OneMoSalah

Love how people are assuming they will go and just throw hundreds of millions at it in the beginning and it will work and they’ll end up top 4 in like 2 seasons. I have no doubt they will put some sort of cash in on better players and maybe get a much better manager because it is obvious they need it but I also don’t necessarily think Newcastle will be able to go from where they are to fighting for the top 4/6 without making some sort of other progress first in a period of 3 or 4 years first. People forget City finished 9th prior to be taken over and then 10th in the first season after being taken over in 2008. Then they got to 5th under Mancini who was a much better calibre of manager whilst Carlos Tevez almost single handedly fired them up the table that season scoring 20+ PL goals. It took City their third season to go from 9th to the top 4 under new owners, costing them the best part of £400m in transfers. On the contrast Newcastle are usually spending majority of the season struggling to stay in the PL with a squad that lacks any real and obvious quality in multiple positions with no genuine regular source of goals before getting a few results and luck from other teams around them. The top 4 teams are out of their reach by a mile. Even spending £100m in 3 or 4 windows, they’re still miles behind because they don’t have any real quality in there to work with. I think they’ll also have a plan and targets, to maybe do what City and ourselves have done around the community but the footballing sides of things, I think it will not be as easy as £500m in 3 or 4 years to bring them up to a top top team.

🤣 Nobody is forcing him out the door. Lets be fair here. Another of the big arguments was he played with a CF at Leipzig, Lukaku is a CF yet hes rarely featured with him. I said last season I felt Tuchel would lose faith in him and I think the signs couldn’t be clearer.

Precisely. I think under Tuchel our big game records not really the issue (despite the two losses this last 2 games v City, Juve), its the smaller sides that we dropped more points against. Jose’s first season back in his second spell here was as good an indicator also, if you can get points v the big teams (think we took points of City, Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool and United) but drop points v the smaller teams due to not being able to convert chances etc, you’re not going to win league titles.

I dont know what your reading, you’ve taken my post completely in the wrong way. Or just tried to funnel it into something it isnt…. Someone said Lukaku has disrupted the likes of Havertz, Ziyech, Pulisic, Werner etc but have they done anything of note this season? Did they perform outstandingly last season as well in periods? No. Also, is the attack this season not functioning amazingly solely on Lukaku’s shoulders? Obviously its not. But that seems to be the narrative. The attacking problem is a collective one, clearly, from Lukaku and the 2 off him to the wingbacks as well not being to the level they should be offensively and even in midfield lacking a bit more creativity. I said we lacked chemistry in attack and the combinations we have tried so far the last 2 games haven’t really worked. Where did I say Lukaku was only shit because of the others? I mean if you use your eyes and read everything instead of jumping to conclusions based on maybe misinterpreting a sentence, trust me you’ll not find that.

The point is why hasnt Tuchel started him once in the PL since Lukaku came in though? Or even bringing him on v Juve then talking about missing runners or runs in behind post match? If he had faith in Werner surely he would of played him more than 209 minutes in the PL so far? No? Or subbed him in v Juve? Not one mention of Lukaku in that post either but guessing you mean one from Another thread.

I think as limited as our attack has looked, to say Lukaku has harmed or prevented Werner, Pulisic, Havertz etc from developing or playing better is utter bullshit, frankly. I mean Havertz has played regularly this season and hasn't convinced entirely. Werner played virtually every game last season under 2 managers and hardly fully convinced consistently bar one wee spell of games with Tuchel. He isn’t on the bench for nothing. The real problem is who is the best 2 to play off of Lukaku in that 3421. 100% we need someone who has pace enough and can play in 1 v 1s in that front 3 and its fair to say Mount is as inevitable a big a miss as you can have. Maybe Pulisic-Lukaku-Mount has to be tried, or dare I say it, playing a back 4 with 2 actual wingers and Mount at number 10? Big problem with our attack is we actually lack multiple players with pace to open up spaces as well as seeing poor chemistry between the attackers. The balance isn’t right. Look at how Conte used Lukaku with Martinez, thats two players who suited playing off one another because their skillsets complimented each other. I am not entirely sure what Ziyech and Kai brought to the table playing off of Rom. Hopefully this chemistry comes over time, its only 8 or 9 games into the season in all comps. Whilst there has been alarming signs the last 2 games, the other games weren’t half as bad as being made out. Tuchel even said after Villa IIRC and other games we weren’t where we needed to be.

