OneMoSalah

You cannot just say Jorginho is limited because he doesn't play that pass every week. We don't play Southampton who like to play and have a very high line (look at the Spurs game also) with plenty of space in behind every week. We are not Bournemouth or whatever, teams sit off us, teams will play with 10 men behind the ball against us and not give guys like Werner the space to run into. "It is not suddenly like attacking players suddenly stopped making runs of the ball." Why do you think it went so stale under Sarri? Cesc had mentioned something in an interview as well I am sure, trying to find it. After the first 4 months it seemed to be a lot more rigid and seemed to be as if he didn't want to let the most advanced midfielder get into goalscoring positions for stability in midfield then he decided to let RLC play and he seemed to provide a bit of drive in the midfield as well as goals. Pedro who was really the only guy who would get into the box in the same way Pulisic was doing so for us last season also. Willian and Eden would probably come shorter more and get the ball to feet. When you don't have anyone really moving off the ball or getting beyond players its easy to criticize players for playing sideways and backwards but that's unfortunately something we had to deal with. And still have to deal with. The Fabregas and Costa combination was very good aye but Costa is slightly different to Timo Werner. And Cesc is slightly different to Jorginho so its not as simple as saying okay it should work. Plus the ones I am thinking of where Cesc would find Costa with those long passes - Arsenal, space in behind. Man City, space in behind. Watford one comes from us defending a corner so the space is in behind, Everton, again, space in behind. Same with his assist for Eden v Southampton, same with his assist for Pedro v Newcastle. Same for assist for Pedro v Hull. The a recurring theme here isn't to do with who the passer is or who it isn't, its to do with the movement or the fact there is some space to exploit. Okay Fabregas probably has better quality than Jorginho with those passes or is more likely to make a difference with that sort of passes but still you going to tell me we create the opportunity for these sort of passes every week? Because we don't or we wouldn't be complaining that watching our attacking play has been very uncoordinated and relying on the actual individuals as opposed to coordinated movements or patterns like we had with Jose in transitions or Conte at times since maybe the turn of the year. Jorginho may have his limitations but I don't know what more people are expecting from him. He was a vital component in our best period last season under Frank. He has been good so far this season. I don't know what else he has to do? 3 assists a game? 5 goals a game? 100 key passes a game? The expectations are getting a bit ridiculous.

