Jase

I agree that we need to be physically stronger in the forward areas but do we really need big physical men? Liverpool and Man City have shown that it's not compulsory at all. Sometimes I feel like we're still stuck with this old mindset that we need a big physical striker upfront to thrive, to play in a style that revolves around strikers like that. It's little wonder why the only strikers to have succeeded for us in the last 15 years or so are basically strikers in that mould - Drogba and Costa.

Think Werner has played in the front 3 in a 4-3-3 for Germany before? I believe he has played as one of two strikers in a back 4 for RB Leipzig. Also, where does Mount fit in a back 4 system if it's not going to be 4-3-3? Tuchel has come out and said he's not suited to the double six role and he's not a winger or a creative enough player for the #10 role. On top of that, none of our central defenders are really comfortable in a back 4. Rudiger and Christensen have done their best work in a back 3. Azpi can only play at CB if it's a back 3. Silva can play in a back 4 but he's getting older and playing him in a back 4 would expose him more.

How about winning all 3? Or just win the 3rd game?

No because everyone was/is more interested in the 'collapse' narrative.

If United are serious about challenging City for the title, then I'm not sure how realistic is it for them to rely on a 34-year-old and 19-year-old to spearhead that challenge. Given Kane's age, he might serve as perfect foil for those two and could be there long enough for Greenwood to gain experience and eventually take the #9 role.

Abraham + Cash for Kane? If Dortmund are demanding 150 million for Haaland, then am sure Levy will demand something similar for Kane, who still has 3 years left on his contract (so stupid of him to sign that long term contract). IIRC, was Modric not forced to stay at Spurs for like a season because they did not want to sell him to us and there weren't other offers? Can see something similar happen again this summer with Kane if no club are willing to spend that money. If no one are willing to spend 150m+ on Haaland, then it's unlikely they will do it with Kane, not when the effect of the pandemic is still being felt. If clubs wait for another season, they could likely get Haaland on a way cheaper price and for a longer term too.

Ivan Toney? Is this a serious suggestion or a sign of desperation? I don't think the price tag is the problem with Werner and Havertz. Don't recall anyone using their price tag to beat them with, even though Havertz is our most expensive signing. We just need to improve them and get more consistency out of them.

If the board put that on him, then there should be protests against them or something. Marina and co. are clearly still hoping for Kepa to come good because of the big money and/or contract (7 YEARS!) they committed to him. Tuchel has always played his #1 keeper in the cup competitions in the past but not the case here. Clearly been "pressurized" to play Kepa in the domestic cups.

How many times do we need to point out? Kepa may not have been blatantly at fault for the goal but having a top class keeper could have made a difference in that moment. That's why we have always started the #1 keeper in the latter stages of the competition in past years. Would you say this if James had gotten the pass right? Given our incessant tendency to just pass backward and sideways, seeing someone trying to pass it forward in that instance isn't necessarily the worst of ideas. Moreover, it's not like Perez didn't block it with his hand, accidental or not...

Similar thing also happened with Marco Rose at Gladbach. The mid-season manager changes were strange...

We just need to stick with the old kit for now! And I just realized earlier that the shorts look even worse than the shirt itself.

Would also add that James' pass wasn't a blatant error that led directly to a goal - e.g. playing a blind pass to a striker, who then scores from 1 v 1. It was still far away from goal and we should have done better to stop the goal. Heck, Jorginho's pass in midweek was way worse than James'.

Does anyone know if we're going back to the old one for Leicester and Villa? I know there's a possibility we might wear the new one against City...

Everton lost to a smaller team...again. They do well against the bigger/better teams but struggle against the smaller ones. This is why Ancelotti is a cup manager.

The point is, we have debuted the new kit in major cup finals. History says that doesn't go down well...

True but it doesn't change the fact that Kepa is bad at stopping shots from distance. Don't think anyone of us feels safe when he's in goal. The feeling is arguably worse than worrying our about the profligacy of our attackers down the other end. Shock or not, it doesn't mean the decision Tuchel made was the right one or people have to agree with it.

IT'S THE CURSE OF THE NEW KIT! @Milan

Yikes! Only 20 minutes in as well...

At least the Women team already have one major trophy in the bag...

God knows! As Jype alluded to, Kepa isn't great at saving shots from distance. If opposing players see him in goal, they might as well try their luck and try to get a strike off. And why did Tuchel want to give the cup keeper more minutes? Because it was Kepa? Would Tuchel have done the same had it been Caballero instead? Compared to yesterday, I don't think anyone really blamed Kepa for that Arsenal loss. That was all on Jorginho and Zouma if one looks deeper.

Roman is at the game apparently.

Ha! Would say the luck is deserved considering the number of times we have been screwed over by decisions (e.g. the Maguire foul on Azpi at Old Trafford).

It's bizarre that no one seems to notice that Kepa likes to skip/hop a little before attempting to make a save against a shot from distance. That split second action can easily be the difference between him making the save and not making it. I seem to remember The Athletic did a piece on analyzing this and among other things with Kepa...

That is why Tomo said what he said. It wasn't an obvious error but there's a reason why a top keeper in such moment could be the difference. They could be the difference in a final between two equally matched teams. Moreover, as I pointed out in the Tuchel thread, we have always switched to the #1 keeper in the domestic cup competition once we get to the latter stages and Tuchel did the same when he was at Dortmund and PSG but he stuck with Kepa for the FA Cup final. Why? Is it because it's Kepa and his price tag? Had Caballero been starting our cup run instead, would Tuchel have selected him for the final? Probably not going by history. Let's not also forget that Tuchel has randomly decided to start Kepa in league games just because he did well in the cup game prior to that. When is that ever normal? Usually you play your cup keeper in the cup game and then you go back to your #1 in the following league game etc.