Blue Armour

You took the words out of my mouth. I also see Silva in the same mould as Desailly and think he could be a good influence on some of the younger CB's. I too am hoping it could be Tomori, but not sure if he will go out on loan. No doubt that Zouma/Christensen can use some education though. Even the older guys.

Yeah,...'thousands' is no doubt an exaggeration. There are a few good examples,...like our very own Didier Drogba, and to some extent, even Lampard, but I think these popular examples are clouding people's opinion.

Not sure of what to make of this. While he won't fix problems in defense, he will most certainly improve it in other ways. It would be almost like us having Marcel Desaiily back in the 2000's, when he had strong influence on the growth of JT as a defender. Could really help out some of our younger defenders, in terms of mentality. The question is,...is that what Frank really wants for next season?

Are you sure its the board in this case? I'm pretty sure the board will present a range of possible options to sign up for a particular position, but its the manager who makes the final pick., or at least has a decisive say, since the signing needs to fit his tactics. There was that myth that the Chelsea board signed Torres., when it was actually Ancelloti who chose the player (most likely over Aguero). Carlo himself admitted this. Regarding Chillwel, I'm not entirely sold. In a transfer window where we need to allocate funds for multiple signings, and when there were seemingly cheaper (and possibly better) options in LB, it is concerning. The one saving grace is that the original 80 mill transfer fee that was rumored, is now less. And he's 23, so hopefully room for improvement

No surprise about Klopp He said he's not going to stick around with Liverpool for too long. He's will want to dominate as much as possible when he's there,..won't be interested in building a new team that he won't manage.

If you look at Rudiger, Zouma and Christensen .... you get the feeling that if any of them were paired with a top class CB with excellent leadership, they would be playing miles better than how they have this season. I can't really say who should get the drop. We need a leader in central defense, and I wish we were linked with one.

Not sure why we're not even making an attempt at Soyuncu Now he's linked with Barca Is he too unrealistic a transfer target?

Maicon, Lucio, ...even our very own Alex Brazilian defenders of a bygone era. Tough as nails

Yep, definitely need him for the short term. For the long term, however, am concerned that one day Bayern Effng Munich will come sniffing for German talent, just like they grabbed Leroy Sane. And we've got Timo too. Hard to see them not come in, if 1 or both succeed. Then again, we've always had Madrid lurking around for Hazard and still got 7 good seasons, so maybe it won't be that bad.

Not sure about your point on CBs, but I agree with you on the midfield lacking defensive nuous. Barring Kante, and to a lesser extent Kovacic, the midfield can seem a bit porous It could be risky, but it then again depends on what kind of on-the-ball tactics the team will use next season.

Its cliche but today was not our day...Azpi and Puli getting injured in the same game, and the ref having a crap day (probably Antony Taylor's chance to take revenge after we knocked his beloved United out of the competition) Like @Tomo said, these horrible ref decisions tend to even themselves over the course of a season. Shame that it happened in a cup final, but we could have done better in terms of our own performance.. I couldn't watch this match live, but watching the first 20 minutes of our play (high press and fast attack) from this game, fills me with excitement for the next season, when we have our new signings integrated. It would be enough to put most sides to the sword. Onwards and upwards.

Or Liverpool's first goal at Anfield last week. I thought we were doing decent up till that point, and then Kepa gets beaten by the first real shot on target from range and gives Liverpool momentum they didn't need.

Considering where they were before he took over, that is a pretty decent job

I dont really care who starts in the back 4 or GK to be honest. We are nigh guaranteed to concede at least 1 goal regardless of the lineup, no matter who from the squad starts in defense. I'll keep Azpilicueta as captain, but that's pretty much it.

Start with Giroud...Start with Giroud.....Start with Giroud...Start with Giroud...Start with Giroud...Start with Giroud.....Start with Giroud...Start with Giroud...Start with Giroud...Start with Giroud.....Start with Giroud...Start with Giroud...Start with Giroud...Start with Giroud.....Start with Giroud...Start with Giroud... And oh yeah, Start with Pulisic as well.

I couldn't watch this match, and going into it, was honestly not expecting anything interesting in terms of a result ---- (the real interesting end result was Utd vs W Ham), but having said that, WHAT A MATCH! Really proud of our young guns, Pulisic and CHO trying their best to make a comeback,against the title winning Liverpool, and very nearly creating a classic like our 4-4 draw at the Bridge in the CL. Shame that Arsenal reject had to come along to scupper that plan, but whatever. Our objective lies before us. Kepa's form is a big worry. I thought he had turned a corner after he was dropped for Wily, before the lockdown, but ever since season restart, he has been terrible again. Granted the defenders don't make things easy, but he offers very little in terms of being a final line of defense.. At this point, we're only using him as the last man and nothing more. He's not even dominant or vocal enough during set pieces, which is why there is so much confusion in our side whenever we concede a free kick. The big issue with trying to replace Kepa with star quality, is that its another multi million investment and a waste of what we spent to secure him. We might need to look at nicking cheaper, but surely better performing alternatives, such as Schmeichel or Marinez by promising them first team action.

Yeah remember that moment well His physical strength on the ball feels like a throwback to midfielders like Ballack and Lampard.

I hope people recall that this is CHO's first season back from a career threatening injury. Both CHO and RLC easily deserve a break this season.

All that in a season following Eden Hazard departure, and a transfer ban.

3-4-3 formation is a weapon best saved for the most opportune moments. but 4-3-3 should always be our default I think Frank also agrees.

On the topic of Lampard and OGS. I find the current form of both teams rather interesting. First half of the season, you had us regularly picking up points against the bread and butter of the league, especially in away games. United fared well against top 6 teams but flopped against lesser opposition. Now fast forward to the restart, we have won a game against City, at home, beat Leicester away, and you have United more consistent against the lesser sides. Interesting that our next 2 games are against top 6.

Whatever Lampard does to try and remedy the defense, I hope he realizes that chopping and changing the lineup for the sake of it, is not the solution. You'll risk alienating yourself from the players and it's all downhill from there, usually, once that happens.

I hate to depend on another team's ill fortune. But what do you City's chances are of getting a 1 season ban at least? Can they suspend the decision through an additional appeal??

Replace the Yokahama with 3and this picture will be perfect.

Wouldn't be surprised He keeps chopping and changing to please certain of his favorites. No way had Tammy deserved to start over Giroud in this match. No way should Billy have started over Jorginho in the last game. And then he keeps rotating the back 4 without any plan.