I think the Liverpool game is a certain one off game. I don't think it will happen to that extent again. No doubt Villa were superb and Grealish had 2 goals 3 assists but I don't think thats 1 a fair barometer for what he should be doing every game and 2 realistic either because he has decision making flaws in his game. James probably head and shoulders been the best player in the PL so far after these 5 games along with Harry Kane and Calvert-Lewin. The way your talking about Grealish is why I have compared him to James. Yes Grealish has started well, I did see the Leicester game also and at times he's frustrating because he does something good but then holds onto it for another however many touches or feels the need to go and beat another player when he could just play a pass earlier to someone in space. This is why I feel he wouldn't be suited to a top 4 club and also probably why Villa only scored 41 goals last season because his play isn't actually that creative at times (okay he isn't necessarily their only issue but he is their go to man). Its just endless slaloms of dribbles and attacks fizzle out because teams can just regroup or the opposition will see a player in acres of space and pick him up because they know the pass wont go/foul Grealish/take the ball of him when he runs into trouble. Like the need to dribble needlessly defeats the purpose, its like Pogba at United, if its when under pressure or to take someone out the match in a 1 v 1, yes by all means do it but if your just constantly running into a crowded area of the pitch like Grealish seems to do attracting challenges, getting it taken off you or even if not losing it, not seeing the movements off the ball into these areas or spaces that the initial dribbles maybe opened up for team mates what's the point? How does that benefit a team? He's not releasing it enough or even aware by the looks of it at times. That's where he needs to learn and progress and it doesn't look like Dean Smith is going to be the man to turn around and say it because it very much looks like Jack your our main man do as you please, which is great when your winning but if results aren't going your way, its tougher. Villa fans obviously would disagree, I think there's also a reason why Southgate is reluctant to use him in the England team despite the fact he had decent stats (as posted down there last season). He's definitely more like a highlight reels player. His dribbles look good when they come off but you don't always get to the see the guys who are free that he doesn't pass to half the time or even when you do, he seems to neglect them to try and take another one on. In the Leicester game at times you seen him doing it but not often enough. And that indicates to me there is something missing in his make up to be a top top player. Dribbling wise at times he is top yes he can ghost past players etc but he doesn't tend to follow it up at times with the correct decision. There was an excellent opportunity for a 3 on 2 for Villa v Leicester and I think he just ends up dribbling the ball out of play. I don't think your going to see him top that Liverpool performance this season. He is at a decent level, definitely not a top 4 starter player because he doesn't seem to let the ball go quick enough but think its far too easy to get excited about these sort of players who have the team built around them, lets not forget Villa narrowly avoided the drop last season and wouldn't have said Grealish impressed me much up to the project restart either as a lot of his play was just dribbling, losing the ball, dribbling, dribbling, dribbling, as if he struggles to understand that while dribbling is good its a bit pointless if you can't do anything with it or utilize the spaces it can open up by dragging players out of position by getting tackled or not releasing the ball. To put into context against some of the other top 4 clubs wingers last season this is his stats but it doesn't tell the full story: Jack Grealish - 36 games, 8 goals, 6 assists, 8 big chances created Willian - 36 games, 9 goals, 7 assists, 12 big chances created. Christian Pulisic - 25 games, 9 goals, 4 assists, 6 big chances created, 4 through balls completed. Raheem Sterling - 33 games, 20 goals, 1 assist, 9 big chances created. Marcus Rashford (I know some games as a CF) - 31 games, 17 goals, 7 assists, 9 big chances created. Anthony Martial (I know some games as a CF also) - 32 games, 17 goals, 6 assists, 8 big chances created. He may have better statistics in some areas but they all have much much better decision making. Even Willian. I mean 12 big chances created last season surprised me. Not even gonna put Salah and Mane's stats in there because it is depressing to see that they probably both scored over 20 goals each. I do wonder what Grealish could do if he add this sort of decision making, Pochettino getting him a few seasons ago could have been the real making of him. Right now he isn't starting top 4 standard, or if he is, on the bench. Even then 70-80m for a bench player is questionable.

Maybe most overrated is a bit harsh. He is good to a standard but at a top team he would be a bit out of his depth, he holds onto the ball too long which Graeme Souness pointed out last season and that does make me wonder if he could go from a Villa to a top 4 team with no sort of club in between to improve at again. Like Souness had pointed out, if your holding onto the ball for too long, can you see the bigger picture? Is he good enough to play these passes to others in better positions which might not happen as much at a Villa but still? Yes he gets a lot of fouls but look at the difference between say an Alexis Sanchez at Arsenal, Luis Suarez at Liverpool or Eden Hazard when he was here getting fouled a lot - they were definitely able to pop it off and play these passes when they could despite being fouled a lot also where as Grealish is probably more just fouled because he tries to do it all himself and doesn't look for the passes into better positions like the better players to. I know those 3 were all world class probably but there's countless of others who will win a lot of fouls but nobody questions them holding onto the ball for too long as they will create opportunities/find others in better positions. I do think he is able to buy fouls to relieve the pressure for his team at times too which is an underrated skill but still think he would be out of his depth at a top 4/6 club. Decision making is usually the difference between the decent players and the top players among playing with pressure. That's why Ross has significantly regressed and while he may still have a decent career and that, will never ever be the player he was when he broke in at Everton. Okay Grealish would play with better players but at United he doesn't start. At City no chance. At Liverpool no. Here? No. Spurs? No. An Everton or someone he would maybe be a decent player for but again if you could say at the start of the summer, James Rodriguez on arguably a free - depending how accurate these reports are about it basically being a free are true or not - or for 20m compared to Jack Grealish for 60-80m? Only one winner. Every day of the week. United would rather of spent the money on Sancho as well which would sum everything up about him for me, I think if they were willing to sign Dan James from the Championship but not take Grealish from a PL club, it speaks volumes. Not that Dan James is a top player or what not no chance but I think they must have had huge reservations about Grealish for that cash where as Dan James was effectively not expected to do anything and was arguably their best player in the first 4 months of last season. He is defos a winger. I really don't see him playing centrally to the effect he does out wide. Maybe as a 10 he could do a job eventually but the centre of the pitch is more crowded and he still holds it for too long at times, okay he will beat people, still get fouled and score the odd wonder goal but until he manages to learn to release the ball quicker, he will never hit the next level. There is usually more space out wide, particularly as teams will set up playing deep and narrow. He is more suited out there. He is more likely to be effective isolating a fullback and beating him or coming inside and shooting from the side rather than starting centrally, trying to find space between the lines and playing a key pass or making an assist.

