robsblubot

Yeah thought the same (wrote so), and agree that in all likelihood they would have lost anyway: they needed Salah on the pitch at his normal and their GK at his best. Pretty much the opposite happened.

salah was playing really well and smart with one touches always finding a teammate. That’s how you play these games with so little time on the ball. RM also had a couple of players watching salah who are now free to roam and play. Very difficult for Liverpool now.

Shelvey's temperament definitely plays a part into his non-selection as well as club level. Reminder that the WC consists of very few games - even fewer if you don't go far. Group stage is really the only place where mistakes are allowed and does not last long (and frankly does not matter much unless you are in a tough group). Temperamental players in single-elimination games is a risk some managers are not willing to take. Shelvey is def a good player though. Technique wise leagues ahead of Bakayoko. RLC seems to be a player of few important moments, which might be just what the manager is looking for from him.

Asensio would be a great immediate replacement for Eden if he wishes to leave. Eden's latest comments might also make things a bit difficult in the locker room (making those comments is yet another indication he does want to leave IMO). No he's not at Eden's level yet, but is not that far off and has the potential to get there (with a bit more finishing on top). From Asensio's POV, it might only make sense if he's indeed given the key-player role Eden now enjoys (similar wages). That might just make it appealing enough to him, since it is questionable he'd be able to get there anytime soon at Real. So, career wise it might make sense for him. Swap deals are notoriously difficult to pull off.

If he wants to win the CL before he retires, fair game to him and he should def move, but reckon he should've started off by playing better in CL. Right now prospect buyers might be looking back at his contribution in CL and thinking that there might be more suitable players and targets for that particular competition. BTW, his interview sounds pretty bad to me. It's OK for him to think that and demand it from the club internally, but never OK to say it to the press. He's basically saying his current teammates aren't good enough to play with him, or some might hear that.

Very common for young promising players to be selected to gain experience at this level, esp if the manager believes they can provide some contribution. Reckon, from watching him this season, that he's not ready to start many games, but would be an interesting option coming off the bench if you need a goal or simply break through a tight defense line. He looked pretty inventive and mobile when I saw him. Very interesting player to keep and actually use next season.

Sure, I'm not disagreeing with the point that we could have a better striker or that Morata should be doing better. Lukaku would've been scoring more goals - I have no doubt about that. He's also not good enough for different reasons... So for me, we wait until next season and then if Morata cannot find his game then we find a different player, either option would still be better than having Luakaku for the next 6 years... assuming we want to take game to the next level. But being a great finisher is literally a state of mind: very few players keep a high scoring ratio throughout their entire careers. Most go through patches of form and end up hitting their stride late in their 20s and for a short period of time (until they start losing pace). It's also difficult to start delivering immediately after joining a team because of the aforementioned dependency: gotta learn the timing of the runs, where the passes go, the team's tempo may be different, and whether the defenders will follow you or a diff player (say Eden). Our movement was a lot better last season, which made it far more difficult for defenders to focus on single attacking player (that helped Eden too). Matic let us keep the ball longer, which gave us time to open up spaces and find the better pass... it's all connected. It actually makes sense that Giroud is having an easier time atm, since he's also more familiar with the Premiere League and the tempo in which most teams play.

couldn't disagree more. Striker is the most dependent position in the squad. Volume of play affects him directly with movement and opening up the opposition. (BTW, I'm not disagreeing with the point that we could have a better striker or that Morata should be doing better)

many differences (aside from diego, which was an obvious loss): 1. Matic a good (starter) CM left and nobody came (good/great however you rate him - doesn't matter) 2. The surprise mechanics with the 3 in the back are no longer a surprise (Conte had a hand in our win) 3. Most players are not as rested and fit, which is due to the push to win last season and, 4. a lot more games this season (CL) with still a very small squad 5. Fabregas is older and looks more unfit (our only capable CM to play alongside Kante see #1) 6. the opposition is a hell lot better?! City would've won last season... easily Yeah, I'm going to have to disagree. I look at our play and we play like crap most of the time. No striker in the world can fix that.

We are indeed overthinking, but IMO we are overvaluing the striker position when the team just isn't good enough regardless who plays up front. I see nothing special about our team... we play laborious football. Besides, finding that player is very difficult, not to mention expensive. Either you go for the proven solution, in which case you are competing with others, or you make bets and these bets will also be expensive. We had a good striker, with high work rate and decent technique. Too bad he was also a nutcase.

Don't think there can be any doubt that Rudiger is twice the player Zouma is. Don't think it's just level of development, but rather technique: while Rudiger is not a Luiz with the ball at his feet, he's still comfortable enough to play the ball. While Zouma obviously shouldn't take the blame for Stoke's defensive frailty, he did not cover himself in glory either. He's got power and energy, which at this level is just not enough.

