Tomo

Am I the only one who doesn't see it with Odegaard? Even last week with Arsenal in full control he was invisible. Smith Rowe looks comfortably better from what I've seen.

Did Howe really start shit? Maybe results took a while but there was a clear upturn performance wise from Bruce ball (not hard i know but still).

I will give him a bit of rope because the UCL performances and to an extent the City one was encouraging but my god we better come back from this break with a plan even if the results take a while to follow.

Hutchinson.

Him and Mount on the same pitch is overkill. Too much of the same.

I get this performance isn't pretty but Newcastle are doing fuck all either.

With two natural CMs at wingback and both Mount and Gallagher starting I wonder if we're going for the Pep tactic of totally overwhelming the midfield with sheer numbers.

One minor good thing will be atleast we may stop hearing about how a team that lost twice against Middlesbrough are invincible.

Logically they should but as we saw with Leicester when the gods are on your side logic can get defeated. Regarding City I got a lot of stick for this in the summer but as I predicted Haaland scores a shit load of goals but has weakened City systematically.

God I hope I'm wrong but it's feeling like it's starting to fall into place for Arsenal the way it did for Leicester. One positive of it however is it would show City despite having the best squad are very much challengable if/when we get our act together Haaland or no Haaland.

If it's one or the other i think i'd choose a performance over a win here. I know it's blasphemous but if we struggle to string passes together for 90 minutes than one goes in of Trippiers back, yes fantastic 3 points at a top 4 rival but the question marks heavily remain. If we draw or even lose creating multiple chances, controlling the midfield, successfully setting pressing traps and playing through excellently, Lewis Hall getting selected and having another screamer we will go into the break with a real feel of optimism the tide will turn.

But they didn't though, their keeper was MOTM. By the same logic we walked all over Villa.

We created the clearer chances and their keeper has just been announced MOTM by the tannoy guy. I get it's been pretty shit lately, I was as upset as anyone Sunday and it's never nice to lose whatever the context but this performance really wasn't bad all things considered.

Maybe my standards have fallen too close to the floor after Sunday but I've liked what I've seen so far all things considered.

I don't disagree perse and this maybe just me talking personal preference but I just want to see something that gives me hope this could work going into this break. Even if we somehow turned the Arsenal game around by Broja's mini run turning into a goal then Gallagher shooting a fluke one in from 30 yards I'd still be pretty worried as those moments wouldn't take away from one of the most clueless performances I've seen from us (I can take bad, but we looked tactically amateur). If we win 0-1 at Newcastle with no shots to 16 and one goes in on Dan Burns backside, lovely 3 points but it still leaves burning questions on what the hell Potter is trying to do.

I'm at the stage where I was at the end of Lampard's reign where I'm past caring about the results in the next couple of games. What I want from this and Newcastle is positive tactical performances that give me some encouragement Potter could be the man longer term, if we lose both the way we lost say the Super Cup vs Liverpool I'd be reasonably content.

Because Tuchel achieved it with this squad minus Gallagher, Broja, Forfana etc (all be it with Rudi) despite juggling 5 competitions, an injury/Covid crisis and one of the most unprecedented events to hit a football club, if not the. Lampard achieved it despite losing Hazard alongside a transfer ban. Sarri achieved it when we had next to no depth outside the first Xl and were on the first season of overhauling our playing style. Even Conte while half arsing the job only narrowly missed out.

Sorry but there's no excuses for this squad to be that far down. It may be too flawed to challenge the title but top four should be minimum requirement.

There's middle ground between prime City and whatever the hell he's been doing the last few weeks. I want to see encouragement he's got a good projected end product and I'm just not seeing it.

I felt the way we were controlling games and adapted to the playing out of the back quickly was very impressive and come the end of the season I felt we were getting there with the entertainment aspect aswell. I do wonder where we'd be right now if he wanted that second season, which he admits he wished he remained for.

Regarding patience it's all well and good if the end product is something you want to see, I staunchly defended Sarri because I believed in the potential end product. Let's put it another way, if an artist was drawing me a painting tells me it will take a while but it's going to be a painting of the Naples sunset I'll be patient, if it's going to be Rafa Benitez naked I'll confiscate his brush and get him blacklisted. If Potter wants us to give him time, he has to show something that makes us think it could be worthwhile.

Then why did we sack managers who got this squad that "isn't worth a wank" top four?

I don't disagree but that tax only goes so far. Even the team we had out today is better than the Leeds and Southampton teams that gave Arsenal a much harder game.

Unless the fans force the issue.

I still maintain this squad should be in the top four and failure is a sackable offence.