Was it not a muscle injury? Look at what happened to Rudiger, Kante, Emerson and Hudson-Odoi last season. No point in continuing along the same path, or it will potentially get worse and then we will be stuck without him for longer. Would be hugely irresponsible. Even more so considering the fact we've already made these mistakes last season. If Frank thinks rushing him back and Mendy is not even close to being fully recovered, he would be incredibly naïve to do so. Even with Kepa, play Caballero. I will be interested to see what happens, if he did play and he ended up injured again for longer. Like Rudiger and Emerson last season which it didn't seem to irk as many people as it should have as it is poor management and planning. I suppose with 5 subs its not a major issue but still, don't take the chance just play Willy.

Did he really have a bad season in 17/18? If your talking about the Barcelona game, which many did at the time, it was one match? Even then I think the goals were hugely overplayed because of the fact it was Courtois and there had been rumblings about him not extending his contract for however long and we all know he wasn't the most liked player we've ever had as he was constantly wanting off to Madrid and didn't hide it. I don't remember him having that bad of a season overall. I think he was pretty solid throughout it. Also he was probably a huge reason why we won that FA cup final in Conte's final game he made 3 huge saves in the second half which for his last game as a Chelsea player as well, a pretty good send off and performance overall. Yeah, his first season with Real was hit and miss yeah definitely. Still one of the best GKs on the planet and the difference between him and what we have now is huge. Even Mendy, who looks like he could be a good player, I doubt he will reach the heights Courtois did. There is only three GKs in the PL who are at the level Courtois is, Alisson, Ederson and de Gea (who still is very good despite some errors over last few seasons). Lloris probably deserves a mention in that bracket as well or if not in it, hes just below it. 10m euros upfront with 5m in bonuses however many years ago, pretty much a bargain.

Lets hope Kepa’s performance hasn’t made Frank rush him back for this game. Seen how many recurring injuries we had last season rushing boys back in. If he isnt 100% play Caballero because Kepa’s confidence is gone.

Perhaps but he’s instantly at a disadvantage because Zouma’s pass is so bad and whoever it is out of Che Adams/Danny Ings are instantly on him. Okay, yes, he has to get it yeah but think he’s more likely to foul the bloke with his hands than his feet there if I am honest which would of probably caused a worse meltdown because playing as 10 men v them would of been brutal given how they run the game in the second half. Its a horrendous goal in general. Why Zouma hasn't just hooked it or stuck it out for a throw is beyond me. Especially when Southamptons game plan is always those balls in the channels between the fullback and centre back, it is such a common trait in their play so just stick it out for a throw or sling it. Kepa with his feet looks as if he’s committed then thought he isn’t going to get it so tries to pull out although he probably would of got it if he doesn’t (lack of confidence and poor judgement I think). Maybe thats why he went for it with his feet and not his hands as well as hes misjudged it but horrendous by all accounts. Stop it at the source beforehand, put pressure on the ball, which we didn't. Stop it in the second chance with Zouma by putting it out/hooking it (really baffling why he didn't, its so simple nobody would of blinked if he did that and doesn't try to pass it to the GK). Then stop it at the third chance, which Kepa doesn’t. Then fourth, Christensen blocks the ball after and then Kepa fucks it again. Realistically 4 chances there. Kepa had made a few decent saves as well in the game but Lampard has killed him as a player I think, continuously playing him last season when he still struggled before he finally dropped him. Yeah Mendy is injured but Kepa, he clearly isn’t confident so why is he playing him? Conte got so much stick for continuing to play Andreas Christensen after that Barca game for the same thing, he was clearly affected. I know its elite level sport and you have to be prepared to take stick but the decision to play someone who is so unsure of his own ability is going to severely affect your team. If your not sure in your own ability and it shows, how will your teammates feel? Look at Morata here as well players wouldnt even pass to him because they didnt trust him. These things affect so many players more than it seemed to do so when Lamps, JT, etc were all players. Players are softer in the way that generations in general are softer than previous ones. And then while I believed Kepa had huge potential when he signed he has regressed in the last 14 months or however long Franks been in charge be it through to a lack of confidence or just generally not being as good as he showed he could be in the first year. Precisely. But because people thought he was a cunt and had a bad season with Jose/Guus (who didnt?) they thought he was finished, which is the usual on here sometimes I suppose. No idea why. Courtois had a top mentality as well he was so confident in his own ability all the time, even when making mistakes he knew it wasn’t good enough but he was just so confident in himself and turned it towards the end of the season and continued to play very well for Conte. £35m probably will look like a bargain when you consider he was probably one of the best GKs in the world and was only 24 or 25 when Real got him.

