
----------------Macca-------------
---Salah--------Jota------Gapko-

As with pretty much every away game we seem to be leaving ourselves open to the counter all the time and both flanks are getting targeted due to a lack of protection and Robbo and Trent being at sixes and sevens. Hopefully Endo and Grav together might combat that and allow Trent and Tsimikas to get forward more

We can't keep playing with passive players who are putting in a couple of decent performances in every ten:

Consistent (by and large):
Ali
Konate (only when returning from injury does he take a few games to get going)
Gomez (same as Konate)
Endo - (always gives his all)
Tsimi - (hasn't done much wrong this season)
Grav
Macca
Salah
Gapko - has one less goal than Diaz but is looking much more focused and playing as a team player

Hit and miss:
Trent (attacking brilliant, defensively shite, same old)
Quansah (poor season)
Robbo - (always gives everything but is quite obviously declining)
Szoko - great on paper for all of the usual Scando apologists, in reality is doing it as and when he feels like it, it seems, not good enough
Elliott - struggling to get going because of injury and a lack of game time
Jones - same as Szobo, up and down and not exerting enough influence on games, largely poor of late
Diaz - If his quality was measured on breathtaking runs and taking players on he'd be second to none, unfortunately his end product is hit and miss and he's not really an out and out striker/centre forward.
Nunez - shite all season

We need to stop talking about players who are performing inconsistently as being the "key" to us getting going, we're not getting going because a few players are dragging us back. We've got a good squad, fucking use it, instead of playing the game on paper like Football Manager happy clappy bellends.

I understand the Endo shout. However I thought Macca was crap in the attacking third yesterday. Very wasteful and some lazy positioning too. Szobo and Jones are both far superior in the AM role.

I do think we are under utilising Endo though - but I'd rather have him instead of Macca and have a more natural #10.

 

[mark1975]

I'd be giving Elliott minutes ahead of the pair of them

We've got the Hungarian hendo and a ball greedy Scouser. At the moment I'm not enamoured by either of them

The Hungarian Hendo. Christ, don't let them pair hear you say that. They'll sit their crying at their on-paper version of the wash-and-go bellend. Brain matter everywhere.

 

[Hansern]

The less minutes Elliott is involved the better player he becomes for some on here. Strange correlation.

 

[tomasjj]

Jones was atrocious vs. The mancs.
We want more from szobo, but he is ahead and should start.

 

[Hansern]

Jones was atrocious vs. The mancs.
We want more from szobo, but he is ahead and should start.

Christ, don't let them pair hear you say that. They'll sit their crying at their on-paper version of the wash-and-go bellend. Brain matter everywhere.

 

[Brizzle]

The less minutes Elliott is involved the better player he becomes for some on here. Strange correlation.

Have you forgotten the tail end of last season?

And in general - look at the last 10 mins of that game, we were going full gung ho - we could / should have put on fresh legs (and fresh ideas) for any of Macca or Szobo. I'd have liked to see Chiesa but Elliot would also have been a good option. The other two had run themselves into the ground.

 

[Markeh]

we’ve played dm’s at a kind of 10 position before haven’t we? hendo for sure, can’t remember which manager it was under, but the idea was to try forcing turnovers really high up the pitch.

legit tactic! (might’ve been rodgers)

 

[Hansern]

Have you forgotten the tail end of last season?

And in general - look at the last 10 mins of that game, we were going full gung ho - we could / should have put on fresh legs (and fresh ideas) for any of Macca or Szobo. I'd have liked to see Chiesa but Elliot would also have been a good option. The other two had run themselves into the ground.

No, but I wouldn't start him away to Brentford. We have some CL games and an FA cup coming up. Good fixtures for him to be tested in the 10 role and to get match fitness.
Same with Chiesa but hope both could get some minutes off the bench on Saturday.

 

[Brizzle]

No, but I wouldn't start him away to Brentford. We have some CL games and an FA cup coming up. Good fixtures for him to be tested in the 10 role and to get match fitness.
Same with Chiesa but hope both could get some minutes off the bench on Saturday.

I don't think he's in any suggested starting line ups mate. Are you arguing with yourself?

 

[Hansern]

I don't think he's in any suggested starting line ups mate. Are you arguing with yourself?

No, it was suggested earlier in this thread.

 

[Fabio]

Jones was atrocious vs. The mancs.
We want more from szobo, but he is ahead and should start.

He was a load of shite, no qualms there.

My issue with szob is the exact issue I had with hendo and wijnaldum. Very rarely is he the reason we play well. When a few players are on song he miraculously looks better. Because he's a water carrier and that's it. He moves the ball from a to b and then shits himself near the box. He doesn't create, he doesn't assist and he barely scores.

He runs and pressures though, something Jones hasn't been doing

 

[Fabio]

I don't think he's in any suggested starting line ups mate. Are you arguing with yourself?

I said I'd start him, as we're getting zero creativity from midfield

 

[binomial]

Endo Grav Szobo midfield for me. Away to Brentford we need defensive stability and players who can break up play, help make recoveries.

Bar Grav, none of them are that good. Jones and Mac take it in turns being the new Gini and ghosting in 50% of games and Szobo, for all his efforts and desire off the ball.....is absolutely fucking shite with the ball. Got into a few good positions 2nd half, never looked up and smacked the ball straight at the first defender.

Harvey isn't the answer either, clearly. Sooner someone stomps up the 30-40m, sooner we can get another robust midfielder in.

 

[Fabio]

Anyway, now that I've calmed down, I'm kinda fine with the draw yesterday.
I'm more pissed off over the Man U game. We have to win our home games.

Not even that for me. We have to win games where we're the better team. It's fucking redundant playing well if we don't kill a game