Super Frank Thread

[communicate 2,703]

Lamp need to sort out our set pieces. He need to stop putting Christensen in the middle of the penalty box. 

Plus he also need to stop with this mistake and then you are out. 

[Special Juan 28,089]

Tomori and Mount offer nothing at all to this team, nothing.

[Jase 43,479]

Just now, MoroccanBlue said:

Our possession play may had something to do with it. That and a recongised back line 

Yes, we had a lot of sterile possession under Sarri and Lampard does want us to play a lot quicker and all that but it's scary how we have lost that ability to maintain some sterile possession, even just for 2-3 minutes, to slow the game down when needed. We keep on wanting to play at 200 miles per hour and as a result, we don't control games in a calm manner and always risk turning them into a basketball match. 

[Jase 43,479]

1 minute ago, Mana said:

I thought I made it clear Lampard isn't the guy to take us forward, but I'm just saying we should not point at Lampard only at this. The players has been super crap.

I don't know what happened to Rudiger, I wanted him back for so long - only for me to bang my head on the wall with his defending.

If we are going to keep Lampard for next season, at least sack his coaching staff and bring staff that has solid experience, and know what they're doing. We cannot continue like this going to next season. We may get nice quality up front, but if the defense continues to be shocking like this, we will get nowhere.

The players have been crap, sure, but it's not entirely on them is it? Take for example our starting XI against Bayern vs the starting XI that played Barcelona in the R16 1st leg 2 years ago.

2017/18 - Courtois - Rudiger/Christensen/Azpi - Alonso/Kante/Fabregas/Moses - Hazard/Willian/Pedro

vs

2019/20 - Caballero - Rudiger/Christensen/Azpi - Alonso/Jorginho/Kovacic/James - Barkley/Mount/Giroud

Kante and Hazard aside, there's not much difference in the two XIs but the defensive organization was night and day. If the team is already struggling to score to win games, then at least make the team hard to beat but we don't do that, do we? We're so easy to score against and so easy to get at. Bournemouth should have scored 2-3 goals in the first 10-15 minutes today but thankfully, they didn't. But in the second half, they had 2-3 chances and they scored 2 goals, one of which was from a set piece and it's an issue that's been plaguing Lampard since Derby last season. 

[Tomo 21,751]

7 minutes ago, Jason said:

Yes, we had a lot of sterile possession under Sarri and Lampard does want us to play a lot quicker and all that but it's scary how we have lost that ability to maintain some sterile possession, even just for 2-3 minutes, to slow the game down when needed. We keep on wanting to play at 200 miles per hour and as a result, we don't control games in a calm manner and always risk turning them into a basketball match. 

Thats exactly why Sarri slowed the play down after the Arsenal game, he knew full well he needed better tools for his football to work.

People screaming about how "boring" it was weren't seeing the bigger picture.

[communicate 2,703]

3 minutes ago, Mana said:

Look at Arsenal today. They have quality up front, including Aubameyang at his prime. Top goalscorer in the PL.

Against Olympiakos, he done a bicycle kick goal and that should have concluded the tie.

...only for their defense to feck everything up.

And that's why our defense needs major changes. They need to be binned. You cannot build a house without laying out the foundations. You win titles by having a rock solid defense.

Bin the lot of them. I'll spare James and maybe Tomori, but bin the lot of them if we want to start winning things.

We won epl with azpi Luiz Cahill at the back. 

[Jase 43,479]

Just now, Tomo said:

Thats exactly why Sarri slowed the play down after the Arsenal game, he knew full well he needed better tools for his football to work.

People screaming about how "boring" it was weren't seeing the bigger picture.

But he did take it too far, no? Think you said the same, IIRC?

And he's encountering similar, if not the same issues now at Juventus and their fans aren't happy. 

[Tomo 21,751]

5 minutes ago, Jason said:

But he did take it too far, no? Think you said the same, IIRC?

And he's encountering similar, if not the same issues now at Juventus and their fans aren't happy. 

At times in the winter, then he struck a decent balance in the last third of the season.

I can't really comment on his Juve side as I haven't watched them even once however I do know he's in a similar situation there in that he is taking over a previously solid shape first everything else second side.

Although I think this youth movement will benefit us more in the very long run I have no doubt that Sarri plus a transfer window would have had us comfortably in the top 4 this time round.

[MoroccanBlue 5,375]

Also explains why Conte opted for a more pragmatic/cowardly approach his second season. Both Sarri and Conte did their best to protect our fragile back line. Lampard's inexperience showing here. 

That said, it's hard to put a lot of fault on him given the gash we have. I would genuinely pay my own money to see the back of maybe 60% of our players. 

[communicate 2,703]

Just now, MoroccanBlue said:

Also explains why Conte opted for a more pragmatic/cowardly approach his second season. Both Sarri and Conte did their best to protect our fragile back line. Lampard's inexperience showing here. 

That said, it's hard to put a lot of fault on him given the gash we have. I would genuinely pay my own money to see the back of maybe 60% of our players. 

Nah that is not true. Conte 2nd season problem came because Costa >>>>>>> Morata 

[MoroccanBlue 5,375]

Just now, communicate said:

Nah that is not true. Conte 2nd season problem came because Costa >>>>>>> Morata 

He wanted Alex Sandro, Candreva, and Bonucci. Players who would've been direct upgrades on Alonso, Moses, and Cahill. 

It was clear as day Conte didn't trust our defenders. The lack of upgrades and introduction of gash like Zappacosta forced Conte to become more pragmatic. Especially when teams found us out. 

[Jase 43,479]

5 minutes ago, MoroccanBlue said:

He wanted Alex Sandro, Candreva, and Bonucci. Players who would've been direct upgrades on Alonso, Moses, and Cahill. 

It was clear as day Conte didn't trust our defenders. The lack of upgrades and introduction of gash like Zappacosta forced Conte to become more pragmatic. Especially when teams found us out. 

Just because Conte wanted them, it doesn't mean they are any good. Candreva is your average workhorse (which I might argue we already have a few). Sandro hasn't pulled up any trees for some time now. Bonucci would have maybe been an upgrade but he was already 29/30 years old when we wanted him and it's debatable whether he would have thrived at the highest level coming to the Premier League at that age. 

Being pragmatic/conservative is just Conte's nature. Don't think it had anything to do with him not trusting the defenders, even if he wanted upgrades. He has gotten his players, for example, at Inter and yet, he still plays pragmatically with them.