King Kante

Someone needs to tell Jorgi to sort out his beard. Starting to look like a young Rolf Harris.

There is some talk about one leg owing to Covid but currently 2 legs.

All in all a good game in the end all things considered.

Vale looks very good, SB is looking good on the ball (not excepting him to do much hold up play at 17/18.) Simons is lost though, he is getting up and down but that is about it, he is losing the runner every time and is picking the wrong option in the final third when he gets it. Not going to beat up/writing him off, but he should be the first one to be subbed.

Actually think that wasn't a bad half all things considered. Their first header was offside and the other chances they've had were ones you expect a GK to save. For me, I imagine the idea is to try and keep possession and tire them a little then bring on some of the bigger boys'. One big concern for me however is Simons, he is completely losing his runner out on the right off the ball which means when they switch play they're in. I would get James on for him at HT. As I have been a critic of his, I will give Kepa his dues, as he is shot stoping really well. Only concern, which has always been my biggest with him, is that he doesn't command his area whatsoever when balls come in, which means it is all on the defence to clear. All in all, try and keep this up for 15 more mins then call the calvery.

Interested to see the young boys'. However, such a line up was always on the cards with all the covid issues and current form of the players. Just hoping it doesn't become a hiding as Brentford will be up for this and we will probably look like a team of strangers.

Yeah, I am banking on a loss tomorrow. In some ways, I think we may just have to go with a primarily U23 side with a few Sarr's, Saul's and Barkley's thrown in. No point breaking down a key starter with 7+ out with covid/injury.

We don't really need a CM for the medium to long term but rather one just for the short term as Saul has been so awful. As for Jan, I cannot see anything much except for a LWB and maybe a LCB (if Rudi does sign a pre-contract.)

Kepa Dave Silva Rudi James Jorgi RLC Saul Ziyech Puli Mount Bench Mendy, Sarr, Alonso Kova, Kante, Barkley, Vale. Alonso looks like he is struggling with an injury at the moment, so I would go with Saul at LWB. May be some arguments to start Sarr instead of Silva to save him for the PL. Not sure many of the others' can be rested unless Kai and AC are actually back.

Well personally, I am on record saying that I'd rather either Giroud or Tammy over Lukaku. Neither were perfect but they were better fits that Lukaku.

Yes, a bankrupt Barcelona will be able to afford him 🤣

Personally hoping Newcastle come in for Barkley.

Well the Eto'o over Lukaku one made sense as Eto'o was formerly an elite player who was still performing at a decent level and was available on a reasonable/short term contract. Lukaku on the other hand was known as a flat track bully who is hopeless at dealing with low block defenses and is very technically limited. Add to that he required a £97m fee and £91m+ contract. Broja may have been a bit of a push, but Tammy and Giroud wouldn't have given us anything less than we're getting out of Lukaku.

Yeah, let's just hope the three are amongst those unlikely to start. Additionally, Everton are half the team without DCL so better to play them now rather than wait until he and there injured players are back.

I do not believe anything that Phillip's says.

Reports suggest two starters.

How the f*ck have we got Taylor again? We seem to have that f*cker reffering our games every month.

Personally I see Dave staying and becoming our James Milner utility player as he can play so many positions and is a great character to have in the dressing room. Additionally, it shouldn't be forgotten he has been here 9.5 years now, so any move will uproot his family. Does he really want to do that at 33 with Children and owning a non-league club in England. I am not too sure. I think RLC will depend on what he wants. If he won't drop his wages and is happy to except a purely squad role, I can see him staying especially as there are a lot of rumours he is against moving too far from his family. Think Werner is a hard sell. Who exactly will we sell him too? Bayern and Madrid won't buy him, Barca are broke and Juve could be getting relegated. Dortmund? Maybe, but no way do they go near his wages. Only kind of deal I could see is a swap for Felix with Atleti, but swaps are incredibly rare, except for clubs looking to do dodgy accounting. Newcastle could possibly want him, but I cannot see him going for it. I agree with the others' but reckon Barkley will have to be a loan owing to his wages.

If the ask is £180k a week, that is something we have to consider as that is £46.8m over 5 years, which isn't that crazy when you consider how much it is to go out and buy a like for like replacement. Additionally, owing to his position it isn't out if the question you can still pick up a reasonable fee for him in 2-3 years time (although the wages may make it difficult if he has a drop in form and/or we return to a back 4 as he isn't great there.) However, some things do need to be considered. Firstly, yes he did win two pens and has been playing well, but let's not forget he was at fault for the Burnley goal by not stepping up with the line and he should've done a lot better prior to West Ham's second. Another problem I have with this article is how they ask how we find ourselves in this situation. The answer is pretty clear. Firstly, Dave and Silva are at an age where they only get 1 year extensions moving forward. Whenever we have had the situation in the past the extension has been announced until March onwards so this really isn't concerning/surprising. As for AC and Rudi, it needs to be remembered how we defended like the Keystone Cops under SFL. A lot of people wanted them both replaced and Rudi was actively being pushed to go to West Ham at the start of last season. Seriously, neither were getting sizable extensions at that point and really only since the turn of this year have most people wanted them too. Lastly, as we do now find ourselves in this situation, it isn't surprising AC is being prioritised over Rudi owing to his lower ask, his age and academy status. All in all, this isn't great, but it shouldn't be surprising to anyone who has a memory that extends beyond February this year.

