Maybe it’s a mindset or attitude thing, realistically we aren’t expected to get anything from City or Chelsea, so there is no expectation on the players plus it’s a nice shop window. Put them into a game where the expectation is that they should actually win, and what they do actually matters in that game, and they don’t seem to be able to perform in the same way. Games like Leeds and Southampton were exactly the same as last night.
But playing well against Chelsea and Man City was literally pointless. If we had played against them the same as we played against Brentford we would of achieved the same number of points, just probably lost each 6-0. If we had played against Brentford the way we played against them we would of got 3 points. We need to play well in the important games where we can actually get points. Points keep you up, not goal difference.
We expected to win and played like it. Everything was wrong. Even some of our weird simulations annoyed me. Bachmann for their first. Crikey....
Yeah I switched it on to listen on the way into work but it wasn't on. Maybe a rain delay or something
Yes I was a lone voice, I think almost everyone else had us going straight back down I've never minded being in a minority of one, I don't need the comfort of a crowd But I never imagined Sierralta would be missing for a large part of the season, along with Etebo, Sarr etc These are key players
Conversely when have we ever spent significant money on a defender, and when have we ever spent significant money on any player, let alone a defender, in January? (Other than a book balancing exercise buying pusseto) So to survive we’re going to have to break one precedent, so what is to say we won’t break another?
Every team gets injuries, surely you can’t have imagined we wouldn’t get any? Brentford had their three best players missing last night, so how does that work?
As I pointed out last week, Cucho's "reputation" for us so far has only come from being a sub in games that were pretty much already over. He's continued to do nothing whenever played as a starter.
Ironic really as his feet were generally nailed to the goal-line during the course of the match when crosses were coming in. He just about got away with one or two runs outside his area to sweep up WTE-created indecisions as we sat back 2nd half with the alarm klaxons ramping up. I had thought that he showed promising signs in the Man City game, seeking to dominate his 6 yard box if not the penalty area and collected several crosses but last night, he was back to type on those. Yes, some good longer range saves in the first half but he is generally a goalkeeper that reacts late. There were a number of goals (this season and even last season) when Bachmann is/was to be found throwing himself into the goal from headers in/near the 6 yard box, like the equaliser. Foster remains well above his quality levels in terms of anticipating when to stay or go, he picks off low quality crosses from distance and snuffs out the danger. Foster has his faults too with rash challenges 1 v 1 (the Vardy factor) but the whole defence appears less accident-prone with him in and he coaches them through tight situations verbally. Some shred of sympathy with Bachmann as he watches a centre half like WTE with zero anticipation simply spectating or making a calamitous decision when danger loomed. But we all know that already. I'm still livid just thinking about how easily we lost 3 points and then 1 point even though we all knew that this outcome was nailed on as soon as the team sheet was submitted at 7.00pm.
I hope the club sign some absolute sh!te in January and Ranieri walks. Might be the only way to get through to Gino.
Exactly ! the consensus on here seems to be we won’t spend big on a defender so why would we think we are going to sell Dennis
Going from being in position to fairly luckily scrape 3 points, to eventually handing a further three point advantage to Brentford, is probably the most directly impactful thing of all about last night. If we have even held on for a pitiful draw the situation with the table overall would be much improved. As it is, as someone pointed out here last night given the tally it takes them to, we’ve basically given a toothless, bolted-together Brentford a free hit to remove themselves from the list of relegation-threatened scrappers in a league where any three points is absolutely invaluable, and we were already desperately casting about for rivals to leapfrog and crossing every finger and toe that several of the teams below or directly above us don’t suddenly rediscover either their usual form or a Saudi-branded £100m purchase anytime in the next couple of months. Our options were narrow already, and now they seem twice as narrow still. And, of course, the points were the most directly impactful, but the performance was the most directly concerning. We haven’t gone toe to toe with a direct opponent, played a good game of our own and beaten them in a linear fashion since Villa on the opening day, and even that result has its own set of caveats. To produce that utter shower of shyte at this point in Ranieri’s tenure is deeply troubling. As I said last night, I’m really just not entirely sure where we go from here, and according to his post match comments, neither is Claudio.
Yep, it sounds like Ranieri is already fed up with the defence he's got and knows there's basically nothing he can do about it. It all reeks of Sierralta coming back too quickly and getting injured again.
Don[t take this the wrong way, but I'm not justifying myself over something so subjective to anyone let alone a total stranger on a forum You thought we would go straight back down, give yourself a slap on the back
Hold on a minute here. Ranieri has proved to us that he can more often than not put on a show of tactical genius. If Nkoulou didnt get injured, I would say that we'd be sitting pretty on 16 or 17 points. My point being that it seems a bit early to be going Ranieri out. We just need to see how we do against Burnley and palace and Wolves and if we get less than 4 points from those games, then I would start to get a little sceptical. *** - Trust In Tinkerman.
A basic rule for a defender is "to stay on your feet" but WTE slides in and the attacker just waits, dangles a leg and goes over. A precious point lost for us and two valuable points gifted to the opposition.
Upgrading the defence, though necessary, isn’t going to solve the problem on its own. The team needs to be able to play the ball better. Last night we relied on lumping it and winning the second ball. Brentford outnumbered us in the key areas and won those battles. Seeing that, it was bizarre that Ranieri replaced Cleverley with Pedro. It was crying out for Louza to connect the play and if he can’t, then someone who can.
The way to handle it:- Expect nothing from us in the premier League don’t get low about defeats because that was expected anyway. Life goes on and there are more important things in life unless we win of course when you have to enjoy the high!
Will just add that I’m not in any way saying Ranieri out, and I’m not sure I’ve seen anyone else who has either.
I’m just saying it’s possible naive to imagine we wouldn’t get injuries, especially when Brentford had arguably more serious ones themselves yet we still couldn’t keep a clean sheet or get any points.
Woke up still fuming. It’s just so preventable. I am genuinely grateful for The Pozzo’s but I refuse to accept going down with the same damn issues as last time, I cannot understand some of the decisions by the hierarchy. January is huge if Gino wants to retain goodwill and a relationship with the fans.
The painful thing is it's not down to the coaching, we actually have a plan it's just the shocking central defenders.
