King Kante

Just catching up with this thread as was busy at the weekend. Got to say that I think some people are being pretty unreasonable with what they're expecting. Here is my take from being at the game. 1) Alonso is clearly not 100% and is being targeted relentlessly. Not sure if it was noted by those watching but 10+ times during the game he was trying to stretch out his back when the ball went out of play and/or the ball was down the other end. Obviously the pen wasn't great, but let's not forget that Chilwell gave a silly one away against Soton. All in all I felt he did well considering that he is clearly not fit. Additionally, from the MHL, no one booed him. Towards the end of the first half and in the second half he got a quite a few chants of 'runs down the wing'. As ever, gets a lot of love from those in the MHL. 2) I don't think people here appreciate quite how much of a hole Kova and Kante have left. Chilwell is a big miss but the biggest problem at the moment is balls through the middle and RLC and Jorgi not being able to do the hard yards and close down quickly enough. That is a far bigger problem at the moment as it is exposing the defence too much. 3) This time of year is always hard, apart from the Dippers in 2020 and City in 2019 I don't really recall many teams playing champagne football at this time of year. It is a real grind and it is all about results. I am not saying there are not problems but with the grind and injuries, we need to be less concerned about performances and just hope we get the results. 4) Leeds aren't great but they played as if it was their cup final and the ref allowed the game to flow. Obviously, they aren't a great team but their boys' gave 110% whilst we had just come back from Russia. Think that should be considered a bit.

I hate playing Everton, always seem to raise their game against us. At this moment in time, I am not too concerned about performances and just want results as this time of year is always hard and our injuries are killing us atm. Team Mendy Dave Silva Rudi James Jorgi RLC CHO* Puli Kai Mount *Not sure if it was that obvious on Saturday for those watching on TV but Alonso was really struggling with his back the whole game. Not sure I would play him in this one as I can see him breaking down completely. Bench: Kepa, AC, Saul, Barkley, Werner, Ziyech, Lukaku

Well I hope you're right but I just don't see how it is possible on a number of fronts. First is that Lukaku himself hasn't ever shown any capability of being a difference maker in his career unless he is given open space to run into and he isn't required to press with the forward line. When exactly is he going to get that here? For sure, against the likes of Burnley, Zenit, Newcastle, Watford etc, he will probably get goals, but I am not convinced that his output would be any different to what Giroud would've got if given the same sort of minutes, whilst I also question if the team plays as well with him in the team in those sort of games; similar to the complaints Giroud used to get. Second is that this isn't the first time he has looked like this and people have tried to work with him on it. Utd spent two seasons trying to get him to work, Belgium have never had him do much when faced with what he has to deal with in top end international football and even at Everton he got nullified when teams set up deep against them. Therefore, I am not sure what TT can do. This said, I appreciate that TT is lightyears ahead in coaching and football knowledge compared to me so who knows, maybe he does have some sort of plan.

The problem with this however is that, yes we needed a CF, but we didn't need Lukaku. I said before his signing I'd just rather keep Giroud and Tammy if it meant going for him instead so it wasn't as if we had absolutely no options. I mean, let's be serious have we got any more production out of him than we would have out of those two this season? What is most worrying is that it isn't even a case were we can say, ok, bad singing, lets move on. His fee and wages mean that we are now lumbered with him and will be out of the running for other CF's who come up in the next few years. As @MoroccanBlue says just above, Lukaku was clearly a bad buy to the majority of people and it wasn't a transfer we should've gone near as not only is it just a case of a bad buy that will impact us for a year, it is a bad buy that will impact us for multiple years.

Think it is probably less than 50/50 with Rudi and AC. In Rudi's case it appears to be more like 10/90 at this point; if the rumours about his wage are true.

Yeah, Dippers going from Salzburg to Inter was a bonus, whilst Atleti from PSG isn't as big of a drop as it could've been for Utd. City kinda of stayed neutral not much between Sporting and Villareal.

Dear Diary, Double Jackpot!

All Chelsea fans right now;

Also, Group G winner.

We always draw the hardest team in the last 16. I think our last five teams have been PSGx2, Barca, Bayern and Atleti. So, yeah, Bayern it is.

They are really exploiting the left hand side of Sarr, Saul and Barkley. Just playing through them at will. As for Lukaku, another lumbering performance. For me, it will need to be Rudi and Alonso and maybe Kai as well for Sarr, Saul and Lukaku at HT.

Mendy Dave AC Sarr James RLC Saul CHO Puli Lukaku Werner This is not a game where we want to lose anymore players. Biggest problem is that we don't really have many options. For me, Silva should be rested 100%, Kai should not be risked as he should be starting as the False 9 in all the games that matter and I would not play Alonso in this game either as if he goes down we have no LWB; so I would actually use this as an opportunity to try and CHO there to see if he can work there. Personally, I am not a fan of using James either but not sure we can get away with not using him. Saul gets another start just simply because I can't see RLC and Barkley playing CM together and it may be wise to rest Mount as well to prevent injury. Puli over Ziyech to get some minutes in his legs.

The problem however is our chance creation does not stay the same when he is on the pitch. That is the biggest problem with him. He cannot finish off any chances if we're/he is not creating them due to his lack of off the ball play/we lose the ball due to his technical limitations.

