OneMoSalah

I think half the battle for Jorginho has always been players moving off the ball. Be it in behind teams, dropping into spaces or showing for it, you see him when he has the ball gesturing to Kovacic or Rudiger or Christensen or others who are too slow to make angles to receive it or to push up a lot. There has been times where he has taken the safe option but I think after the first 6 months with Sarri we became very much an individualistic team where we didnt have coordinated attacks or patterns or great movement off the ball to get it into positions where we can hurt teams. Its still an issue but Tuchel is meticulous enough to address this I feel. Or I hope so.

Once Mount learns to shoot into the goal, he will easily score 10+ goals every season. Crazy how someone who has shown a huge improvement in all the other facets of his game cannot seem to do better at shooting though.... lets get a few more, probably our best 45 bar v Spurs but we’ve actually created much more.

You see them in multiple games and they aren’t given. Its a contact sport, hes brushed him after taking the ball off of him, its hardly as if hes laid him out with a punch. Good job he didnt sit rolling around like a fanny though, would of been embarrassing. Great play on the left wing, sort of thing he is capable of doing for sure.

Timo to be doing better with that chance. He’s on the stretch fair enough but surely he’s got to anticipate Alonso putting that in that area and get himself set?

Personally think that would be soft to get for a pen but modern day football. Also looks like hes put his right leg there for contact. If Tammy had taken a better first touch or wasnt so ponderous he would of had the chance to shoot. Some pass from Kovacic, Tuchel’s really put the emphasis on him trying to play those sort of progressive passes by the looks of it. Tammy coming off now also.

I think saying she wants him to be starting GK is clouding the truth a bit. Or anyone suggesting she picked the team (hope its sarcasm but have seen it and her picking transfer targets on here before so not surprised). I think it was more along the lines of the club still believe in him and want the investment they made to pay off (what business doesnt want a hefty investment to pay off never mind a football club) .... as well as a personal 1 to 1 meeting/phone call about the club still believing in him despite the last season but yeah Marina picking the signings and team? As mentioned above, nothing strange was mentioned on here before 😂 typical kneejerk reaction and the games only 10 mins in.

Kepa, Abraham and Alonso. Big calls. Lets see how we get on. Wasnt too bothered with Kepa’s performance midweek and I think his distribution is a big plus for us really. Newcastle arent really a big side so a bit surprised Alonso’s starting but lets see how he does.

Not much for criticising Lampard for being short sighted with youngsters more so after most of last season but he and club really made a mistake on Fikayo in my eyes. I thought when it was confirmed we were bringing in Thiago Silva, that this would mean Tomori would become much more prominent in the starting 11 again and that playing with him would bring him on. I couldnt think of anything better for a young CB, both him and Andreas, than learning every week off of a modern day great CB. I mean seeing the effect it had on Kurt originally also I felt very positive and though that those two would also be picking up things and learning but we rarely seen them play or he rarely gave them minutes to see how they’d fair. Aye I agree, it looks like Milan will probably end up making it a permanent deal for that price. I think most clubs in the same position with such an arrangement would be fools not to. I hope theres an issue or Tuchel makes it clear to him hes part of his plans because he has a unique skill set in terms of being comfortable on the ball and has good athleticism. Hes also shown improvements in reading the play and as a young CB he will still improve on that with the more games he plays. Plus Serie A and centre backs is a match made in heaven, look at how de Ligt kicked on after a tricky period at Juve at first. Then boys like Koulibaly, Manolas, De Vrij, Skriniar, Romagnoli are very good established CBs. Demiral and Bastoni also are good prospects but still got a bit to go. They learn so much as there is a huge emphasis on being hard to beat, having good tactical understanding and the defensive phase of the game over there. Even some of the older CBs the likes of Bonucci, Chielleni, Acebri, Kjaer, all at reasonably good levels.

Going to end up a mistake not keeping him here I feel. Was a poor decision not to make him Silva’s partner more frequently I felt in the first place as he would probably managed to do as well as Zouma did at the start whilst also being more proficient on the ball. Plus if he stayed, when TT arrived he would be a good option for LCB in the back 3 to rotate/challenge Rudiger. Plus his profile in terms of his athleticism and pace, it seems even more strange considering we play a high line. Just hope 25m plus add ons is too much but really think he will continue to thrive in Serie A.

