If "shite" and "fucking rubbish" are your thoughts - There are plenty of other easy threads for you to spout vitriolic nonsense. Use them.
- Pace. Torres, Gerrard, Johnson and later Babel. That's more pace than the side United put out at the weekend. More than Chelsea's and more than Arsenal's. For the one billionth time - it's not about fast players, it's the tempo you play at, the players you've got, and the speed you move the ball. How fucking slow and one-paced were we tonight? Plod plod plod. No movement in front of the player with the ball, no inventiveness, no imaginination, no ability to retain possession for prolionged periods of time and put the other team under pressure. Which brings to to my next point...
- Ball retention. I lost count at one stage but can anyone confirm Steven Gerrard did actually break the first-half record for giving the ball away more times than anyone in history? Fuck me. People slate Arsenal for trying to walk it into the net. I'd prefer that frustration than watching us cough it up every fucking single bastarding move. Gifting possession back to the opposition makes it so fucking easy for them - all they have to do is keep their shape and wait. We'll hand it over eventually. When you play in thirds (which we like most sides do) you can still motherfucking move out of position when we've got the ball. Look for space, get away from your opponent, drift inside from wide. Offer the midfielder in possession *something*. You could see the exasperation on Gerrard & Lucas' faces at times in that first half when there was zero movement on front of them. Bizarrely the only player who offered something in that respect was Maxi. He engineered space, and found a lot of the ball. He was either crowded out of it, or didn't have enough close options to do anything with it. Kuyt's fucking useless in the hole. He doesn't find space well enough in that position, and is too slow in possession to damage teams. Look at how Gerrard, Tevez and Rooney play that position; quick incisive touches. Dirk's too worried about getting his first touch right.
- Torres. Wonderful tackle (from a Wigan perspective) by Cladwell after 50 seconds. Defenders take note - if you want to intimidate the Spaniard out of most games just bury him early. He'll spend most of the next 89 minutes falling on his arse and complaining to the referee. Even then he could have got us a result with that overhead effort. We wouldn't have deserved it.
- Playing out of position. Here's how you do it - Mascherano. Here's how you don't - Benayoun. "He's shit on the left everyone knows it". Fair enough, it's not his position - doesn't mean he has to play like a fucking retard does it? He's the Tompkins of football - why take one touch when 10 will do. I've commented on it before, but look at the way Aquilani receives and gives quickly. That's how you increase the fucking tempo - one touch and pass, quickly. MOVE IT ON YOSSI. Instead he lumbered about, piroutted his way towards the touchline, and got bullied out of it. The only thing I'll give Benayoun is that he had zero support. Insua was so scared of getting burned by N'Zogbia he never crossed the halfway line once in the first half to support the Israeli. Not good enough from either of them. Benayoun like Babel is a better sub.
- Rafa. Don't cross him. Since Degen's 'effort' at the Emirates he hasn't been in one matchday squad since. Since Riera's 'effort' at home to Blackburn he hasn't played one minute of football since. I've no problem with that - if you're gonna offer up shit performances when you get the opportunity, then sit on your fucking arse for a while. Last time I checked both Switzerland and Spain were going to the World Cup. That pair would do well to get there. Here's a worrying indicator of things though; our subs bench tonight - Cavalieri, Aquilani, Riera, Babel, N'Gog, Johnson (am I missing anyone?) - The guts of 60-70M right there. It's a fair complaint all season long when you don't have that talent and dollar value at your disposal Rafa, but when you do get them back you've got to do something with them. Fail to beat Pompey next Monday night Rafa and you're fucked.
- A word on Wigan. How good was Caldwell? Totally commanding in the air, and mugged Torres on the ground on several occassions. Really impressive performance. McCarthy too. why did all the big clubs renege on this lad? Baffling one. The boy can really play. He reminded me of a young Gerrard; Head up, complete confidence in his touch and decision-making, and strutting about like he's been playing for 10 years. He won't be at Wigan for long if he keeps playing like that.