Its not even that. I don't think he's as hugely biased, just lacks any genuine knowledge bar the usual saying teams ran about and showed 'desire' like he must of said about Huddersfield under David Wagner 1000000 times despite the fact they played arguably the worst football that I think I have seen in the PL, honestly and I am sure like many on here, have seen a tonne of shit football in the PL from recently promoted teams bar Wolves, Swansea, Southampton arguably. Danny Murphy 100% played against JT, Vidic, Ferdinand, Sol Campbell, Desailly, Carvalho over the span of his career, who were all better for longer periods also in the PL. Suppose though his usual analysis consists of "they run about, showed passion and desire" then that's it because he knows fuck all about football. Similarly to Jermaine Jenas also although he maybe isn't half as bad but again, there's a reason these guys are sitting in a studio on the BBC and aren't coaches/managers, especially guys like Jenas going by the way he talks or does analysis for BBC thinks he was some sort of top top player who achieved a lot in football at the top level. I still piss myself thinking of that time he said Spurs should of beat us in that semi final under Pochettino when Conte was our coach and we won 4-2. Shearer and Lampard ended him there and then. While I know it doesn't necessarily apply to everyone I think Carragher and Neville (that Valencia job is laughable but again he was never ready for that although he was a coach with England IIRC) are the exceptions and Roy Keane is brilliant for me because he doesn't hold back but he has previous managerial/coaching experience even if it wasn't hugely successful. 1 because they know what their talking about and 2 because you know they played at the top level for that long and won big trophies, so they've experienced a lot of these bigger games which they tend to cover more often than not.

Danny Murphy just said that Van Dijk is the best CB hes ever seen on MOTD. Fucking hell 🤣

True but my issue with him still is in the decisive moments his decision making is usually wrong and sometimes in these massive games you get one or two big chances. Just things like shooting instead of passing. Passing instead of shooting. Playing the ball a touch too soon or a touch too late. Taking far too many touches. Not passing it quick enough.... He would be a good squad player here yes, better than RLC for me as he is capable of scoring the odd goal out of nothing as we've seen at times but if he wanted to play every week you can't blame Frank for letting him go out on loan because if he were to play here every week this decision making would affect our game and people would be crying out for us to replace him in the starting 11. Plus the guys we have now, Havertz, Ziyech, Pulisic they will be (should be anyway) the main starters behind the striker. So Mason will be the guy who plays in those minutes where others cannot.

Tbf how many times have we seen him shoot like that and balloon it 10m over the bar? Villa is his level. Or playing as a rotation player here yes. Starting material, no.

Found one. http://www.sportnews.to/sports/alt/football/Stream-1/ Not sure how it will work on iMac but going ok on my laptop, with my dodgy college wifi so fingers crossed works for you haha.

