Until recently he didn't look usable. Now he looks the best defender we've got. One of the best of the new regime's many successes.
But they've proven over the past few seasons and on recent form this season that they are a steady mid table premier league defence. We are a premier league team. Have been for a few seasons, and currently on course to continue that after this season. I absolutely agree we should be future proofing or upgrading, but what is there now is a mid table premier league defence and when organised it is perfectly reliable. Pearson has got them organised well.
Foster - 7.5 Mariappa - 8 Cathcart - 7 Dawson - 7 Masina - 9 Capoue - 7.5 Doucoure - 7 Chalobah - 8 Sarr - 7.5 Deulofeu - 7 Deeney - 7
Mariappa better than Dawson or Sarr? What game were you watching?! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I disagree. The defence has been poor for virtually our entire stay in the Premier League, and we've achieved mid-table finishes in spite of it, not because of it. The only time we played well defensively, since promotion, was under Flores in our first season. We played 29 games and conceded 30 goals which was remarkable for a newly promoted side. Since then they conceded 20 goals in the final 9 games. Next season we conceded 68, then 64, then 59 and this season 30 goals in 16 games before Pearson. So that's 139 games and 241 goals conceded. A staggering 1.73 goals per game average. That's truly appalling.
Maybe that proves though that apart from Flores MK I, Pearson and Gracia when we weren't playing top 6 opposition and didn't have anyone sent off, our managers just weren't very good at organizing defences?
Don't think there can be any doubt about this. GD's shot was going in without the arm, the arm was in a strange position because the player was sliding in and the contact was significant and goal-saving. If that's not a penalty there would be a serious deficiency in the rules.
