Mhsc

I don't think the Ivan Toney rumours are true tbh, it seems clear that we have an U25 policy. I imagine if we make any signings for over 25s it will be where there are favourable release clauses or free agents.

I think one article ages ago claimed this but it has otherwise not been repeated at all. You'd have thought if we had option we'd have already activated it while he was doing well at Burnley?

I think he would be pretty good on the left wing playing in Chilwell's spot tbh. That said from our currently fit options, who would you play ahead of Palmer in CAM? Enzo, or Gallagher?

I only see two sources of optimism: 1. The underlying stats suggest we are much better than results so far, over time our average results should start to line up with them 2. Poch has transformed Sterling back into the player we bought, and all of the players are publicly singing his praises - maybe, given time, he will bring a lot of these players to peak form There are however many many points for pessimism and this season could become incredibly frustrating. I have the sad feeling that Poch will put out an unaltered lineup.

We clearly do not have a good medical setup still.

Yep. Imagine you magically transform all of these guys to their peak form and it is still just Sterling and Jackson that might get us goals regularly. Madness to put all our hopes on 2 players every game. Being generous maybe we have 2-3 players who are dangerous at heading in set piece situations as well. Over a season if this lineup played every game maybe we would have an xG of ~2.5 and convert ~1 per game. It is like a team selection for an away day at City where you've decided you want to sneak a point. I honestly don't think the tactical setup is the problem, we're using pretty much exactly the same system tonnes of really good attacking teams use but they don't put out a lineup with ~8 players who's best attributes are defensive / work horse related and just assume that a good tactical system will turn into scoring loads of goals. The tactical setup / strategic setup lets us control the game and deliver players to dangerous positions with support around them, but it is not much use if the players themselves when in those positions are not dangerous attacking players who can utilise the opportunity.

Yes but Enzo/Ugarte would have been a very good double pivot, I don’t think there’s any chance we spend 115m on an extra midfielder if that’s our starting point, it would be a completely nonsensical transfer if we were not in a state of total desperation.

Yes I agree the personnel selection is poor, but I don't think the problem is the formation / system or that he's changed it. He's just been putting loads of square pegs in round holes which he didn't do in preseason, except for maybe Maatsen who he kept playing anywhere except for LB and Gallagher as a CM but we always thought that was because he didn't have options.

I don’t know how many more times I can say this but it is NOT 3 at the back, it is 4 at the back with Chilwell playing as a winger. A number of people including Poch and Silva have said this but also, just using your eyes during the game makes it obvious. Colwill has been playing as a leftback.

No Poch, football is about scoring more goals than the other team and if you don't score goals you don't win. Set us up for a scrappy 0-0 ffs.

Doesn’t sound like Poch really took responsibility for what he did. Made it sound like we were a bit unlucky and that we played well. Graham Potter vibes.

Any comments from Poch to the press yet?

Imagine what would have happened to us if the fixtures WEREN'T this easy. We might be bottom.

And that's that. Poch has bottled that one big time I'm afraid. I'm sorry but we 100% had a squad available that could win that game if managed properly. He's got to take that one on the chin and learn QUICKLY. I still think he is going to get us there but he needs to very quickly stop doing strange things with his XI.

Poch just been writing off the first half in most games so far, trying to get us to play and win everything in a ~30 minute section of the 2nd half. Puts so much pressure on the players. Baffling but lets hope he learns.

We are playing pretty desperate chasing the game here but if we had started the game with this group on the field I really think we'd be winning tbh

We've bought a tonne of expensive risky strikers and it has never helped, usually makes the situation worse. But ok, if you are convinced Vlahovic would have been a decisive difference then that is a fair opinion but not one I could share confidently. Just as likely we'd have been all sitting here getting really angry that we signed him after he had a terrible game...

If Poch does anything other than take 100% blame for this I will lose a lot of respect for him tbh. I am ok with people making mistakes as long as they own them and learn. If he acts like he made the right calls and we were unlucky I will lose a lot of faith.

We didn't want him for £45m + Lukaku + 250k pw wages given serious injury problems but ok

Spending more money is not the answer. We have the squad to be far better than this.

Amazing work by Sterling. NJ with a tired swing at it :(

? He's touched it loads in the opposition half (dribbles/passes) but not done anything decisive, he did try a hard pass to send someone through but it got intercepted. But yes he is very Kai Havertz like stylistically imo, we'll see if he has the same flaws in time

Poch needs to come out after this and be a straight up man about the mistakes he's made with the lineup and be clear he has learnt and he reassure he knows what needs to be changed going forward.

Amount of times you can see NJ making a run in behind and someone taking the safer pass

He was in our final 3 shortlist with Poch if I recall. Decided it was better to go with someone with a bigger reputation I think after risking it on Potter + Lampard.