robsblubot

Set pieces is the entire teams responsibility. When the opposition puts 8-9 players in our box to attack set prices all our players are defending. that has been my point all along. In that set piece Tammy was defending and did not do that very well. He had a poor game and that’s ok and will happen again. it is hard to defend set pieces with any players esp younger inexperienced ones. The players also need to learn when it is important to hold the ball and pass it around versus trying to beat their marker, esp in CL.

He’s a good player who is a poor pk taker. It happens... should refrain from taking them. Problem solved.

Had a good game against Valencia. Put in many good crosses, esp first half, but our attackers were not very sharp today, including Tammy who had a poor game. Caveat, not crazy about azpi as a wingback either. When playing 3 at the back, he should be one of the 3.

Yeah except a moment a ago a bit distracted and leaving attacker onside for Alonso clearance.

Basics? He’s consistently dribbling past 2-3 players... his finishing is not there, but that never stopped folks from loving hazard all the same. Seriously, I don’t expect willian to become the player he never was at 31, but he is doing more than his peers in this game.

Ross instead of Pedro for mount and Pedro wingback instead of azpi, who should be playing cb instead of zouma. the team is a bit too defensive atm considering the quality of the opposition. willian had a good game so far - don’t understand the hate today. tomori looks 10x than zouma yet again.

Thanks. Yeah was discussing that with a colleague, who’s an arsenal fan. He said about 2 shots every 2 minutes. sometimes I think managers have the easiest job on earth. Was emeri asleep during the second half? Haha

Perhaps, but dont think we are solid enough to start switching formations. It demands a lot of time and prep.

Yeah I saw that as well, the bullying part mentioned by Xhaka, who’s a pretty average player in a very average midfield. Xhaka is a bit heavier than the others, and more physical, but too many lightweights in that side. the one thing that struck me is that the players did not seem to be running much. Are they playing for the manager? Manager looks clueless to be sure... does not read the game and does not adjust. Despite all that and Sokratis mistake, which was prob the worst I’ve seen a defender make, folks are talking about Luiz’ silly pk. Poor Luiz will have a very long season with the British media on him. We all know how well he does when exposed. And very exposed he will be.

Did not know he had injured his signing hand as well.

A guy who can shoot from afar does not need to penetrate the opposition defense in a low block, because he can shoot before the opposition defense can apply pressure. Same with key passes and assists from afar. Courinho made a career just doing exactly that (and not much else). sorry I completely disagree. For me hazard thrives in counter attacking situations with lots of spaces for his runs and dribbling. Seen way too many times low block making him pretty ineffective. KDB is the far more complete and versatile player in my book.

I disagree. It’s the characteristics. Kdb is far superior at passing and shooting, while hazard relies exclusively on dribbling. If you move the defense line deeper, that helps blocking Hazard with defenders in proximity, but does little against a player like Kdb. Hazard is poor at long-range shooting and pretty mediocre passer for his overall quality. His passing distinctly lacks range. like I said, at least to my eyes, kdb is usually the key player when Belgium wins against any tough opponent. but then again, I’m not a hazard fan. He’s overrated for me.

Well, my unpopular opinion around Here has always been that he’s Belgium’s best player, not hazard. hazard is more easily contained, still not easy obviously, but teams can give him the side and contain his influence. Kevin plays in the centre and has a huge passing rage, which means that he can be dangerous even still far away from opposition goal, which means away from the contested areas. and then if he does get close to the opposition goal, he can still both assist and score from afar. That’s a lot to worry about when playing against him. Therefore a team who wants anything from playing Belgium needs to stop Kevin, imo.

Just luiz being luiz. That’s not the story tho...Watford had 24 shots in the second half... got bullied for sure. Watching it now. then again, it’s just arsenal being arsenal.

Valencia is in turmoil. Great time to play them and blood our young squad in CL. really an ideal match for us, but obviously not to be taken lightly.

Yeah maybe a bit embarrassing esp conceding 3, but that’s what makes football so popular imo. It’s a low scoring game, so it gives more chance to the smaller sides. cups showcase that nicely. Still, we will get to see who’s who later on in the season.if injuries can affect a team like city, imagine their impact for the smaller sides.

