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Manager Antonio Conte

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Larry David said:
Conte isn’t free of blame, he’s stubborn and continues to play players that are out of form and blindly sticks to a formation even when it’s obvious it isn’t working

But to expect a squad to challenge for stuff when the centre back options are

Romero
Dier
Davies
Sanchez
Tanganga
Lenglet

Is criminal

I’ll be honest I don’t even think Romero is good enough. Yes he’s aggressive and a cunt but he consistently gets skinned and lets people get shots away by refusing to close down

And the rest are lower mid table level at best

Conte (and us) have been let down by Levy scrimping on the most important part of his favoured tactical plan

‘Want Bastoni, gvardiol or skriniar? Here’s lenglet on loan’
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Wait, but in January Conte said that we are okay in terms of CB positions.
And how many times it was repeated that "once we get good attacking RWB, the whole team performance goes to new level" and all that?

Are you seriously suggesting that if we'd have Bastoni on one side of Dier and Romero on other, then we'd be fine and flying high?
We would still be giving up midfield in every game. We still would have played most season with 10 men with Son's form and Contes inability not starting him. We still would have pathetically failed with integrating new signings like Bissouma and Richie, not to mention Spence.

Sure, we could and should have higher squad quality. But Conte is not getting even 60% out of what we have. 100% should not be even mentioned.

P.S and you know... maybe... just maybe... if transfer window is closed and you have to do with what you have... just maybe... it would be good idea to set up your team in a way that your 3 CBs would not play without any support from CM at all. So that they would not be exposed to unchallenged opposition players running at them in numbers?!?
 
McCOYS said:
With our defence we need to be playing attacking football we're just not good enough to be sitting deep and playing it out from the back.
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You realise the players ahead of the defence are the ones constantly giving the ball away through poor first touches, poor passes, easily being tackled etc, right?

This belief that we just let teams destroy us mystifies me. We have poor footballers.
We have had this problem for years and it seems to be getting worse.
 
Matt1882 said:
You realise the players ahead of the defence are the ones constantly giving the ball away through poor first touches, poor passes, easily being tackled etc, right?

This belief that we just let teams destroy us mystifies me. We have poor footballers.
We have had this problem for years and it seems to be getting worse.
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Another body in midfield, and dropping Son would help, would it not?

We harldy ever seem to play a long ball, except when Lloris boots it.

ps..I'd like to see Danjuma in place of Son
 
Matt1882 said:
You realise the players ahead of the defence are the ones constantly giving the ball away through poor first touches, poor passes, easily being tackled etc, right?

This belief that we just let teams destroy us mystifies me. We have poor footballers.
We have had this problem for years and it seems to be getting worse.
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To be fair to the midfield their margin for error is tiny as they’re always out numbered.

I’m genuinely curious how Conte will have us setup for the coming weeks.
Too many games for Perisic to start without getting subbed. I could see Davies providing some cover, with Lenglet becoming the starting LCB. Conte does like subbing CBs, god knows which players he’s going to use for it though.
Logical thing would be to drop the back 3, and revert to a 4, which might actually provide some other upside if it wasn’t for the fact that were missing half our midfield.
 
an even worse news than our injuries/banned players?
conte will speak in prematch press conference today

Funny Games Reaction GIF by Arrow Video
 
McCOYS said:
Another body is midfield, and dropping Son would help, would it not?

We harldy ever seem to play a long ball, except when Lloris boots it.
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Dropping Son for someone that can control a football would help. Whether they're in midfield or Son's position.
At the moment, if the ball doesn't bounce off him, he'll duly kick it out of play or run it in to a dead end anyway.

It's more than just Son though as to why these problems happen. I like Hoijberg, but he can't control a ball either. Perisic is blinding kicking balls to anywhere. Bentancur is a great engine but often does a great bit of press resistance only to hit a pass behind a runner. Kane is either not getting the balls he needs or is dropping deep and has no one to pass to because Son is off it and Kulu is also deep still.
Dire just keeps hitting long balls that no one can do anything with, if it even gets there.
It's all over the pitch at the moment and has been brewing for years. High quality players replaced with mid table mediocrity time and time again until eventually the mediocrity vastly outweighs the quality.
 
Richard Arlison said:
They are though.

If we were in the form we ended last season, who knows where we'd be??

It's another topic but it's pretty clear we are seeing the effects of a mid season world cup on a lot of teams with players that went.

Not an excuse because it's the same for everyone but it's def a factor.
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We played like dogshit long before WC.

I called for Conte to be sacked after the Leeds game ended.

But here we are. Knee deep in total shit.

Yes, we ended last season on high. And since then lost 0 key players, brought in Forster, Lenglet, Perisic, Spence, Bissouma, Richie, Porro, Danjuma. Yet we play like utter dross.

Both - before AND after WC.
Also there is this small thing that other teams players also went to WC. So how is Conte so much more incapable of dealing with this factors than most managers around him?
 
CerealMaterial said:
To be fair to the midfield their margin for error is tiny as they’re always out numbered.

I’m genuinely curious how Conte will have us setup for the coming weeks.
Too many games for Perisic to start without getting subbed. I could see Davies providing some cover, with Lenglet becoming the starting LCB. Conte does like subbing CBs, god knows which players he’s going to use for it though.
Logical thing would be to drop the back 3, and revert to a 4, which might actually provide some other upside if it wasn’t for the fact that were missing half our midfield.
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I strongly believe now that Conte wants the sack. That stating 11 and refusal to change at 2-1 or at HT and nothing until 80 minutes tells me he's given up, wants his cheque and he's fucking off back to Italy.

Edit, the sad part is, that's gonna be at the expense of any hope we have of progressing in the CL, FA cup or hanging onto the coat tails of Newcastle.
 
