Jase

LOL

They weren't that at that point of time and it's not like Phillip Cocu didn't have the chance to bring in his own players.

Am surprised you have chosen to mention Eddie Howe (again) considering what happened with him at Bournemouth. Was Howe's attacking football really that great? Because for whatever good football they played, they always conceded A LOT of goals and were always in the bottom 5 for the most goals conceded in each Premier League season. Howe and Bournemouth only turned into some sort of genius and peak AC Milan side whenever they played us. Also, it's funny how you keep on downplaying what Lampard did at Derby, considering they went into a freefall after his regime and only just survived relegation by the skin of their teeth at the weekend (could still go down due to issues off the pitch). One season or not, Lampard, at the very least, maintained a 6th place finish and got them into the play-off final. Sure, it did not work out for him and Derby in the final but he kept them up there at least.

We hired Lampard because it was a marriage of convenience. The fans were not happy after the whole thing with Sarri and the club were under a transfer ban and had to rely on the academy players to boost the squad. So, what better way to appease the fans by bringing back a club legend in Lampard as well as the former academy coach in Jody Morris? Every manager makes mistakes, inexperienced or experienced. The biggest questions are how quickly they learn from them and can they fix them. In the 18 months that he was here, Lampard never showed that he was a quick learner and capable of solving those mistakes. In less than 4 months, Tuchel has been able to do that. He has been able to turn those weaknesses we saw under Lampard into strengths. And that is without a pre-season or much training time between matches considering we've been playing every 3-4 days. There's a reason why the big clubs have never hired a club legend or former player, one who is inexperienced as a manager as their manager until very recently. We know what happened with Lampard. Juventus took a gamble with Pirlo and it looks like they might sack him at the end of the season. Arsenal hired Arteta, who is not even a legend there, and they are getting worse but he could well stay on because of their lack of ambition. Not everyone will turn out to be a Guardiola.

Yes, we still want to win trophies (and we haven't won anything yet) but given the profile of the current squad, there has to be progress and improvement. This isn't a ready made squad like 11-12 years ago. The problem with Lampard was that there was no progress made during his 18 months in charge. Yes, we had that long unbeaten run earlier this season but by the end of his reign, it became obvious that the problems we saw last season were still there. There was no clear playing style and tactical idea, the pressing was all over the place, the team kept conceding on the break, he didn't seem to have any idea how to use the new players effectively and among others. We were either good or hopelessly bad. There was no middle ground. And this after spending more than 200 million on players in the summer. In less than 4 months, Tuchel has not only turned those weaknesses into strengths, he has also made progress with the team, collectively and individually. Plus, he has also made better use of the resources at hand. Yes, there are some deadwoods in the squad that we would likely sell (e.g. Emerson) but he has kept everyone on side and helped form what seemed to be tight-knit group among the players. Notice how the players seem to be mentioning the word "team" a lot these days. Obviously, the club will judge Tuchel on trophies but at the very least, he has put us on the right track again.

UEFA are also exploring Portugal apparently.

No one said he shouldn’t be timing his runs better but this is why I said that this didn’t become an issue until the last game or two. Were there any complaints before this? Don’t think any of his offsides before were as blatant as the ones at City. He has scored only 6 league goals because he has missed tons of chances, not because he has been caught offside. He has been caught offside for 20+ times but it hasn’t stopped him from missing 20+ big chances at the same time. As you alluded to with the other examples, had he been more clinical with the chances, no one would be talking about the offsides.

Yeah but having 26 players now gives the manager a bit more room for backups or to manoeuvre. What's the harm in bringing Gilmour anyway? Are there any other genuine Scottish talent that would have missed had only 23 players been allowed?

If Christensen is out, then 1 of Silva or Azpi will play.

I agree that he should be timing his runs better given he has the pace to beat any defence but not sure why you felt the need to type a long reply by picking out a few offside moments. The one against Spurs was a close offside call, as opposed to being a blatant, well offside offence like some of the ones yesterday. Even if teams play with a high line against us, we would still expect Werner or any of our other attackers to time their runs. Otherwise, would you say Vardy is lazy considering he's always been up there on the offside list? Leicester also don't always play on the break apart from when they face the Big 6 under Brendan Rodgers. Or what about Rashford? He's just 1 behind Werner on the offside count. Or what's your explanation that Mane is also up there? You're really committed into this, aren't you? lol We have gone from talking about his misses to him being offside! Not sure if there is any stat site out there that gives detailed info on offside. You might have to go look at individual matches instead. What I've managed to find is Werner's offside per 90 mins stat is less this season compared to previous seasons: 2016/17 - 1.9 2017/18 - 1.6 2018/19 - 1.4 2019/20 - 1.4 2020/21 - 1

What I meant to say is, hasn't this only become a source of frustration after yesterday and the Madrid game for that one offside goal, if you want to include that? Maybe my memory has failed me but I don't recall people complaining about him being offside a lot until very recently. Otherwise, it's not that surprising to see him near the top of the list when you consider his playing style and especially two other similar players Mane and Vardy have been offside more.

Juventus face Inter next weekend...

Just scored the equalizer for Real against Sevilla. Awkward moment for the Madrid press...

Dortmund are back in the Top 4 with 2 games left. Just need to win their last 2 games or at least match Eintracht Frankfurt's (5th) results.

Could Gilmour make a late push for the Euro squad? 👀

Hasn't this only been a thing yesterday? Or perhaps the last 2 games against City? Given their good defensive record, City are hardly rubbish at playing the offside trap and while I agree Werner should be timing his runs better, tiredness could have played a part in him being offside yesterday. Am sure Tuchel would have a word with him and work on it before we face City again. If you want to look at the positive, at least it looks like he remembers how to finish chances again! Now just needs to time those runs better...

Just scored against Juventus.

Yeah but then they got a penalty that probably wasn't one in the first half. Okay, that wasn't converted but still kinda cancel one another out.

Lucky to win? 🤨

Looks like Tuchel still rates CHO.

They are shit and yet, we haven't beaten them in any of the last 3 meetings.

Not sure if they care too much where they finish. They look certain for the Top 4 anyway.

Just seen the winning goal again and superb pass from CHO to play Werner in.

#PrayForMana