robsblubot

Depends how you define "missing" here. 😉

Well he's got a point there. Ziyech should be the very first name in the starting XI every time we play Malmo.

Lukaku is now unsellable at this current wages. It's the max he will ever make and pretty absurd in my view. I see this Duvan from Atalanta and he looks twice the player Lukaku is - fantastic first touch too.

Speaking of Atalanta, that big striker of theirs looked pretty good on the ball.

yup, which is why we all agreed that a replacement for Giroud was needed - and one who could contribute more often/better - but also someone who could sit on the bench when the game was more for Kai as a false 9. I was honestly expecting someone younger, in the same mould of Werner age/experience wise. Tammy just couldn't deliver that, so we needed someone a bit more ready. Lukaku's price tag (and whatever surprises we may find in his contract) alone kinda prevents that from happening.

Do you guys think that being completely unable to run, much less play football, will force Tuchel's hand to not start Lukaku? Have to wait and see.

how Atalanta losing this?!

Agree that there is only so much one can do, but you can move the odds a bit. They have a lot of bio data we don't get to see. There is a blood exam that can show muscle fatigue or something for ex. Even for trauma injuries, a fitter athlete is less likely to get seriously injured. Yeah you can pick up an injury in training, but it's far more likely for that to happen during a very competitive match. Too much resting can be counter-productive by negatively affecting fitness, like in the case of Leonard, which may imply he always carried some niggling issue which was not disclosed. I have to be honest here, I did think the starting line up was a bit serious for such a weak opposition.

Was the starting XI a bit too strong for this fixture?

Nah, he's just nowhere good enough yet. He obviously has potential, but still looks very green to me... even physically.

hahah yeah Wenger!!! I did it again... poor Werner

I have to confess that I can't watch arsenal play anymore. It's not that I hate them as I did during the Werner rule (arrogant prick), but because they are so bad these days, that I'd rather watch most other PL sides instead.

While I also saw interesting things from the player (as well as Chalobah), I also saw big problems with the way they were unable to help the team keep possession, and instead of finding a pass, opted to hoof it upfield immediately handing the ball back to the opposition, which in turn increased the pressure on us. Along with Mendy heroics, shots hitting the post were also a result of that relentless pressure. I think much of it was nerves, but also lack of confidence. It takes a lot of confidence to look for a pass under pressure, or even attempt to dribble past a player so close to your own goal, but that's what it takes at this level. Either these players, at some point, show the skill and confidence to do that, or we will find someone who can, and that's why Zouma is no longer at Chelsea.

Good read. I'd say Ziyech plays in a different wavelength, but not only from Tuchel's style like the article suggests, but rather from the modern game and especially the PL.

Bottom line is that we bought the wrong striker, as usual. So, nothing new here really. Lukaku is definitely not a target man, and his characteristics match what lesser teams generally look for from his attackers (yes Inter too... not really a contender for anything important these days). That's why I'm not very optimistic about his passage here and whether he'll ever improve our side. The important bit here tho is that our side was already very good before he arrived, so improving on that would always be difficult.

Necroing this one a bit, but while I definitely agree with you on that, my point with the "in that City system" bit is that I think Ederson would drop a tier in any other system than City's. And since I don't really see a lot of teams playing like City these days, I think he is indeed a tier lower than the likes of Mendy.

Good list, but not even on his birthday Ederson can be better than Mendy. Think Ederson is a bit overrated tbh... I mean he can only be considered a top goalie in that City system. Think some of us have been saying how good Mendy is for quite some time eh. @Muzchap was being ironic there 😉

Mendy did alright.

That's exactly the problem with conspiracy theories: they usually ignore the other interests and parties involved. In that particular case, the insurance companies. A quick search shows the above ad as highly misleading by being extremely suggestive. quick facts: he wasn't the sole owner: he led a consortium of investors and lenders (which included yet other groups) he was obliged to have insurance there upon signing that lease at the time "terrorism insurance coverage" wasn't a thing and was included in most if not all policies by default Conspiracy theories are one of the many cancers in society today.

Good player with a "galactico" price tag

Can't help but imagine what this thread would've looked like had Alonso given away that Penalty against Southampton. 😅

Really good to see him playing well again. Looks like he can really help us unlock defenses with his runs. Kova and Ruben are both skillful and really good when dribbling past players. While kova is more skillful, ruben is more physical, and is a far bigger attacking threat. think he will have a big decision coming next season. He can be a rotation player for us, but I feel that he could be the star player for certain sides (and not talking small clubs). He’s a fairly rare type and even good clubs may lack that.

That and also the fact VAR has effectively become a time machine. They go back minutes after a goal, pretty much erasing all that has happened from that moment to the goal. It's a very silly thing and I hope they change that in the future.

Hope all officials (including VAR ones) involved in this match get a meaningful ban, because that was pathetic all the way through. Good game and with good performances and not so good ones. Really liked Mount as usual... and Werner is such an underrated player.

There could be a mental aspect to it, but I believe it's more lack of skill. Like his own goal in the Europa final still at inter. It just takes him a bit longer to control the football (first touch) and react when tightly marked. This is less of a problem against weaker sides, where poor defending allows him a bit more time on the ball, but against better defenders and defenses, his lack of skill has a cost.