Anyone got a good stream for the VIlla game?

That own goal killed them, it was the decisive moment of the match. Then the 3rd one well there's nothing you can do for that, the first balls defended well then Winks gets the second ball from Kanes header but puts it right into that Lanzini's path but suppose been countless games where we have all seen shots like that in the 90th minute or added time and it is ballooned over the bar. Credit to West Ham as well because at 3-0 down you'd think it would be a 4, 5 or 6-0 based on how Spurs played first half. Also just sums David Moyes up, using Yarmalenko, Snodgrass when they are 3-0, 3-1 down, when you have nothing to lose from that position is ridiculous. I watched the Old Firm yesterday as well and Celtic were 2-0 down and they still kept 3 at the back, don't get coaches like that, if your chasing a game by 2 or 3 goals you might as well throw the kitchen sink at it. Top 4 and title race is going to be very very open based on the first 5 games I would reckon. I know its premature as nobody's ever won a league after 5 games but I get the impression there will be 5 or 6 teams who will be going for top 4 and then whoever from that will compete for the title (Liverpool, City). Think as well with the shorter gap between pre-season and the league starting there will be more injuries and some of the guys who came from leagues that ended earlier, will also require more time to get up to speed. Think it could very much be an up and down for another 5 or 6 weeks yet. Good for neutrals but not good if your a fan of any of these teams haha. Aston Villa have conceded the least amount of goals so far this season. Aston fucking Villa. Who were so poor defensively last season. Wtf is going on.

Thats absolutely incredible. First half Spurs played like a team who could be a shout for the title then second half after 65 minutes just started doing so many stupid things. Jose will be fuming 🤣 Bale missed a huge chance at 3-2 as well which you'd of banked on him to score. That Lanzini goal was unbelievable, even scarier Lloris got something on it but it was unsaveable as soon as it left that blokes foot.

I think at the start he improved the structure of Arsenal again but then it fell away as we all seen. They were getting like 1 shot on target and drawing 0-0 or conceding stupid goals etc. Wouldn't say that he has stripped the side of all creativity but he has made them more rigid and they are more stubborn in terms of playing his way or not at all in the build up. They aren’t creating a lot of chances I will agree with you on that but think that again, Arsenals key creative players over the years have been guys like Mesut Ozil who wont be involved now, Ramsey and Sanchez who are gone. Pepe is more of a goalscorer. Willian as we know very inconsistent and produced only his best season statistically last season so I don’t necessarily think they were blessed with huge amounts of creativity before with Emery either. They still have issues in defence but Rob Holding and David Luiz aren’t any use for a club wanting to be successful. Gabriel is good, still adapting obviously but he will improve and having watched Tierney since he was making his way at Celtic and playing for the NT, I think he is more than good enough but has probably not started this season as well as he finished last season. I don’t know if they will keep this 343 that seems to go to a 433 in possession. Arteta strikes me as a guy who will want to be like Guardiola or maybe a better comparison Louis Van Gaal, very much his way or no way, stubborn, he will be a 433 or 4231 guy more than likely eventually but probably realises he can't do it with that defence although they seem to go to that in possession. He is overhyped I do think that but think the same could also be said of a lot of the managers in these bigger clubs like Frank, Ole and Arteta in particular. I just think the ideas of what he wants his team to do and the effect he has had is clearer to see.

Jesus this is mental. Davinson Sanchez lost his marker for first and then an OG. West Ham fairly turned it round but why does Moyes need to go 3-0 down before putting decent offensive players on and taking the handbrake off? Also How has Bale missed that? 🤣

