robsblubot

Agreed Ross is superior in the cm atm. Unless we really want to open up in which case RLC would provide those extra runs from the back. kinda ironic how we are now fine in the CM department. Great options for sarri there.

Perhaps that's what you meant, but I don't know how else to interpret this: I was replying to the bolded points. My point remains that he cannot be flexible with the squad he has: he's using the players who can best carry out his ideas. Some of the players folks here want him to give minutes to just don't have the technique (as in passing) to play in that system. Possession is working. It provides defensive solidity and is still improving making us more difficult to break. The team lacks attacking quality and there is little Sarri can do about that. Short of moving Alonso to striker position, which would be a huge gamble on its own (and then buying a new technical LB), the club needs to go shopping.

Think you are implicitly making an assumption about the squad. By suggesting that a diff manager, like guardiola, would rotate more and tweak things by using more of the players in the squad even players with different characteristics. I am merely suggesting that sarri may think this, what he’s been doing, is as much tweaking he can possibly do with the squad at his disposal. That he may think, for example, that some players are just not good enough at passing to play for him. Something that would be akin to guardiolas thinking. besides sarri has already tweaked plenty esp defensively. We are far more difficult to break these days. attacking is a different matter because we just lack quality up front and I consider hazard not the fittest of players, but that’s just my take on his inconsistency.

How is he more inflexible than guardiola? Because he does not start Emerson ? how do you know guardiola would start him or even have him in the roster? Maybe sarri thinks very little of Emerson (not his player) and so would guardiola. because he does not give minutes to CHO? Again how do you know guardiola would give minutes to a 18yo who does not impress him in practice and in the few minutes he plays? sorry I don’t think the squads are remotely comparable.

Possession football is as much about defending as it is about attacking. Both Luiz and Alonso are great for that style because of their passing (their passing at CP was top notch). Our defense has been looking much better lately, but people will complain. we do know the attack is lacking and eden gets tired, and therefore more easily contained.

Haven’t and likely will not watch the game but a small squad has been an issue for a long time and it will always become a problem at this time of the year. Heck we’ve gone though CL with a small squad before... I know it’s another intangible, but players do get tired esp without rotation. And the coach will only use players he trusts.

Totally understand why they did that tho. Makes life a lot easier in the USA, by not having to deal with letters with accents. welcome to the club!!! Great to have promising youngsters in the squad. What they do an how much they play is entirely up to them. And a very good problem for the manager.

That sums it up nicely

Sure, but players gel at their own time and I did not say you aren’t allowed to improve here and there esp when a quality player becomes available, like vvd. still a bit early to call it tho. City is in a slump, but they are recovering their best player, so they will come out stronger. and then there is the real target: Europe which Liverpool is def more ready with quality subs this time around. Yet the teams who win are always the ones playing together for a long time. not sure I understand your point about bakayoko. He’s a bad player (for us) and needed going - our midfield is 10x stronger without him.

Every fantastic side is a side with the mostly the same players over 2-3 seasons. fans simply don’t value chemistry that highly. Prob too intangible, but it’s evidently important.

Willian does not assist, he shoots... wide.

Think more about the nerves and he still does not know how to deal with certain situations which happen in a PL game. I'd downplay the injury/discomfort because all players often play with niggling injuries - they are rarely 100% during a long season. It's just part of life as a pro footballer. He's just not ready yet. He's only 18... need to be patient here.

Disagree. Shit players, like Bertrand for example, all play for those smaller clubs. None play for Spain. another terrible player beloved here, Ake. it’s a very competitive market. Truly shit players don’t make it here. Even the ones that look terrible, like bakayoko, are still employable elsewhere and would even be stars in certain leagues. It’s all relative...Willian would be he very best player at Leicester for ex.

Recommend you check Alonso’s stats on passing. Not really going to discuss his passing, my choice. Regarding the rest, consider that you cannot possibly be right about all of it. Because if you were right, then Alonso wouldn’t be playing for a top club and a top national team. his positioning is fine. He’s caught out of place because he is an left midfield by role. Consider that he wouldn’t play if he were not following what the managers wanted would he? Quickest way to lose ones position. appealing to logic here, but I know it’s a lost cause. regarding Emerson, both conte and sarri are right: Alonso is twice the player.