I hear you, but this is how you do it. This is how you get the top players: before they become one. It's always going to be a risk though. That's why judging potential is so important, and folks in soccer who are good at that make tons of money.

It was a good game with good individual performances - except bakayoko who's being praised for a long ball. Never seen Mikel do that though... Kante, Hazard, Moses, and Rudiger had great games. Toss up between hazard and kante for motm imo. Looks like we improved a bit (last games), but I'm cautiously optimistic. This was always going to be tricky one for pool: they were tired but could not rest too many players - just can't toss youngsters/fringe at a game like this. Their focus is now entirely elsewhere, which means that they may be, even if unconsciously, holding back a bit and not overextending themselves.

true and looks like he's lost some pace, which he relies on since he's not the most powerful guy. Only sign him if a good opportunity presents itself.

Yes the idea that paid professionals know more about the game and players than we do, is just strange indeed... if the world only made sense and more talented forballers made more money and were more in demand...

well, "in the making" is the problem here - he does like to make things and rather buy them ready to go (expensive manager)

While I agree he's unlikely to reproduce this next season, I don't think he has to. Besides, contrary to CR9, his game is a lot more than the goals. He dribbles vertically, and is pretty quick to pass which makes him difficult to defend against (plays one-touch often). In other words, his linkup play has been phenomenal as well. This has been my criticism of hazard on hazard's thread. That he needs to mix up his game when the conditions aren't right for his regular style of possession and dribbling. Salah's game is just more complete, which allows him to contribute to his team more consistently esp in tough matches..

yeah sure thing, their defense is much improved. They would still be struggling in games with the lack of goals and assists though. They have good players in their squad, just not great, so they'd be struggling big time against these teams in the CL at this level without a game winner - don't care how hard and disciplined they may be, it takes quality to win at this level. Another great business they did is betting on the right "horse." They identified Salah as a potential key player (potential being the keyword). So, they spent big, but not key-player big, and ended up with "the" key player of the moment. There is always some luck involved, but you gotta help yourself with good scouts and manager... one thing it is time for us to learn is to look for technique first! other attributes, like pace and power are nice to have, but this is still about playing football (hint is in the name).

Interesting point... Was never a fan of Coutinho myself - there is my brazilian bias again... Coutinho is a 1-2 fantastic-plays-a-game player. Seen them before and they can win games, but can also lose them. On and off kinda player. They are not at mo Salah's level. I know people don't want to hear it, but it's as clear as day that we missed out on a top top player here. On the bright side, Liverpool is proving to us, time and time again, that there is life after you sell your key player. Well, as long as you know what you have to do to have a shot at (acquiring) another. No, I don't think we do... our signings speak for themselves.

you guys need to interpret "club talk" Translation, "we want to sell both, otherwise we wouldn't be talking about them. However, we don't want to sell at a discount price, so if you want them, and can pay full ask, we'd definitely sell either to you." Bakayoko cannot play for chelsea. If he does, in such an important position, we cannot compete against the other top clubs. He's just not good enough skill wise to play at this level. It's sad and we've spent a lot on him, but it's not going to change. If he doesn't start and sits on the bench for another season, his value will only decrease, which doesn't make sense either. So, while I agree that it all depends on the new manager, the club better try to move him either way. Honestly, RLC should be way ahead of Bakayoko on skill alone. BTW, Morata and Bakayoko aren't comparable IMO (for obvious reasons).

Liverpool is salah Take him off and it turns into a very beatable team. All you have to do is see where all the assists, and goals come from... hint: not lovren.

Have to disagree. Bakayoko had a pretty bad game as usual... his first touch shows too much of the football. He’s always chasing the ball never in control. His passing is always slightly off too. that’s why talking about mistakes does not quite work. It takes quality from the opposition to exploit the mistakes. And this time around, the opposition did not look very sharp. Some of it was our doing, but despite their very good season, burnley still got a very limited set of players who play a fairly slow and laborious game.

Haha b2b would prob be the least fitting position for Alonso given his lack of pace. left midfielder or left DLP however would be almost indistinguishable from lwb. Many players in the past made the switch from wing to middle as they lost pace.

Perhaps because Giroud does very little aside from scoring. Some say that’s enough, but reckon it isn’t for a top club. Morata is a lot faster, agile, with better technique and can even beat players with runs. one is arsenal reject and the other a younger Real Madrid reject. I know which i’d pick. I don’t know if morata will ever deliver at Chelsea, but I hardly doubt Giroud is starter material either. in other words, morata not being good enough does not make Giroud good enough.

That's correlation not causality - but do you realize you are making my point stronger? That we depended on his form in our many wins with him. Yes, his form was indeed poor, but I have to disagree switching him with mikel *caused* us to improve from 16th to 10th position. You obviously dislike the player, but the fact remains he was an important player for us and now is an important player for united.