Think rubbish is a strong word. They struggled at times at the beginning but if you watch Arsenal under Emery and now the difference is night and day in terms of intensity and tempo. If that was there prior to Arteta’s appointment they would of made a better start. Also the styles so clear to see where as here I am still unsure what sort of team we are trying to be. If you want to compare the progression that we’ve made with Frank and what Arsenal have made with Arteta, theres one team who have definitely made the better progression where as we have gone backwards after a promising 3 and a bit/4 months at the start of last season. I think they will be up there as well. Its going to be incredibly tight regardless because City, Liverpool, Everton, Spurs, us and Arsenal will all be going for 4 places, be it a primary objective or a minimum requirement. I am really surprised that Everton look really really good because with Carlo last it was very similar to what Jose had with Spurs last season also. Didn't look great. I do think its just because of the instant change and improvement hes managed to get out of that group. Where as unfortunately we kind of went one step forward then 2 backwards, after a frustrating time with Sarri which you could argue lowered the fans expectations because it was seen as boring (although still think this style was always going to take time and you could see that with a decent CF and attacking players - much like we have signed now - that the goals would come) but really I would rather we had an identity which was clear to see and notice than being how we are right now. Which is I dont know what. Moments of quality from individuals has helped us but still very predictable.

Yeah I agree. I think with Hojbjerg (no idea on the spelling) who is a very decent player in midfield and Ndombele seeming to have a renaissance compared to last season, their midfield have stepped up a notch. But its closer to Liverpools than City’s for instance, they are dogged in there. Also the likes of Regulion at LB was a good move and then Bale uptop with Kane and Son means they potentially have 3 players who could get 15 league goals each as a minimum if all goes well. Mourinho looks like he has gone back to being more flexible as a coach as well, playing with a back 3 in bigger games and then a back 4 today. Plus Spurs have more intensity and play with a higher tempo than they did last season. They still have variations in their play and can go longer as they have guys willing to run in behind and stretch teams but I do think they are gonna be right up there for top 4 minimum and if Bale integrates well and contributes, dark horses, even if Kane gets injured, having Bale and Son, plus Bergjwin and Lucas Moura is pretty strong.

Fucking hell. Kane. What a goal. Said before last season finished Spurs would be a big big threat for top 4 and once Bale gets in that team too, if City and Liverpool continue to have these games where they arent winning, Spurs could be dark horses.

Spurs not fucking about. What a pass from Kane and Son does the rest. Interested to see how Bale interacts with them in that team, Kane dropping deeper and finding Son running in behind teams is already a common thing you see most games so Bale in there as well will be the same. Could be very dangerous.

I'd have to agree to a point. I think that's all well and good but developing players on an individual basis has to show results in improving the team as a whole through a good structure or tactical set up, so these players can maximise their ability and affect matches. There is clear signs we are very much a just give the ball to someone who is playing well (Pulisic last season) and let them do the rest still or give it to a fullback and let them pump it into the box. There isn't any coordination or patterns that are worked on like we would see with Conte or Sarri. Under Conte the season we won the league, overall as a team, we did have individuals improve (Moses, Luiz, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Matic, Hazard, Pedro, Cesc, Kante over the course of that season probably played some of the finest football of their careers) but not only that, as a collective we improved tenfold because we managed to find a way to utilize all these players strengths together within a set way of playing. For instance, individuals like Alonso, like Moses who weren't particularly great players but what they brought to the team in that formation helped and it dovetailed with the likes of Eden and Pedro being able to play much more narrower and getting closer to Diego Costa/the box. As well as Luiz being in a more central birth in a back 3 where he probably engages players less as he would do playing on the left or right sided centre back position in a back 4, has a bit more protection to the sides and in front of him with Kante and Matic but also, at the same time allowing him to come out and be proactive, intercepting balls into strikers feet or stepping into MF with the ball, which are strengths of his. The tactical side has got to come good somehow. I mean you can be as good as you want at improving players on an individual basis but if you cant find a way to maximise the actual teams performance you wont last long/wont be as successful.