Leonardo and him clashed over signings and I think he maybe had less say than he would of wanted. Also renewals for players such as Cavani and Thiago Silva. I suppose but tbf its nothing suprising either, Bayern are arguably miles ahead of most top teams in Europe also not just Bundesliga teams. Even losing Thiago and next season Boateng and Alaba they will still be one of the best teams in Europe comfortably. Serie A will be interesting more now but still think this goes on cycles, in a few seasons likely one team will be a dominant force again and then La Liga will be great for neutrals as its a mix up of a few good teams going the title, cant see past Atletico this season who have 2 games in hand but they will probably sell/Barca and Real will invest heavily. Then the PL or other leagues. Bundesliga maybe not but Klopp showed it could be done with Dortmund and Hasenhuttl also had Leipzig running Bayern when Carlo was there but changed when they got Rid of him. Nagglesmann potentially if they kept their best players could of been one that may have disrupted them but doesnt fit Leipzigs business model to keep their top players.

Maybe it is boring but it doesn't mean the quality of the other teams isn’t there or that Bayern aren’t a very good team either. Also, the whole Milan challenging thing right now is more to do with how Juventus are decreasing in quality as opposed to anything else. No doubt Milan are a good side and now they have consistency but Juventus have been pretty poor by their standards for the last 18 months and cannot maintain any sort of consistency in their performances. If Inter were better last season they’d have won the league also but they choked. When I said about being competitive, reaching the final was not what I meant and I am surprised you jumped straight to that, but the likes of Leipzig, Dortmund, Mochengladbach also this season all still got through the groups containing clubs with bigger budgets and better squads - Mochengladbach went through ahead of Inter for instance and Shakhtar who surprised everyone and Leipzig qualified ahead of Man United. Okay Dortmund you’d of expected to go through their group but the other 2 not so much. Its also not as if anyone is expecting a club like this to reach a CL final or even a semi final. Thats not the point I am making. They still remain reasonably competitive and manage to reach the 1st or some the 2nd rounds of knockouts which seems to be the new norm for clubs now a days, particularly these sort or clubs that are used as stepping stones and have high turnovers of their best players every 2 seasons or so. Leipzig last season reached the quarters IIRC and have a tough tie this season v Liverpool but they are competitive enough to make a real go of that and the way Liverpool are playing also, know whos? Dortmund again play Seville which is a match you’d think they have the players to beat despite competitively struggling in the Bundesliga, although Mochengladbach will struggle v City. Im not saying any of these should reach the final or are good enough absolutely not but they are still good teams. The fact most of these teams sell their best players domestically or to clubs abroad is an indication of this. Why would so many people sign players from German clubs if not?

Its only because they dominate the Bundesliga its different. In a matter of fact, they’ve always traditionally signed good players from the other teams in the Bundesliga and probably get better value for money than most teams in Europe. Its a successful business model and if it works why would they change it? It may degrade the quality of other teams but at the same time the money involved, that cash is huge for some of these clubs who run a sustainable business model which is fixed on buy cheap sell high. Clubs like Leipzig, like Leverkusen, like Dortmund. That model is also part of the problem because some of these sort of clubs will have a really good season and then think wow we can make €100m + for 3/4 players. Aye its shite for the fans maybe but don’t think Bayern or there fans will really be bothered if they keep winning trophies. Or the other clubs if they make money from it using that sort of business model. Also it shows how good these German youth and scouting systems are that these clubs can somehow keep producing/buying youngsters of a reasonable level when they sell these players. Also if the other clubs were financially as well off as Bayern it would be different, which is why it is less common in the PL but personally don’t see why people get so annoyed by this. Its not as if despite this the overhaul quality of the Bundesliga is decreasing either, they still produce strong teams, talented players, who are more than competitive enough which shows in Europe in the CL and Europa. Its not as if its the Portuguese league or Scottish league either. Juventus have always done it in previous years and particularly more recently, Dybala, Chiesa, Demiral, Bernadeschi, Kulusevski. Barcelona did it before with guys like Dani Alves, Samuel Eto’o, Jordi Alba, David Villa... more recently also with many players. This is a common thing in football, don’t see the huge upset...

