Thor

Kompany got the Bayern job and he was dog shit prior. Let’s see how this plays out.

Again - you're comparing the team then to the team now. Yes - they both have dealt with injuries, but it was a joke at how frequently injured our players were when Pep was here. Even now, with Cole sitting out we have plenty of options. Why don't I call out the sporting directors/owners? Because they aren't going to get every call right. They've actually set us up well with Caicedo, Enzo, Palmer, Estevao, JP, etc. These are all great players. Cucu and James are great at the FB positions. Every team has holes. We have less issues than a whole bunch of teams yet they crack on and do better than us. Man United I can pick holes in for days, yet they are better than us this season... Should we talk about Everton and Sunderland? Do they have a Reece James level player? Cole? Estevao? Caicedo? These owners own other sports teams. All those teams have done is win. Its asinine trying to chat here with people who think all they want to do is flip players. Well... they aren't doing it in any other league. We have two of the best FB's in the world. We have two of the best midfielders in the world. We have Cole Palmer who is one of the best players in the world. We have Estevao who is the best young talent in the world along with Yamal. So a CB and a ST are apparently holding us back so much that we can't even beat Leeds and Bournemouth are they? How about get a decent manager who can put a team together with an actual plan? You don't outplay Barcelona and Arsenal then look shit against relegation teams because of a squad issue. You do get it playing players out of position and having a toothless plan going forward. Ignore it all you want - but when your best players like Reece James and Cole Palmer are saying they don't think the tactics are great (or its leaked - where there is smoke there is fire) - then you should probably take that as a sign. Its like I'm saying something y'all don't agree with when you actually do - because everyone in the match threads says how boring we are. That is a tactics issue. That is the manager. That is not a squad/team buying issue.

We had a season where we went from 10th to 1st the following season given a manager change... and we looked completely revitalised. Inexperience is a cop out. The youngest NBA team won a championship just recently - why? Because they're good enough. On top of that our team is plenty experienced. Played in big finals, CWC, Champions League winners, World Cup winners, etc. We have a better team than Villa - yet they look miles better. We're significantly better than United and Sunderland... yet you wouldn't know it looking at the ladder.

TheHulk spitting truth. A guy with our offensive firepower can't even get close to a competent offence. "Its the sporting directors!!!" Brentford, Brighton, Bournemouth... all similar goals to us. Man United with all their problems... more goals than us. Get real. Stop blaming the squad. Every team has gaps. We need a CB, a LW and maybe a ST (I'm not convinced seeing as Maresca stagnates any offensive movement). Plenty of teams out there need as much if not more and are competing with us.

Are you seriously comparing the current team to the one Poch had, and the injuries he had to deal with? Are we actually pretending to have this conversation. Honestly. Holy balls this forum is ass now.

Xavi.

Our players are inconsistent because they aren’t put in positions to succeed. That’s on the manager. Literally stifling our offence and making players play scared.

Maresca is 90% the problem. People can harp on about the missteps in buying or not buying some players but that is every club. This team is far and away good enough for top 3. We have Sunderland, Man United and Villa doing as well or better than us... None of them are close to us in our best 11 or depth. The excuses for Maresca have to go. We've all harped on about how boring we are going forward even when we scrape wins. Its ridiculous to have players of the calibre of James, Enzo, Palmer, Estevao and JP attacking and you can't put an exciting team plan to score goals. Its nonsense. Its absolute bollocks. Talk about the board, owners and sporting directors all you want - Maresca can't even get this high propane offensive team to play nice attacking football. Poch would have us 10 points higher right now and we'd love watching the games.

We have Palmer, Enzo, Estevao, JP and people act like its a player problem. Maresca can't make a decent attack with some amazing offensive talent. Yes we have a hole at LCB, but squad is not an excuse. People need to get their heads out of their asses and realise this is 90% Maresca. We have a better squad than Villa, Man United and Sunderland, yet there we are with them. We saw what happens when you sign Isak, Wirtz, etc. It doesn't matter. These players are fine bar a few tweaks. This team shouldn't be putting up the performances they are. It is a Maresca problem.

Just get me Morgan Rogers on this team.

Again - Maresca sets up well against big teams but losing to these smaller teams is unacceptable. I get it is fun to blame management and the board, and people think they aren't about winning - couldn't be further from the truth. Look at what this ownership did with the Dodgers in the MLB. They will spend. They know winning brings even more money and eyes - and they have no problem doing it. Management want Tosin played? Yeah, I highly doubt that. I think it is a lash out for not having more quality back ups and I get it. But its self sabotage to keep making the same selection of a certain player when there is an obvious better option - simply to prove a point.

It would have been nice if the Bournemouth keeper played like that against us.

What is adequete with this current team? He has won us the CWC and the Conference trophies. Should we be challenging for the title? I think we should be on more points for sure - and his decisions have cost us, but he also hasn't had a fully fit team. I'm torn. I don't like the inconsistency. That is on the manager. Beating Barca and outplaying Arsenal and then losing to the teams we lost to is unacceptable for me.

Gusto has been unreal the last two weeks.

Shout out to Gusto. He has been tremendous the last game and this one so far.