This is something he is actually great at and it is vitally important in modern football. Problem is, it is a quality that isn't really apparent unless you look for it; especially if you don't go to games. I feel this is why he gets so much grief from some quarters. Another problem I have with people who complain about Mount is that they expect SFL goal and assits output, but compare him to peak SFL. I mean, look at his goal/assist rate compared to SFL in his first three seasons at Chelsea (he came at 23 v 20.5): Mount Age 20/21 - Games 53, Mins 3741 - Goals 7 / Assists 6 - goal and assist every 288 mins Age 21/22 - Games 54, Mins 4242 - Goals 9 / Assists 9 - goal and assist every 236 mins Age 22/23 (this season, turns 23 in Jan) - Games 20, Mins 1202 - Goals 6 / Assists 4 - goal and assist every 120 mins SFL Age 23 - Games 53, Mins 4483 - Goals 7 / Assists 2 - goal and assist every 498 mins Age 24 - Games 48, Mins 4127 - Goals 8 / Assists 5 - goal and assist every 317 mins Age 25 - Games 58, Mins 5041 - Goals 15 / Assists 9 - goal and assist every 210 mins So, in all Mount is playing for us at 2.5 years younger (a significant difference at these ages) and is outperforming SFL on Goals and Assists every year for us. Furthermore, like Lampard he is improving year on year at a good rate, which also bodes well moving forward.

Again, I don't think this is fair. You say that they dealt with him, and to an extent they did with him on the ball. However, what you're missing is that they couldn't step out properly with him on the pitch as he was closing them down too quickly and his movement was opening space up for the others'. The one time they did step up, we whacked them the counter with Mount's goal. Compare that to what happened in the second half when the statue that is Lukaku played, they stepped 10-15 yards up the pitch and started getting the balls into midfield a lot quicker. That game was really a good example of how effective he is at making the CB's sit back to avoid him running in and around them compared to Lukaku who allowed them to move right up the pitch. Sorry, but the fee and hype aren't really mitigating factors to the fact the kid is 21. How many CF's/F9's are providing consistent performances twice a week at elite level? You can argue Häland and that kid for Florence, but Häland is one of people like Rooney who had a man's body from about 16/17 and they both play in less intense and defensively weaker leagues. Additionally, I wouldn't say he has done nothing in many games this season, as when on the pitch he is forcing the CB's back. Does he still have things to improve in his game, for sure, however is he by far and away our best option at No.9 and doing incredibly well for a 21 year old with 15 months of PL experience, most certainly.

I do understand but I feel this is a little different to the previous four years. In the other years' I would say that the following happened: 2017/18 - Conte by this point was in full blown warfare with the board and was dissatisfied with the squad composition. Additionally, the buys that year were horrific. 2018/19 - Sarriball got figured out and Sarri took a while to tweak it. This was understandable as he was new to the league and a bit of a one trick pony. 2019/20 - No Summer window to refresh, a number of youngster's who got thrown in at the deep end and SFL was already showing signs of not being able to adjust tactically. 2020/21 - Big summer with a lot of new faces playing in their first PL season. SFL failing completely to adjust tactics or set up properly. This current form feels more like it is directly impacted by injuries. Having Kova and Kante out and only a semi-fit Jorgi would gut any team. There is an argument that the depth isn't as great as we/the media made out but when you get so many injuries at the same time this isn't easy to just throw people in. Personally, I really believe once we get Kova and Kante back (although this will take a while) we'll start to improve again. Additionally, let's not forget that City are a very experienced/seasoned title winning side now who are battle hardened to handle the schedule, while the Dipper's were helped by VAR/the Ref to avoid a draw with Villa at home. Personally, I found the Juve and City losses more concerning as they were clear tactical failures by thinking Lukaku was a good idea against top CB's, which meant we allowed them both to play out of the back. As I said, at the moment what we need to do is not concern ourselves with performances at this point, it is all about points and trying to get the boys' who are out fit ahain, as with how all the injuries have bitten at the same time, we cannot expect top performances every game. For me, if we can stay within 6 points of City and the Dippers by the end of Dec and get Kante and Kova up and running, I don't think there is a major cause for concern.

Apprantly, he was always expected to train again before any decision was made. Obviously good news that it didn't deteriorate before he got to training but I am not sure too much should be read into this. Give it another two weeks and I think we'll know if we have him back in Jan or next season.

I disagree, Kai is actually working incredibly hard off the ball and working the CB's by moving them about. I think he is one of those players that people who have to watch on TV and look at stats don't really understand as a lot of what he does isn't seen as so much of it is off the ball and isn't easily measurable. As you acknowledge, we play a lot better with him in the side and it really isn't a coincidence that is the case; however, equally, it is understandable why people question what he does well, which I would say is his reading of the game, off the ball movement and link play. For me, I am very happy with him this season, he has developed from lasg season and has also started to man up more when it comes to contact. This shouldn't be lost as he is is still barely a man at 21 and isn't ever going to be a target man due to his frame and build. Obviously, his finishing is a bit of an issue as he has habit of always going for a finesse shot, rather than just putting his foot through the ball, however I am confident this will come as he is now settling into the F9 role after being moved around quite a bit positionally and is still young.

Funny how this thread has gone quite again now he is back in the team from a lay off, playing well and also adding goals.