Tomo

I've been critical of Frank lately but if this ends 1-1 it won't be on him, or the defense!

Hudson Odoi's quick crossfield passing would have caused havoc tonight.

This is exactly why we're loading up on attackers before we "fix the defense". Not enough consistent quality up there.

I know we need three points tonight but really worried Azpi, Willian and Pulisic are going to get flogged and be running on empty during this run in. Hudson Odoi looked quite sharp on Saturday so this would have been a good game to boost his match fitness and become a solid option during the run in.

Its six over 21s I'm pretty sure.

I don't know, just like I don't know how the hell Romeu escaped a red card last night.

Or what about 11-12 when Ashley Cole handballed at the Camp Nou? Decisions that are given most of the time and one we got in our favour in one of the previous round against Napoli, or like I said in 09/10 when debatable decisions Vs United at SB? (Terry avoiding a red and a penalty concession then going to score the winner from a free kick that shouldn't have been awarded) what about the Cardiff game last season? What about the City game in Conte's title season where Luiz avoided a blatant red for hacking down Aguero who was clean through? We went onto win that match which was seen by many as the major momentum changer in our favour. You mention 13-14, I'm guessing you're referring to the Sunderland game? yeah that was a shit decision but so was the awarded penalty that saved us from losing at home to WBA six months earlier, or the penalty we dodged at The Emirates near Christmas time. I don't argue the refs on the whole are pretty shit but that's just it, shit, this isn't some elaborate conspiracy to help United and if it is, they've done a pretty bad job of it the last few years.

Referee's are incompetent, every set of fans seem to have these ridiculous ideas that they're biased towards certain teams. Remember when we had favrouble decisions go our way at home Vs United in 09/10? A season we went on to win the league by one point!

I don't really buy this nothing to play for thing. Yeah there's some cases where a team/manager jacks it in after 40 points is secured (Tony Pulis for example) but in general i think more unexpected results happen once the pressures off teams. Brighton vs Arsenal and Huddersfield and Cardiff vs United examples from the back end of last season alone.

Could explain why we seem to be all in for Declan Rice.

Why do you think i keep preaching that we have to stick with this process that we started post Conte? That's our only (sustainable) way back to being regular title challengers.

It's because we're a wildly inconsistent team. Any team outside of title challengers will go through the crazy up's and downs we do. Remember that pre Roman team that could win 3-0 at OT but then lose 0-1 to Charlton at home? That's us right now again!

Simeone's striker recruitment is outrageously diabolical though whereas his defensive recruitment is generally top notch. Maybe he feels he can transform Kepa the way he did Savic (who was woeful at City).

Could inadvertently work out as it will give us incentive to find a proper quality number 2.

Southampton should have been down to 10 got away with it and got a point, so maybe the conspiracy theory's can now stop!

I have a freind who's an Ajax fan and he strongly believes if he comes to the PL he'll be second only to Alisson. Could be him wearing red and white tinted glasses but he also said he thinks Tagliafico would struggle in the PL so I imagine he actually believes it.

He signed a new contract in August 2014 (before his break through) and signed another one month's later after his breakthrough. So yes, he did. Hopefully, because that will mean he's on the right trajectory and realising his potential.

Point is, when you're in the teething processes of learning a new/complex style of play there's a trade off. Sarri covered up the issues by playing a more cautious game while Frank has chosen to try and be a bit more direct trading defensive solidarity. It's not excuses, it's a fact, you can't do a complete 180 on your style of play (especially when you're transitioning to such a complex style, one that even Pep struggles to get consistent results with soon as he loses 2 or 3 key players), effectively lose 4 game changers and not expect serious growing pains. Yes Frank has made mistakes this season and there's aspects of his management he needs to fine tune to ultimately make it at the top level but this notion there's no potential of a top coach there is bolax, I mean have you forgotten despite his flaws he has outfoxed four CL winning coaches in this calender year?

Because we're doing a complete 180 on our style of play and that takes serious time (even more so given we've effectively lost four world class players in that process, two to sale and a further two to decline/not fitting this system as well) and rebuilding with academy players. You keep saying you want him to adapt to sort the defense out in the short term and stop us conceding goals, well Sarri did exactly that with his cautious possesion and you spent the whole season moaning about how boring it was.

Terry is currently overseeing the worst defense in the league. Funny you mention Rashford because he required years of patience to get to this point.

What I find even worse is the youth players are the reason we've still got a chance of top four.

July 2019 "we'll be patient with these young players" July 2020 "what's the point of him"

I'm more confident for Liverpool than i am Wolves. We've brung our A game to every single clash against them in the last two years bar last years fixture at Anfield.

You've completely taking everything I've said out of context, like literally everything.

Why the hell shouldn't a player try and maximize their earnings? For a start more money long term will set up more generations of his family and you never know what issues may come later in life, maybe he or a family member gets depressed/ill and need the very best care that doesn't come cheap. There's many things that you can rightly criticise an average footballer for but trying to secure the very best possible financial future for himself and his family is not one of them (especially in these times).