Pizy

Yep, that’s him gone. Game over.

Get the ball in their half, slow the game to a crawl, cause no danger whatsoever. Literally all we’re doing is allowing them to recover their energy for later in the game where they can blitz us again.

We finally get possession a few times and what do we do with it? Play at absolute walking pace passing it side to side allowing them to comfortably sit deep and not even move.

We are absolutely shit in all facets of the biggest game of our season.

How do we show up to the biggest match of our season looking like terrified school children? HOW!? This looks like prime Man City against some cannon fodder.

Amazing as Caicedo is, that goal action started because he does not have the recovery pace and positional sense of a natural RB.

And as I said last night, I was confident if our defense held up. And it didn’t. Our entire defense in the box and we still allow a finish that fucking easy. Embarrassing.

Still kind of crazy/sad that a fully fit Reece James, our captain and someone who has been the best RB in the world, doesn’t even get in our best XI now. Maresca trusts Caicedo in this hybrid RB/midfielder role more.

Like I said a week or so ago in another thread, I could see us beating this lot tomorrow in a mega difficult match and then losing to the worst United side in PL history with nothing to play for next match. We’ve struggled against Man United for years now no matter their form. As long as the defense doesn’t panic and buckle under the immense pressure of the occasion I think we will win this.

Ideally, yes, but I think the club and Maresca genuinely really like Sancho. Tbf, I won’t be bothered either way. If he stays I’m fine with him as an often used squad player. His production could seriously improve playing with a proper CF for all we know. But if we decide to move on I’m fine with it too so long as we don’t replace him with someone not even as good as he’s been which is spotty. Or maybe the club does nothing in the market out wide and makes Tyrique George a bigger part.

Really don’t see what he changes for them. Midfield hasn’t been their issue. Great for depth I guess but he doesn’t really change their outlook or make them look any scarier.

Making history is making history, no matter how dogshit this competition is. So for that reason our players should be well up for this final. There is absolutely no way we should be losing to Betis. They shouldn’t be able to live with our best team if they’re all available in a few weeks. That’s not to say it will be a breeze but it would be completely inexcusable to lose this.

I well and truly forgot he existed.

I’d rather keep Sancho than sign Gittens. Another risk of a winger that we can’t afford to take. Tbh, it feels silly to even be thinking about more attacking midfielders until the keeper and striker issues are solved. CB as well.

Not saying they can’t win, just that I don’t trust them. I’m praying they win here!

I’m just always skeptical of these teams from France or Italian leagues who don’t face anywhere close to this quality of opponent week in and week out domestically. They aren’t used to the intensity that these battle tested top PL play at. They’re used to being the big bully on the block who nobody can lay a glove on.

Have a bad feeling Arse will go through and win the whole thing. 🫤

Yeah, Delap feels like the safest of the names. He’s not a striker signing that I’d be excited about necessarily but if he’s who we decide on I won’t be angry or anything. At least you’ll know with him that even when he isn’t scoring he’s an almighty pain in the ass for defenders. But again the question remains whether he’s the sort of #9 that elevates us to where we want to be. Is he a striker who we can eventually see hitting those Drogba/Harry Kane/RvP/Aguero numbers and consistently winning matches? Or is he just simply someone who is interchangeable with Jackson and will rotate in and out with him putting up similar numbers?

Ekitike feels to me like he’d be a lot like Jackson in that they will do a lot of really nice things, they’re great to have in your squad as a top club, but not good enough to be THE guy to lead you to the very top. But tbf the only striker available this summer that would be that finishing piece are Osimhen and Gyokeres who are almost certainly impossible for us. So with that being the case would you rather have Ekitike, Seśko, or Delap? Ekitike looks to have the highest ceiling/natural talent. Delap has the tenacity and work ethic that’s perfectly suited to the PL as we’ve seen. Seśko would surely be MUCH more of a box presence than Nico and therefor would probably do well in our setup. I don’t know which I’d prefer.

Agree completely. He looks like your stereotypical “big fish in a small pond” English player who looks very good at a smaller profile club where everything revolves around him but will then disappear at a club where expectations are sky high and you’re just another cog in the machine. I’d be delighted as a rival team if City go for him instead of Wirtz for example who I thought for sure Pep would go after.

Shockingly, I actually feel better about us beating Newcastle than I do Man United. No matter how dogshit United have been in recent years (and my word, they’re AWFUL this season) we really just drop to their level and shit the bed against them repeatedly.

If Palace get something tomorrow o think Forest will buckle under the pressure and we’ll get top 5 in the end.

We’ve been linked with this kid, right? Looks exactly the sort of profile our sporting people are obsessed with. Teenager with superstar potential eventually.

New shirt sponsor looks terrible.

Looks like a nailed on Pep player.