Tomo

Remember when there was that debate over whether we should have kept young Lukaku instead of bringing in a 32 year old Eto'o? I'd take our version of Eto'o over this Rom let alone the raw version.

Whoever sanctioned this are the most to blame, it's not like we can claim hindsight like we maybe can with Saul, it was so so obvious Rom wasn't fitting this system. I didn't want him in 2017 either but back then I understood the logic as he would have been a decent fit for Conte, getting him now however was beyond stupid and has the potential to ruin all the great work Tuchel has done to this point.

In most fanbases expectations tend to line up with the price tag (hence CR7 and Bale getting booed when they had the slightest drop off at Real). With us it seems to be the opposite, the more they cost the more chances they get and the more extreme the excuses are.

Yep, and he will rightly be put on any future PK shootouts even if he fails to save any next time round just like Edou is rightly number 1 in regulation play and one poor game won't change that.

I'm not saying Rom's better but I think the out and out number 9 is becoming outdated not just with us but in general. It's no coincidence our best displays under TT come playing false 9. Also it has to be noted despite his unreal personal stats Dortmund have actually regressed while he's been there.

Tuchel's system doesn't even suit an out and out striker, I have doubts even Haaland would fit properly into it. That's what makes this all the more infuriating. I never wanted Rom but I could understand the reasoning to go for him in 2017, but getting him for this team was instanity.

Prime Kane yes but this version is too risky. He has been poor for months and looks finished.

Was there ever any debate to drop Cech for Turnbull when he had a poor game or two? We wouldn't have beaten Watford less than four days ago if it wasn't for him.

Nothing's happened to him, he's always been like this. People did a deal with the devil because they thought he'd guarantee goals.

It's been seven minutes and it's already evident how much more static and weaker we are in the press now.

I'm not a huge fan of Ruben but the biggest culprit to that first half at Watford was by far Saul.

I gave the benefit of the doubt on Wednesday that he was being rested, with the form Callum is in resting for one match should be a stretch let alone two. It seems to be that he gets held to higher standards than the rest of the squad. Pulisic, Mount, Havertz and Ziyech won untouchable starting slots for months when they had similar bursts of form.

Really annoyed CHO has been seemingly punished for one so so game after a month of being spectacular.

I read the ACON players maybe leaving after boxing day so Edou will miss Liverpool, although ofcourse that means so will Mane and Salah.

While ofcourse those windows in itself didn't help (understatement) I think on both occasions things ran deeper than that. 2010 may have made it worse but it was actually 2008 where we badly fucked up. That summer we should have identified young hungry players (like Luka Modric) to gradually succeed the old guard over the following 2-3 years, the fact we tried to sign Modric 3 years later says everything. And while ofcourse Torres wasn't the only problem, imagine how easier things would have been had we had a prime Falcao, Aguero or RVP? This time it was the double whammy of 2017 and needing to move on with the times style wise else we'd have become the club version of Jose. It was always going to take time to effectively change to a modern style, espeically when you're trying to chase down Pep.

After we signed players for multi millions of pounds to try and help get the best out of him and gave him full 90s unconditionally for months on end. Sign Jermaine Beckford and mollycoddle him the same way he'd have wound up with a similar tally. And that's before we mention all the vastly superior strikers we lost while he was here (Drogba, Sturridge, Ba, Eto'o) and quite possibly missed out on thanks to him (prime Falcao, Aguero, Cavani). He held us back for years on so many levels.

As shit as Bakayoko was he did give us the early run and some performances in big games including a cup final. I dread to think what would happen if Saul plays against top calibre opposition.

Large stretches against Burnley? We were every bit as good if not better than we were against Leicester and Juve but sadly Pope was sensational. Brentford fair enough, however yesterday we played the midfield 4 we would usually only see in the league cup, ofcourse it was going to get a bit chaotic.

The most damming thing is I can't think of a single positive attribute he brings to the table and it's the first time I have felt like that with a player since Torres. Werner's been a disapointment over all but we can use his pressing, movement and pace tactically. Morata was sh*t overall but he had movement and ariel ability. Even Bakayoko and Drinkwater had a few upsides to them. But there's not a single thing with Saul I look at and think "atleast he has that despite everything".

I know someone who went to school with him, the internet warriors are small fry by comparison......

And we'd have never won the UCL if played as poorly in the final as we did against Porto in the quarter. Two games are never the same.

The only way he should be anywhere near this team right now is either a) an impact sub or b) trying him as a wingback in Ben's absence. Callum is infinity times better.

Where i am we have to leave the bar. Usually I'd be annoyed but this time I'm rather glad.

For this match i would go back four and put Trevoh in midfield. Far from ideal but we will have no control of this match with Saul and RLC the two man midfield.

It's the midfield that's going to fuck us here, Saul is totally out of his depth.