City had players coming from the international break, so it wasn’t just he defense that looked jaded. This is a great time for smaller sides to play the bigger ones: early in the season and coming from break. our result at Norwich was definitely important esp this early. Now over time Norwich lack of depth will also play a part, at which point they will struggle a bit.

Speaking for myself of course, but I usually look for quickness in general. How quickly a player gains control of the football (first touch) and then, assuming he has good technique, how quickly he can make use of his good technique. That shows how natural he is with the ball at his feet. The final pass and/or finishing is the tricky part because even the talented youngsters may not have that well-developed yet. Power, positioning, decisions, and concentration, are typically things they will have to develop still. So, for me Cho’s quick feet and good technique make him a very good prospect, even if there is risk in betting so much on him. There is always a risk.

Agreed, caveat injury. The injury does make the delay in signing the contract a bit more suspicious as in, why isn’t the player rushing to sign given he’s only now returning to full fitness ? What if he re injuries his Achilles?

It’s a bit of both. Not keeping possession and not winning second balls makes you run constantly chasing the opposition. the main reason I disagree with the singling out being done, esp azpi. Someone will always look bad and it is usually in defense, but it’s always the team.

Looks like a great talent. Been following the “copinha” but Grêmio was missing Everton Soares “cebolinha” when they lost to athletico and got eliminated with PKs. So I think athletico is going to have a very hard time against internacional (hate them more than arsenal but they will win this). Still think the gem from Brazil is Everton Soares, but fuck Guimaraes is 21, passes like fabgregas and scores too! Sounds like a nobrainer to me. If he does not develop can always sell for 200% profit like Oscar, but gotta make these bets! btw the final to watch will be gremio vs Flamengo semi libertadores. Both very progressive styles. Flamengo have the overall better side with our own Felipe Luiz at LB, but nothing at the level of Everton Soares imo. just heard that Brazilian players are prevalent in the champions league.

Think their other Target, Everton Soares has the finishing. Yes, he's older (23), but fuck he has the finishing. Starts for brazil and scores every fucking game. Tite is going to move Neymar to the centre to give the left wing to everton. Short dribbling, pace, strength, and work rate. The thing holding him back is that his rights are owned by 3 parties. Gremio who wants 40m for 50% and then 2 more guys asking for a lot... so no, not cheap. Arsenal were quoted saying it is a difficult deal.

Well Madrid bought hazard. It’s only natural that they now want to buy his legs too.

I've been watching different games than most here apparently. Because in last two home games we've totally dominated by mediocre opposition in the second halves. For me it does not matter too much who plays in CB (although experienced players may help in getting the team organized), if clumsy Zouma or nervy Tomoro, but we will leak goals eventually if we can’t keep possession and then lose every second ball in midfield and attack. There are a lot of spaces in between our lines, and that needs to be addressed by all 11 players on the pitch, not one or two. I'm fairly certain frank sees the same, it's both obvious and a little embarrassing, but it is already difficult to make a team compact and focused with experienced players, let alone youngsters who are mostly new to this level of play. One of the most blatant differences from championship and PL sides, aside from technique, is physicality. Any physical advantages that our academy players may have had playing championship (and they did with their better preparation) is just nonexistent in the PL, esp against stronger opposition. Still, we need to fix these gaps if we want to stabilize the team. I was hoping for a more pragmatic approach in the beginning of the season, but I am also very curious as to whether he will tweak his approach in these more challenging away matches. Can't imagine that our progressive style will do too well away from home in its current state. A riddle about academy players: if you can acquire a youngster from a smaller club to replace a player you already have: they are the same age, position, and about the same level of play. Do you keep your player, or acquire the one from the smaller club? yes, it is a bit more nuanced than hat, but the answer makes sense and it is the opposite of what most fans would think or like. (The answer is above)

Thinking more about the situation, reckon his youth may actually help us, as well as his career, because he will still be 23-24 at the end of the deal. So it’s not like he would be thinking of slowing down or anything like that, by then. now he just needs to sign the deal... Reports seem to be regurgitating old news.