Agreed. Just because these millionaire managers made it in a very competitive market, have the best assistants and coaches the money can buy, and spend all day watching these players in practice cannot possibly compare with the opinions of random folks in a forum. however, I do see how such a silly argument could become a deterrent for debates in a forum. With the false nine system, a more traditional LB like Emerson is useless. Who is he going to cross the ball to? One of our attacking midgets?

This was as easy as it gets in the PL because Watford is a loyal decent (mediocre) side and those will always struggle against us (or any big club). They do not play physical, did not kick or players, and therefore could not contain Hazard, who was just toying around today. CHO cannot play a competitive PL game: simply not ready for that and we will play with 10 men when he's on. On the black sheep, Alonso had a quality game and his passing was excellent esp with a nice assist to Willian at the end. Willian also had a good game, albeit with his usual lacklust final third contribution. Jorginho and Kante were pretty good on D. Kovacic better in attack. David Luiz was great and only behind Eden as a top performer. All in all we had a good game and happy with some improved performances from a number of players. Perhaps Sarri had the talk reported by the newspapers. Now, the marathon...

Depending how you see it. It’s successful in terms of money, but not in how many of them break into the starting xi. The system has a gap in terms of age. Fact remains a 18 yo is not going to get many minutes in our starting XI and that’s the case everywhere. Unless he’s amazing and I have to believe he’s not been amazing in practice. to be clear, I am claiming ignorance about whether Cho is good enough to be getting minutes, and at the same time accusing folks here of the same ignorance, even when they deny it. Assume we know shit.

Or perhaps their youngsters were simply more ready than ours? I'm not disputing that Chelsea managers are more cautious for obvious reasons, so it might be the case of an "and" rather than "or" here. CHO is 18 and it's usually really difficult for players at that age to get minutes at a top club, esp one who's constantly under pressure. Only truly amazing players can deliver at that young age and CHO has not, so far, showed that he can. I can only assume he has not been impressing in practice, otherwise there would be a clamour from players and coaches alike for him to start/get minutes (yes it does happen).

It's totally OK if he has poor games, but what does he do in those poor games? Does he track back when he loses the ball? Help his teammates by closing down players and plays? I don't see him doing any of that. He used to be a lot more dynamic and a bit more of a team player esp under Jose. Hazard does not enjoy the physical games, so it is something the opposition will always try against him.

Thank you!

Well sarri himself said that, so... reckon our team was setup so defensive minded that it took a couple of subs to open up the game. We did have opportunities to at least tie it then. as much as I like what sarri is doing, the result today was partly his fault. While there are no guarantees that a more attacking-minded starting xi would have fared better, reckon the odds of scoring would have been better. of our 3 CMs Kante is the more likely to score... honestly only Pedro hazard, and alonso are likely to score a goal and that’s just not enough esp when playing at home against a good, but smaller side. Gotta risk it more... if you lose you lose trying.

Dear admins, could someone please change my username from robguima to robchels? (with roblues, robblues, robchels5 as alternatives). just for a minor improvement in privacy.

Lol seem folks are really stuck on the fullbacks... alonso was unlucky there... good run and finish played well in the first and poorly in the second. The starting lineup might have been just too defensive, which was a choice by the manager, but I reckon this can only work in counter attacking situations. When the opposition sits, the false nine becomes very ineffective. tbf we just don’t have enough goals in these players esp considering none of them can score from outside the box. Something that needs to be fixed with either Ross, RLC, or going shopping. vardy is such an interesting striker, and at the same time not a good option for a big club (too reliant on pace and spaces).

While the manager can really influence defending, attacking and esp scoring is largely down to the quality of the attackers. sarri has also been complaining about the mentality of the team, like tomo said, lack of urgency at times.

heh did not say you did. many truths... at the very least each manager will have his own. And Lovren is definitely a top class defender and I wish him many many years at liverpool. It's all good. Just find it a bit silly to be slanting Alonso on every opportunity esp a guy who has made clear contributions in our league win. He has played better before though, so I'm not sure it's not something that can be fixed via adjustment, at least the defensive part: there shouldn't be a gap when Alonso goes to attack - that's basics. For ex, I see David Luiz sitting too deep at times, which would be unheard of some time ago. Now, speaking of improvement over him is great, but because I don't think he's a "donkey" it is easier said than done.