Pathetic 😂? Really? Every time these sort of things happen it makes me laugh. Do people not realise they are one of the biggest sides and most well run clubs in the world? Not to mention they’ve won 6 titles in 9 months also under Hansi Flick? Wouldn’t see why anyone would want to go anywhere else at the moment bar maybe Man City but they weren’t in the running. Barca and Real have been doing the same for years also, signing players from their rivals. Its the same idea as PL clubs buying players from smaller clubs, such as us buying Kante and Drinkwater, United buying Maguire, Liverpool buying Van Dijk... I mean should they just not recruit good players familiar to their league? Or any club in any league? 😂

Must be a dream having the choice of playing Laporte with Dias out. Crazy depth when you consider Stone’s improvements as well this year. Nathan Ake as a squad player also (although he isnt anywhere near those 3 right now). Also Eric Garcia although hes leaving them in the summer. Some depth.

He needs to get back to how he was at the start of the season. His all round play has significantly decreased since then after clear visible improvements. I mean against Barnsley his general play was atrocious I felt. He wont be a regular or even kept here longterm if he doesnt improve on that, even more so with Tuchel. Hes still young for a CF so has plenty time to grow but needs to do it.

Aye maybe than we did tonight. But not the other games.

Well to be honest considering they could play as a 3 behind a CF. It does.... Obviously missing Sancho and Sterling but aye its tough for Southgate to pick a squad never mind an 11 if these guys Mason included take their form into tje Euros. Dont disagree with what Austin has said to be honest although, those players are all at a high level. If someone was to miss out, I would say it might be Mason unfortunately although he doesn’t play the wide positions so I think he will be fine and make the squad I still remember watching Maddison at Aberdeen, there was no doubt for me that he would become a top top player but only with the right coach. Brendan Rodgers is that guy who has taken his game to a huge level. Grealish has been instrumental for Villa for 2 seasons now in the PL. Foden is probably the best young English player right now based on his performances.

I suppose it depends on who comes in. If we get a CF who’s younger and not in there prime, having an experienced player to be a bitpart player is easier to sell to them than a younger guy like Abraham. Although I think your right, we need to shift Giroud eventually.

Thank fuck. Gilmour and James fantastic there. Lets home this gives Tammy a bit of a lift because he has been hopeless most of the game as has Ziyech. He looked offside though fucking hell, miles off 🤣 least theres no VAR.

True but if its a mix up of who to play on that if both were fully fit and firing, I think Pulisic would be the main guy in that position. His all round game is superior although Werners goals would be hugely beneficial. And aye I think one of Abraham or Giroud will be gone this summer it we get another high level CF. I would say Abraham as Giroud offers more but hes younger, an academy player and may be harder to shift. Although he hasnt signed a new deal yet has he so maybe not.

The only issue is, with his best games coming on the left for us last season and potentially another CF coming in in the summer, the links with Haaland for example although I think we wont be his top choice but will be looking at him. When Pulisic is fit and firing what will this mean for Werner? As you’ve said he isnt a central striker as such and he isnt a left winger but more a second striker, could be interesting.

Really? Wow. Not great. Still think hes the sort of player we need to keep in the side, he carried us last season basically. Playing a back 4 now. Ziyech as a 10 by looks of it. Unless its a 433 but seems more 4231.

Yeah cant see it. But not surprised the boy who wrote the article does spout some shite based on a huge percentage of some of the others hes done over the years. If he persists with a back 3 then we will need to keep all these CBs: Azpi, Zouma, Christensen, Silva, Rudiger. Also the article mentions several players out on loan, other than Tomori they wont play next season and even then Tomori is likely to sign for Milan as they have a 30m € buy option and has featured prominently so far. Plus comparing Rudiger, stating Tuchel’s love for him, who has played LCB for Roma, Germany and also for us under Conte to Zouma who could really only play centrally or on the right, is daft. More so if we keep 3 at the back. Tomori will be the only CB likely to be leaving this summer I would say. To say Ampadu or Guehi is ready to be part of the squad next season is also severely premature. Also its not as if Thiago Silva is 26, hes 36. He wont last forever and in the next 18 months I would he surprised if he is still playing. I think after the 2022 WC he will retire so lets see.

Tbf hes not had a consistent run of games this season unfortunately, with the wee injuries he’s picked up over the course of the season so far also which have hindered him getting more prominent minutes. I hope we see more of him under TT from the start on the left side of the front 3, he is probably still the one player who will make something happen from nothing. Ziyech also can but has struggled first half and needs more games.

Kepa has been good. Good take there also right before HT. Cant say much for the rest of them. Gilmour and Callum maybe too been better. Abraham, Ziyech, Pulisic anonymous so far. Pitch doesnt help but Barnsley managing to cope so why cant we?