Pizy

This is the Garnacho we saw for United when he was in form. He’s a menace in open space on the break tbf.

Instant impact. Go figure.

How the fuck do we go a goal up and then THEY start dominating the match?!

Garnacho has been solid. Getting more and more settled. He and Estevão should be our first choice wingers for a run of games.

Also, it has gone under the radar a bit how mediocre João Pedro has been after that insane start to Chelsea life he had. I was so looking forward to how he’d do for us in the PL after the summer. But other than a few classy touches here and there he hasn’t done nearly enough. Gives the ball away super cheaply at times, too.

How is it that we as amateurs could see that Neto against a deep block where we’d have 75% of the ball wouldn’t work and that Estevão should’ve started but the manager making millions couldn’t? Neto is someone who should only be starting when he can be used in the counter to stretch defenses. Against super deep blocks and compact teams who have zero interest in playing football he is totally ineffectual.

Surprise, surprise. A horrendous team comes up against Chelsea, parks the double decker, and we can’t do ANYTHING about it.

I’m fine with the CB pairing as they were really solid together against Spuds. But it’s beyond a joke now that Estevão isn’t the first attacker on the team sheet at this point. He creates danger almost every time he gets the ball, ffs. Neto I’m fine starting again the big teams where his experience and work rate are needed. But against sides like this I’d have started Estevão.

If I see another lazy fucking shitshow where we come out at walking pace and allow a dogshit, historically poor Wolves team hang about I’m going to pull my hair out. Serious questions about Maresca’s job if we fail to win today for me.

I was actually a big Tosin fan last season and was perfectly comfortable with him as a frequent starter depending on the opponent. But at this point he needs to be nothing more than a rarely used sub or only play in the Cups. He has been completely found out and is making mistake after mistake. He is shockingly terrible when the ball is played near him and it’s not a straightforward header away. Pure panic. So long as Fofana remains fit he should be the unquestioned starter. It should be Fofana + Josh for me.

We DESPERATELY need to invest however much it takes at the soonest possible opportunity on a world class CB to put in that Tosin spot. Then whoever you play together with that new CB would suddenly look better as we saw all the time with Thiago Silva. Don’t care how fucking much it costs. Go out and get a calm, classy, commanding CB who is a leader and general on the pitch. An organizer who doesn’t make clown errors and prevents other doing so as much as possible.

Maresca always talks a big game about not taking any opponent lightly and did so again before this one. Then he goes and picks this XI with Hato at CB and Tyrique up top who VERY CLEARLY is not a striker when we’ve got Guiu and Delap available. He really thought we could just show up here with anybody and stroll to victory.

We are just woeful and shocking defensively no matter who is playing. A disgrace to the club. Laughingstock to everyone watching.

Hato has been abysmal defensively since joining. Looks terrified.

Just don’t fuck about letting them hang around. Kill the game ASAP!

Reminds me almost exactly of Cunha at Man United. One of those solid all around attackers that doesn’t really have an obvious position and just kind of floats all over the place.

He plays the same kind of neat, tidy football that Maresca likes to and want to press and dominate the ball. Difference with them compared to us is that Iraola’s possession based footy is more intense and aggressive whereas Maresca’s is slow and ponderous far too often.

Despite them being behind, I have to say that I’m once again very impressed by how Bournemouth play. What Iraola has done there is incredible. If things go south for us the rest of this season and a change in coach is necessary he should absolutely be our top choice.

Overall, not a single player was poor today. Several were amazing in Moi, Cucu, and RJ. But this was yet another demonstration of how the likes of Garnacho, Pedro Neto, and Gittens are decent buy not good enough to be main men. They all 3 looked good in the build up and got into super dangerous positions over and over again but fluffed their lines when it mattered most. Like always. And João Pedro can look neat an tidy and pull off the odd brilliant finish but he so clearly is NOT a lone striker. His energy levels died for the final 30 minutes or so. He NEEDS another forward up there with him to press and occupy CB’s. I legit cannot wait for Delap to be fully fit. He changes so much for us if he gets settled again. Delap up top, JP behind him, and Estevão finally starting in the league and we look like a totally different prospect that is a nightmare to defend against.

Should’ve won that AT LEAST 0-4. A top team with killers up front wins that by like 6-7. In from Cole Palmer today would’ve had one of his 4 goal matches.

Shocking from the referee on the pitch and somehow even worse from the ref in the VAR booth. We’ve been getting fouled over and over and the ref gives us fucking nothing. Yet every little bit of contact is given a foul on a Spuds player. And if that isn’t a red card for that foul on Reece than what is? Does his ankle need to be snapped for it to be given? Because that was an ankle snapping challenge. If that’s a Chelsea player committing that foul it’s a red 10 times out of 10. But as for the game, this looks like men against boys. We’re completely bossing it. Literally the ONLY dangerous little moments Spuds had were of course from silly brain farts from the usual suspects Gusto and Fofana.

Has awful 0-0 written all over it with these lineups. Or us conceding a horrendous goal from nothing again and losing. I’m over seeing João Pedro being deployed as the lone striker up top at this point. It’s clear now that’s not where he’s effective. So we’re once again likely to see him completely cancelled out of the game by Spuds parking 2-3 defenders near him and congesting his space. The attack looks SO blunt with him as the 9 and with Garnacho + Neto who are solid at everything except for finishing consistently.

Absolute story of our season against every small team we’ve played. Carbon copy tactic from every one because they all know it works. And it’s the most basic tactic any manager can implement with minimal effort. Park the double decker, slow our attack to a crawl, and make the match an almost unwatchable shitfest. Then on the rare occasions they get the ball it’s random heaves up the pitch or long throws. And yet the manager of Chelsea Football Club who has witnessed this SAME EXACT TACTIC about 5 times this season in the PL has found absolutely ZERO way to counter it or get through to the players on how to deal with it. The blueprint is set. Sit deep and run around a lot and you beat Chelsea. Simple as that. We have no ideas, no spark, and no intensity against this setup.

Yep, seasons over now. Yet more utterly catastrophic self inflicted bullshit. I’m done.

The ease at which Brighton have been able to waltz comfortably through our midfield and play that same ball along the inside channel between Cucu and Hato repeatedly is very concerning. There’s almost no resistance and we’re allowing them to sprint at our goal over and over. We badly need Lavia to get and stay fit for even a little bit of time.