Gomez is much better dealing against players in 1 on 1 situations in my eyes. Particularly when it comes to being dragged out wide. This sort of strength is essential now a days in teams like ours because we aren't going to concede low amount of chances a game. He isnt as strong in the air as Zouma but not many are. Positionally there is probably not much better them that's one thing that Zouma has improved upon and his use of the ball although Gomez is much more comfortable on it still. Obviously yes Van Dijk is there and he makes a difference but I think Gomez is more than good enough and a better player than Zouma. Ruben Dias will be very very good for City. I know the Portuguese league isn't particularly an amazing standard by all accounts but he was very very assured for Benfica since getting into the first team at a young age and in the European matches he participated in for them over the years that I had seen, he was pretty good. Typical modern CB, strong, not a slouch, reads the game well, can play with the ball. I would of liked to have seen us be interested in him, as City were, similarly with Aymeric Laporte, who is one of the best CBs in Europe without a shadow of a doubt and in the top bracket in the PL alongside VVD, who would of slotted in perfectly here on the lefthand side of our defence. Gabriel as well was a huge stand out for Lille and has made a seamless start to his Arsenal career. I have no doubts if he isn't better than Zouma now by the start of the next season he will be comfortably better. His make up is impressive, he has the height, pace, strength and is rarely caught out of position. Okay I don't know what happened for Man City's goal tonight as I haven't seen it so if he made a mistake, then he made a mistake but I need to watch it. Another one we were linked with alongside Everton as well as Arsenal and Napoli but nothing came off it which I am slightly surprised about. Good left footed CBs are a rarity these days, never mind young ones who are already at a very very decent standard and available for 27 million pounds. Kurt is maybe the most reliable one we have (wouldn't be hard even David Luiz would probably still manage to get a game here if Lampard didn't move him on) but that doesn't necessarily mean he is that reliable when you look at other teams and their CBs and the choice we have. I think because we are weak at defending crosses, it is essential that he plays just now because of his strength in the air and I do hope that he can progress more but he has a ceiling which he has pretty much probably closel to hitting already, although he is better than most of the other guys yes. The mistake was on him, he puts everyone in that situation. Kepa comes out and doesn't get the ball yes but again if he doesn't get the ball and takes the man out we probably go down to ten men and concede a penalty - which would then make people go off even worse than they probably did - which would probably be worse than what actually happened as we had players who got back in and well whatever the attempt was to prevent it, it was embarrassing. It won't be the last comical goal we concede either all season, without a shadow of a doubt. Not purely down to Zouma or Kepa but general organisation and structure and game management is going to affect us severely again which is depressing to think about. Saying that I would like to see Thiago Silva and Tomori tried together, think if one player is likely to learn more from Thiago Silva out of our current CBs it will be him. Christensen being this passing CB is 100% based on youth football, originating from the fact he was extremely comfortable on the ball but when has anyone ever seen him playing these sort of passes that everyone bangs on about for CBs? Here or for Mochengladbach? Most of his distribution is 10m passes sideways or forward to Jorginho/Kante. Thats not a dig either and he is clearly comfortable on the ball but I think people have this expectation that he has been playing these long 30-40m passes every match for his whole career. Even when he played under Conte when he stepped out he wasn't overly progressive with the ball as David Luiz or as some of these other CBs around Europe are.

No way he gets a game at Liverpool. Joe Gomez much better. Okay he starts at Arsenal (actually questionable because the way they play I don’t think he would suit it like Luiz, Holding, Gabriel and Tierney do but in terms of defending he is better than Luiz and Holding out of their natural CBs) but is he better than Gabriel at Arsenal who looks their best natural CB? Would he start at Spurs ahead of Alderweireld or Davinson Sanchez? Questionable again, ok less so with Sanchez as he’s regressed a bit but Mourinho is the man to then around his fortunes as we've seen with Eric Dier somehow ending up a half decent CB for Tottenham after many probably thinking he would the first to get sold/left out. And as you said Zouma is competent, which is right but I would prefer if he was reliable. Which he isn’t necessarily. None of our CBs from last season are. No point in being competent if you cant be reliable most weeks. There were plenty of better options on the market. 2 of them went to clubs who will be competing for the top 4. Gabriel went to Arsenal. Ruben Dias went to City. One left Spurs to go to Benfica (would have taken Vertonghen for 1 year or 2 also). We signed Thiago Silva on a free.

Chilwell for me today looked just as suspect defending as any of the other LBs we have do. He has got quality in the final third and athleticism but yet to be impressed by him going back the other way in the games hes played so far and today was no different. Also think this indicate a bigger problem with the teams shape and organisation which I think we have all been discussing for months and months and months.