- Pace. Torres, Gerrard, Johnson and later Babel. That's more pace than the side United put out at the weekend. More than Chelsea's and more than Arsenal's. For the one billionth time - it's not about fast players, it's the tempo you play at, the players you've got, and the speed you move the ball. How fucking slow and one-paced were we tonight? Plod plod plod. No movement in front of the player with the ball, no inventiveness, no imaginination, no ability to retain possession for prolionged periods of time and put the other team under pressure. Which brings to to my next point...
- Ball retention. I lost count at one stage but can anyone confirm Steven Gerrard did actually break the first-half record for giving the ball away more times than anyone in history? Fuck me. People slate Arsenal for trying to walk it into the net. I'd prefer that frustration than watching us cough it up every fucking single bastarding move. Gifting possession back to the opposition makes it so fucking easy for them - all they have to do is keep their shape and wait. We'll hand it over eventually. When you play in thirds (which we like most sides do) you can still motherfucking move out of position when we've got the ball. Look for space, get away from your opponent, drift inside from wide. Offer the midfielder in possession *something*. You could see the exasperation on Gerrard & Lucas' faces at times in that first half when there was zero movement on front of them. Bizarrely the only player who offered something in that respect was Maxi. He engineered space, and found a lot of the ball. He was either crowded out of it, or didn't have enough close options to do anything with it. Kuyt's fucking useless in the hole. He doesn't find space well enough in that position, and is too slow in possession to damage teams. Look at how Gerrard, Tevez and Rooney play that position; quick incisive touches. Dirk's too worried about getting his first touch right.
- Torres. Wonderful tackle (from a Wigan perspective) by Cladwell after 50 seconds. Defenders take note - if you want to intimidate the Spaniard out of most games just bury him early. He'll spend most of the next 89 minutes falling on his arse and complaining to the referee. Even then he could have got us a result with that overhead effort. We wouldn't have deserved it.
- Playing out of position. Here's how you do it - Mascherano. Here's how you don't - Benayoun. "He's shit on the left everyone knows it". Fair enough, it's not his position - doesn't mean he has to play like a fucking retard does it? He's the Tompkins of football - why take one touch when 10 will do. I've commented on it before, but look at the way Aquilani receives and gives quickly. That's how you increase the fucking tempo - one touch and pass, quickly. MOVE IT ON YOSSI. Instead he lumbered about, piroutted his way towards the touchline, and got bullied out of it. The only thing I'll give Benayoun is that he had zero support. Insua was so scared of getting burned by N'Zogbia he never crossed the halfway line once in the first half to support the Israeli. Not good enough from either of them. Benayoun like Babel is a better sub.
- Rafa. Don't cross him. Since Degen's 'effort' at the Emirates he hasn't been in one matchday squad since. Since Riera's 'effort' at home to Blackburn he hasn't played one minute of football since. I've no problem with that - if you're gonna offer up shit performances when you get the opportunity, then sit on your fucking arse for a while. Last time I checked both Switzerland and Spain were going to the World Cup. That pair would do well to get there. Here's a worrying indicator of things though; our subs bench tonight - Cavalieri, Aquilani, Riera, Babel, N'Gog, Johnson (am I missing anyone?) - The guts of 60-70M right there. It's a fair complaint all season long when you don't have that talent and dollar value at your disposal Rafa, but when you do get them back you've got to do something with them. Fail to beat Pompey next Monday night Rafa and you're fucked.
- A word on Wigan. How good was Caldwell? Totally commanding in the air, and mugged Torres on the ground on several occassions. Really impressive performance. McCarthy too. why did all the big clubs renege on this lad? Baffling one. The boy can really play. He reminded me of a young Gerrard; Head up, complete confidence in his touch and decision-making, and strutting about like he's been playing for 10 years. He won't be at Wigan for long if he keeps playing like that.