I agree this is not FIFA which is why I was going bananas when he got linked. I said at the time, he would end up being a millstone because you can't buy someone for his sort of fee/wages and then get rid if it doesn't work (especially at his age.) I am happy for things to get tweaked and to try and get him working in the system, however from watching him extensively I just don't see how it is possible with his skill set. On the other hand, I also refuse to accept a change in formation or style to accommodate him as this will be detrimental to the rest of the squad and he really isn't a player of such greatness that making such a change will be worthwhile. I mean let's be serious, what is happening now with him is exactly what I and a number of others pointed out would happen with him. This didn't take a footballing genius to work out so this form of his and his lack of chemistry in TT's system should not come as a surprise to anyone.

For sure. If Juve don't get sanctioned hard, then he is highly unlikely to leave. If they do however, I am not sure what options he'll have. The Milan clubs don't have £50m+ to spend and I cannot see Napoli, Roma or Atalanta doing that either. Whether we would get him is another matter, but if Juve do get relegated, he'll probably have to leave Italy with the offers Juve/Florence would get for him/the wages he could get outside of Italy.

Depends. Juve are potentially in a lot of shite. If they get found guilty of providing fraudulent financial documents to the financial markets we could be talking about relegation and a eye watering financial penalty. If that happens they'll have to do a true fire sale or go under, especially as their owners are caught up in this and won't be able to be directors of a PLC anymore (a charge of fraud automatically prevents someone from becoming a director of a public company.)

Is there really or is this just wishful thinking? Utd tried this for two years with him and couldn't do it. Everyone who actually watched him in Italy said that the reason he did ok over there was due to the standard there and the space he got and it had nothing to do with any real tangible improvements in his game. Personally, I just don't see it; other than us ripping up the formation and play style, which is just plain madness. Lukaku has too many know qualities/failings to think he is going to suddenly improve his weaknesses at 29 and be able to do all of this. I mean even if we give him some of Maradonna's Finest Colombian Marching Power before every game and he starts running around like a mad man, what can be done about his first touch and link up play? Sorry, but I really do not believe that this is true and it was just paper talk. Pep is the man that dropped, a then only slightly declining, Kun from his team and told him that he had to learn to press as a part of a unit before he could get a starting XI role and his link play and touch was light-years ahead of Lukaku's.

I cannot see Dave leaving unless Barca go mad and offer him a three year contract on big wages (something you cannot completely rule out, but equally not something entirely likely.) AC, I am a bit more concerned about than I was a month or so ago. He seems a prime candidate for Bayern the more I think about it i.e. they get him for free and he can go and play in Germany for the top team over there: a league he already has experience of. Rudi I can really see on massive wages at Real or Juve. Tbh, I have kind of already re-signed myself to losing him.

Personally, I haven't seen many of these CB's play so it is always interesting to take on views of people that have. However, something that I am becoming increasingly prone to do is to look at our young boys' out on loan and then compare them to any potential signing. The Hungarian kid I do get, as he is left footed and has excelled every time he has stepped up and is relatively cheap. However, Lacroix is someone that I am wary of from what I have read about him, i.e. he is physically impressive in the Bundesliga but raw and rash, isn't something that inspires confidence as those are the sort of traits I find get punished in England (rashness) or do not translate well (physical traits; as England has the most physical league a physically impressive player in another league isn't necessarily that impressive here.) As a result, I am now of the opinion that if the player is going to be £35m+ we should look at our own boys' unless that player is going to come in and be an automatic starter. Anyhow, to get to my point how much better is Lacroix as a prospect to Levi Colwill? Personally, I have seen a bit of Colwill at Huddersfield and have been impressed with what I have seen, especially as he is only 18 and he seems to already be able to handle the physicality of the Championship. Are you able to make a comparison between the two and as to who may be better medium-long term?

So, we get the draw that should've been the FA Cup Final 1997.

It does and it doesn't. It does speak volumes that we don't have a go to man to score for us, but it equally shows TT's system allows the goals to be shared around. Either way, I was happy with Mount again against West Ham. He was probably our MotM which followed his MotM performance against Watford. Hopefully that will stop the haters/unconvinced thinking a rest is him being dropped.

Ok, so is this Rudi's replacement?

Is Lukaku clinical? Tbh, I do not really put him in that category, a good finisher, yes, but a clinical one doesn't have the kind of misses he has had in his career.

Playing him as a RF may work better in the attacking phase but in the defensive phase it would be even more disastrous than playing him as a CF as the RF in TT's system has to cover the RWB and thus press and get up and down more than the CF, something he is already struggling with. The principal problem with Lukaku isn't his technical issues (which are a problem) but that he is completely the wrong type of player for TT's system. The West Ham game was actually a very good case in point as we got one half without him, then one half with him. In the first half, the front three were pressing as a unit in a constant and consistent manner, as well as working together as a cohesive unit. This consequently meant West Ham were struggling to get out and when they did push up we were stretching the field to counterattack in a dangerous manner, which also meant they had to keep an extra body back. In the second half, the press disappeared which allowed West Ham to step up the field and start attacking us. Additionally, when when we did have a counter-attacking opportunity he was static/central which made the attacks easier to defend.

So, essentially Giroud.