Matt1882 said:
I strongly believe now that Conte wants the sack. That stating 11 and refusal to change at 2-1 or at HT and nothing until 80 minutes tells me he's given up, wants his cheque and he's fucking off back to Italy.

Edit, the sad part is, that's gonna be at the expense of any hope we have of progressing in the CL, FA cup or hanging onto the coat tails of Newcastle.
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The whole thing is so perplexing.

He’s been atrocious at using subs, and when he does he subs CBs when it’s the last position that needs subbing.
It’s somewhat defendable if it’s a draw and we’re holding on to not losing, but makes zero sense when chasing a lead.
You’d be hard pressed not to take your view.

Then on the other side you’ve got him rushing back from surgery, when it was clearly premature. Not something you do when you’re wanting to get sacked.
 
Matt1882 said:
Dropping Son for someone that can control a football would help. Whether they're in midfield or Son's position.
At the moment, if the ball doesn't bounce off him, he'll duly kick it out of play or run it in to a dead end anyway.

It's more than just Son though as to why these problems happen. I like Hoijberg, but he can't control a ball either. Perisic is blinding kicking balls to anywhere. Bentancur is a great engine but often does a great bit of press resistance only to hit a pass behind a runner. Kane is either not getting the balls he needs or is dropping deep and has no one to pass to because Son is off it and Kulu is also deep still.
Dire just keeps hitting long balls that no one can do anything with, if it even gets there.
It's all over the pitch at the moment and has been brewing for years. High quality players replaced with mid table mediocrity time and time again until eventually the mediocrity vastly outweighs the quality.
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How come we played so well in the home game against City?
 
TheSpurEst said:
We played like dogshit long before WC.

I called for Conte to be sacked after the Leeds game ended.

But here we are. Knee deep in total shit.

Yes, we ended last season on high. And since then lost 0 key players, brought in Forster, Lenglet, Perisic, Spence, Bissouma, Richie, Porro, Danjuma. Yet we play like utter dross.

Both - before AND after WC.
Also there is this small thing that other teams players also went to WC. So how is Conte so much more incapable of dealing with this factors than most managers around him?
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More incapable?

Klopp and Liverpool are having a much worse season despite spending 100m on a striker then bringing in Gakpo the star boy of the World Cup.

Potter and Chelsea are having a much worse season despite spending the budget of a small country.

Conte is responsible for the team and it could be playing better. Would the situation be measurably different under a different manager? unlikely.
 
Confusius said:
WHY are they not suited for a flat back4????

They look like they are not suited for a back 5 either

Why not take one of those awful CB´s out of the equation, and put another midfielder on instead?
That would end us always being outnumberd in midfield, and in doing so taking a lot of pressure from our CB´s.

4-2-3-1 with 2 CB´s and 2 sitting midfielders in front of them should be more than enough to stabilize things
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This is what I don’t understand. When you’ve got so many defenders playing as badly as ours do then take one of them out. And here’s an idea, don’t ALWAYS invite pressure on to them. Try and keep the ball up the other end of the pitch as much as possible.

I’m also starting to wonder with the way that we are playing, is the match preparation as good one week as it is the next. We seem ready to play some teams while out of ideas v the next.
 
Matt1882 said:
I strongly believe now that Conte wants the sack. That stating 11 and refusal to change at 2-1 or at HT and nothing until 80 minutes tells me he's given up, wants his cheque and he's fucking off back to Italy.

Edit, the sad part is, that's gonna be at the expense of any hope we have of progressing in the CL, FA cup or hanging onto the coat tails of Newcastle.
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Why would he come back early after having his fucking gallbladder removed if he wanted the sack?
 
Matt1882 said:
I strongly believe now that Conte wants the sack. That stating 11 and refusal to change at 2-1 or at HT and nothing until 80 minutes tells me he's given up, wants his cheque and he's fucking off back to Italy.

Edit, the sad part is, that's gonna be at the expense of any hope we have of progressing in the CL, FA cup or hanging onto the coat tails of Newcastle.
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He's not trying to get sacked, he clearly has drive and winning mentality. He probably should've stayed off work longer though.
His problem is sticking rigidly to the same system that MUCH more often than not totally fails to get the best out of the players. Plus late substitutions and weird selection choices.
 
Richard Arlison said:
More incapable?

Klopp and Liverpool are having a much worse season despite spending 100m on a striker then bringing in Gakpo the star boy of the World Cup.

Potter and Chelsea are having a much worse season despite spending the budget of a small country.

Conte is responsible for the team and it could be playing better. Would the situation be measurably different under a different manager? unlikely.
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Thats why I said than "most".

Potter is throw in during mid-season and then over-flooded with new signings.
No manager would shine in that situation either. Owner is playing football manager, I am starting to feel that managers position as such is bit of annoyance for him.

I agree - Klopp and Pool are suffering during this season.
Though this season Liverpool net spend is 56 mil. Ours is 140. Almost 3x more. What is your fucking point here?

But on another scale you can put at least 10 managers who are doing more considering the resources than Conte. And most of them don't earn 15 mil per season.
 
Jimmy G said:
if we had moved to a back 4 and brought in a Maddison type and a top centre half instead of Porro and Danjuma we would have been much better but Conte is too stubborn for that. I mean Yesterdays back 3 was horrific and also deprived us of an extra player in midfield which we are crying out for
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Very well put.
Two signings, and it all could have been so different.
Also while looking back to January - it would have meant that we could have chosen between - Bentancur, PEH, Bissouma, Sarr, Skipp, Madisson.
And start another capable CB next to Romero.
I get that two quality CBs in January window might have been too much to ask for. But one would have surely been doable.

I cannot see how that could have been any worse than we saw against Leicester.
 
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