He is one who I think is as good as done here barring a miracle. The big thing being TT talked about not having runs or runners v Juventus but yet he didn’t sub him on. The proof is in the pudding, why didn’t he bring him in? Does he trust him? Does he not?

Pretty sure guys like Kante, Drogba, Vardy, Maguire, Lampard, Kane, Kolo Toure and other late bloomers/players who developed well despite having glaring weaknesses/not being at the top level have disproved this “if their touch is shite at 18 then its gonna be shite at 28” thing ten times over. Which basically is like saying if your a shit footballer at 18 your likely to be a shit footballer at 28. Which we know isn’t true. Its not as black and white as that, never has been, never will be. Granted Ziyech hasn’t done enough and looks out of his depth after a brief spell in pre season and in the SC but to use his example as why to never buy players is mind boggling. I mean if your going to tell me you seen Ziyech play at 18 as well I have to say that’s impressive but I doubt it… Also never buy on form? Why do you think players get moves more than 50% of the time? From playing badly? No, from having had an amazing run of form/season. I see the point your trying to make but not everyone falls into the same basket, its different on a case by case basis.

Di Matteo actually finished 6th in the PL. Which was lower than where we were when he took over…

Kovacic has to shoot there. Fuck. The one good bit of play out wide between CHO and Kai, good spot, half a chance to shoot, tries to pass to our left wing back… man oh man. And yes Loftus-Cheek again taking the ball, doing about 3 faints, failing to see the forward pass or quicker pass midway through it and then passes sideways/backwards bar that one there where he received it on the half turn near the box and got it into Lukaku…. cant wait for the “should start next week” posts. Mount is a huge loss. Either way.

Even Chilwell has been coming inside at times. Fucking hell. Honestly why cant these left wing backs just stay wide? 😂

Think the only issue with that is that tonight, he has probably been the best of the three up there and he’s not been heavily involved. His movement and link up is there in fits and starts but he can do a bit better as can the ones supporting him. In fact I would be questioning Ziyech and Havertz’s contributions more. In fact I hope we get a change there and the most likely is Werner looking at the bench… and I cannot believe I am saying it, but he cannot do any worse than Havertz or Ziyech - surely? People probably wont admit it but love him or hate him, we miss Mason Mount in these types of fixtures. People may question his contribution but he links the midfield and attack much much better than those 2 have so far.

Havertz has hugely struggled too tonight. Loose and sloppy control a lot, wanting half a day on the ball. I hope TT drills we need to be sharper into these guys at HT because if we are a bit more sharper we might get that breakthrough or even a bit of luck. Whoever gets the first goal is likely to win this game by the looks of it. Obviously more to it than just that but being a lot more sharper and careful in the final third could give us that half chance or chance.

Ziyech will be subbed off at HT I think. Trying far too hard. Do the basics then build from there. Even the spell where he made 2/3 fouls in quick succession. Werner or perhaps CHO on at HT?

Alonso needs to stop coming inside too often, Jorginho sitting shouting for him to go out left where all the space is. Either that or Ziyech or Havertz has to start drifting out there. Recovering the ball well though, just have to be a bit more assured at times they've had a few decent counters from sloppiness. Juve are more or less playing for a draw though, effectively, they’ve literally just left Chiesa upfront and are sitting in.

Thats the thing. Likelihood he wont but its also not like Tuchel to play people for the sake of it either. We have seen how ruthless he has been twice this season already with Saul and Mount so either Alonso is playing amazingly well (cannot believe I have typed this because whilst he generally has done well it isn’t like hes undroppable) or Chilwell isnt impressing him (more likely). I think its fair to assume in a back 4, he suits it better but as a wingback maybe not although again, he hasn’t exactly been that bad under Tuchel when he did play after the poor spell with FL.

