LAM09

If we play such a highline, we will pay for it.

I was on board with it being a harsh but fair call prior to seeing this in the replay. I've said it time and time again: You can have all the technology in the world, but ultimately, it's useless when idiots are in control. The speed at which the ref made the decision after watching the replay shows you everything you need to know about their ineptitude.

You were saying.... Two CB's with the goals today. Four points won in the last minute of games.

VAR to the rescue?

I'm slightly surprised James & Lavia are both starting, but I'm excited to see what is arguably our best XI. This is our first actual test. A positive outcome would provide a good indicator of where we stand as a team among the chasing pack.

I totally agree with you. I have no idea why we keep paying above market value for subpar goalkeepers. A top CF and GK would give us a real opportunity of becoming legitimate competitors once more. However, based on our transfer business since Roman left, it appears that nothing will change in the immediate future.

Costa just doesn't impress me in the slightest. He had a very up-and-down performance against United (bailed out by Samu). I just can't see us going for another GK unless two that currently on our books are permanently sold.

If they want to make money, they aren't short of options as you listed. His performance against us in the CL for Atletico was one to remember. The one time someone performed & we didn't end up snapping them up.

More drama 😑

All three PK's in that match were missed. I'm surprised Leao or Pulisic didn't take one.

His selection was insulting to the opponents (or foolish). When I saw that midfield, I knew it was going to be a long night, expecting Rice to be this all-conquering midfield general. Greece should have sealed up the game long before Bellingham scored. Regardless, they completed the task and most likely put an end to Carsley's prospects of landing the position permanently.

That is the issue, however. There wasn't enough of a sample size to expect him to be a consistent playmaker at the highest level. Unfortunately, Argentina's World Cup success just enhanced the hype surrounding him rather than his actually performances.

The highest goal involvement in Europe, IIRC.

I had hoped that with time, he would progress in such areas. He's basically a luxury at this time, which cannot be afforded at such a position, as opposed to forward.

They seemingly wanted €40m~ during the summer, but that fee will probably rise considerably if his form continues.

If we judged him off the price tag, we were robbed. I honestly don't know what he excels at or offers on a regular basis.

Marmoush with a 94th minute equaliser against Bayern (he was involved in all three goals). He rightfully snubbed a move to Forrest over the summer, but I'm sure a top EPL will snap him up soon enough.

I was making a point about having another CF by citing Broja as an example. We gave their GK a chance to make those saves rather than an inspired performance. Felix was unmarked and failed to hit the target. They just aren't learning from their mistakes. As I mentioned in another thread, if our board really decided to throw all their eggs into the Osimhen basket only to play hardball with this handicapped wage structure, they are more stupid than I even thought. In all fairness, a Jota winner would have summed the squad up. It's hard to strike this up as "one of those days" when we failed to get the better of Palace for similar reasons.

As much hate as Broja got at times last season, he could have provided something today like he did against City at home (won the equalising PK). I just can't get my head around how the board thought having less CF's than even last season was a smart choice.

Felix or Nkunku should have buried their chances. Not only two points dropped, but Fofana & Cucu are suspended against Liverpool. We'll probably be getting fined soon enough with our disciplinary record.

He finally makes the right decision and it pays off. They have given him plenty of space.

Deja vu. His football IQ is the issue. He rarely seems to make the right choice.

Madueke really should have been dropped for Neto. He hasn't really deliver since the Wolves game which was weeks ago.

We just need to compete & not repeat recent performances against Arsenal and Liverpool away, for example to show that we are making steady progress and closing the distance.

There have been so many weird decisions made since they took control, and new reports indicate that Boehly and Eghbali aren't always on the same page. The fact that we're dealing with the same issue with a shirt sponsor for the second season and losing a significant amount of money in the interim is really alarming. Surely, there are plenty of possible companies who would bite at the chance, which raises even more concerns about what is going on behind the scenes. They didn't back out of the deal, they just wanted half of Samu's player rights. If he agreed, we wouldn't be having this conversation now.