Tomo

Reflecting a bit on our first couple of months under Frank plus his time at Derby i'm starting to feel CB is the highest priority in the market followed by LB. Lampard's system will always have the attack looking better than the sum of it's parts but defense the complete opposite, we will always have defensive gaps under Lamps so (a bit like how Klopp has done it) we need to recruit the best defenders possible so we can plug the tactical gaps with individual quality. Think of how a Simeone or Jose can make average defenders like Trippier, Cahill, Savic look very good but any attacker below the top class category tend to flop with them, with Lampard it's the same logic in reverse.

Ever since we've gone for a style change the signings have been good. There will be chances to sign players and if it can't be plan A's you improvise. Everyone mentions Klopp but he wasn't fully backed this summer (no matter what he may say there's no way he's happy signing no one) or the two prior to the summer they got Alison/Fabinho but that's how he earned his corn, he improvised with either solid plan B's like Mane, Wjinaldium, C's like Robertson or academy boys like Arnold, the result? European Champions, one of the best sides in PL history and 3 of those 4 mentioned are now in top 5 for their position. If we can't get the world class plan A's then it's upto Frank, Petr etc to do their homework and find players that can be coached into such profile.

Yeah minimum has to be 6th/7th with mid 60's points anything else is failure and in those circumstance i honestly wouldn't be that distraught if Frank is relieved from his duties. The last thing i want to see is time for time sake like what United are doing. Frank has to earn the time by showing a solid evolution as a manager and learning from his mistakes. So far i can see potential, he managed the game quite well at Norwich and well and truly stood his ground against Klopp but on the flip side he's (in my opinion) the reason we have 2 points at Stamford Bridge instead of 6, the Sheffield game especially was criminal game management. One thing i do disagree with you on mind is it easy to avoid transition, even Ferguson couldn't avoid it (01-06).

PEA fascinates me a bit. His goal record is incredible whereever he's been but he's never managed to elevate his teams up a level and Dortmund genuinely look better without him.

It's a bit of both, that was clear during Conte's time here (he was making it clear which were board signing's and which were his by his selections) .

Would he have though? It would be pretty silly to base your whole future on whether you're selected for EL group games aged 17.

I feel the opposite, even if he has his mind set on leaving we need him this season. He put in some strong performances around the period he handed in a transfer request last time so I'm not too worried about him sulking his way through the season. Pulisic needs to be rotated as he unsurprisingly needs time to settle, Callum will be needed for the short term regardless of where his future lies.

Tbh on reflection i think the Gilmour sub was correct, putting on AC, Tomori or Zouma in a position they've likely not trained in all season would have been a lot more risky. The one qualm i have though is why did he not play more in pre season if he was potentially going to be 4th choice CM? The Michy sub however was very bad, he's the type you bring on when your desperate for a goal whatever means how, not desperately trying to hold a lead.

Has anyone actually said or even implied he will totally solve our defensive problems? I can confidently say there's not one single supporter delusional enough to believe that his inclusion alone is going to turn our defensive line into Jose 1.0 esque. Now as you know I'm the last person to call for a youngster on a whim (even now I'm preaching the need for more balance age wise) so if I'm wanting one in its because I genuinely believe he's the best option. Reece may have played in the Championship but he played for a club that have recently spent almost a decade mid table in the PL while getting to two cups finals winning one of them. The fact a high percentage of them consider Reece their best ever player above players that created immortal history at Wigan is testiment to how good he's been, if their was even any element of doubt they would have naturally favoured their best boys of PL level (like most Chelsea fans naturally favour the old guard against present day player's). Do I believe James is going to walse in and everything will suddenly smell of roses? No, but i do believe he's a better option to present day Azpi and that's from what I've seen of him with my own eyes.

I'm 99% sure players can't play in both the CL and UYL in one season which means that route would be cut off for him regardless.

Just par for the course at this stage of the process. One week we will match the 2nd best team in Europe and the next we will look bang average vs a newly promoted side, genuinely wouldn't surprise me to see us do something like head to Anfield and play Liverpool of the park then come home and sneak a draw at Stamford Bridge against Villa in a game we could easily have lost, reminds me of 12/13 a little bit.

Not really, I've always throughout my time here been critical when it's due.

I know this is going to be a transition season but even so, we can't be blowing 2 goal leads to Sheffield United. Most poor results this season i can and will chalk off as part of the process and pick out the positives but this one is hard, it's annoyed me so much. 2-0 up against a much inferior team requires basic game management, slow the game down, retain possession, stop it from becoming a battle (which is what the underdog thrives on). We kicked off in the second half, how the hell can we concede within a minute? We should be comfortably retaining it for that long minimum. This has completely pissed me off.

I think we can, Frankfurt last year testement to that. What just can't seem to panic once we things happen against the script, it's like an over zealous kid playing fifa starts with a plan is executing it quite well but something goes wrong and instead of remaining calm acts like the world is caving in and totally loses composure.

We struggle with major setbacks in game, it's been the case ever since the old guard got old. The fact we've been by far the better side in two 4-0 losses this calendar year says it all.

Kepa James Rudiger Whoever compliments Rudi the best Emerson Jorginho Kante Mount/RLC Pedro CHO/Pulisic Tammy This has to be the team when everyone's fully fit.

So now even recent PL Champions are pub teams Priceless.

It's 4 games in, we won't be fighting relegation ffs it's an overreaction of mammoth proportions.

I think someone has just been gazumped for overreaction of the decade.

I was relatively lenient on Jose when he played Ivan through that dark spell because as shit as he became Rahman was even worse (although you could argue it was his fault a decent alternative wasn't there in the first place). Lampard however has no excuse if he persits with Azpi, he has one of the best young defenders on the planet ready to come in.

Attack wise i feel this has been our second worst half after Leicester 2nd, thankfully we are defying our current reputation of wasting chances and have been clinical. Just need to see it now, a cautious possession second half because Sheffield are very dangerous if you let the game become a battle.

Can't speak for everyone else but for me it's this. 1. I think the diamond is the way to go for this one. 2. He needs to be managed carefully, he's 20 and will need time, starting him week in week out will be counterproductive, even someone like Bernardo was eased in to the PL.

We need to try and aim for a run in the CL this year, winning it is probably too big an ask this early but we need a memorable run sooner rather than later. We laugh at Arsenal for not winning a knockout game for so long but we're low-key only a few years behind them (Demba Ba Vs PSG was the last time we won a CL knockout tie).

Also I'm praying matchday 3 is a Tuesday because i'm flying on the Wednesday while the games are on I think every CL year bar one since we became a pot 1 side we've been at The Bridge first so hopefully the trend continues for both our sakes.

Didn't get past the VWR for either, likewise Brighton and all of August's games.