Well wait and see if we have to count on Ruben regularly, for a prolonged period, we are fucked. Once Saul is up to speed and the intensity he will go ahead of him undoubtedly and surprise a lot of people. Was actually impressed with Ruben briefly under Sarri but there is a reason Sarri didn’t trust him for half a season and then had to basically micromanage him when he did play because positionally and tactically, he wasn’t up to it, not hard to see that. His ability to know when to press or hold his position was a huge weakness and still is. Look at the games he’s featured in, when he has came in and played, mainly in the deeper positions, the spaces are embarrassing. At Fulham he was shite and at Palace he did virtually nothing, just have to look at his appearances, goals, assists, chances created, key passes for the PL. For a number 10, they are embarrassing. He is so clearly a mid table player, end of story. He's probably only here because he’s on huge wages and nobody deemed a move for him viable, which its hardly impossible to see why is it, I think he had 1 goal and 3 assists for Fulham or something along those lines. Saul has been underperforming for many years? Do regularly underperforming players make the spine of championship winning teams? Honestly 😂 I mean people moan about having average players around, we shifted a fair amount but unfortunately Ruben and Ross are 100% in that category. On another note, I am surprised that Chilwell hasn’t maybe started here but also at the same time bar v City, Alonso has usually managed to get into some very good positions this season in the opponents half which is key when you play wingbacks. It looks like Juve have gone for a false 9 which is interesting and also seems a bit daft considering our back 3 and 2 sitting players usually end up congesting that central spaces very well so for them to play a false 9 to try come to the ball in that area and get turned to find runners in behind or between our CBs, seems very strange. Very un-Allegri too. Unless hes hoping to do what Spurs did and also City did and maybe have 3 players who can press high to stop us playing short from the GK/CBs to Jorginho.

Jesus before City it was all Tuchel is amazing after his change at HT v Spurs and now one game vs the best team in the country and its almost as if things have been horrifically bad for months. Jesus. Pretty sure he said after Villa we aren’t where we want to be.

Wow…. The thing is though, if a professional footballer cannot handle being pressed/taking the ball under pressure in moments of games he shouldn’t be a professional footballer. And its not even just about taking the ball under pressure, its what can you do with it. For Ruben, the end product has been as big a concern as his fitness throughout his career at spells here, Palace and Fulham. I dont care if he can take the ball on the half turn and beat 5 players because if he cannot provid key passes, goals or assists in the final third, for someone who is seen as an attacking midfielder then that makes him a problem. Aye Saul had a poor game v Villa, Tuchel got that wrong, he openly said he thougut he was ready and he wasn’t. Saul when he gets up to speed will surprise a lot of people though, had an indifferent campaign maybe last season by his usual accounts but still played virtually every minute in a title winning team. Ruben had a full pre season here also, Saul signed on deadline day, so he may need some time to get accustomed to the group and the PL.

Ruben has hardly done anything, his “return in form” has been largely exaggerated. He still hasn’t done anything of note to prove he is worthy of being a regular here. Where as Saul has proven himself over the last however many years at Atletico and whilst he has struggled so far, give him some time yet. He will come good, hes far too good not to.

Again, rumours, which probably haven’t been helped by the fact Juventus, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are all heavily linked and able to offer him between 300-400k a week if you read the papers/websites. I mean I have no doubts he wants a wage increase but 300k? Are people really buying that?

I dont see why it matters if we give him 200k or not. It makes much more sense to reward a player with that money when his performances have probably been amongst the best in his position in Europe over the last 7 or 8 months. I mean end of the day if one of Bayern, PSG, Real Madrid or someone come in and get him on a free and he goes on and keeps playing well, everyone will just slaughter the board anyway.

The irony is everyone complained that if the club didn’t bow down to CHO’s demands we would lose a top player. When he had played 10 or 15 starts. Now we risk losing an actual top player, who is key to our system and people are sceptical over the club giving him 200k p/w? Not long after giving Christensen a new deal on around 130-140k p/w?

Juve are there for the taking this season. Really poor so far. Obviously they still have good players and a good manager but we should be looking to beat them, even if we are the away team

Yep. He's been one of our better and most consistent players under Tuchel. Baffles me what people are watching.