Brighton (H) - Saturday (16th April) 12:30

[1882]

Try not to burn it!

The Steven toast or the shit?

 

[Maureen]

Take prime Stoke and prime Burnley, put all their antics together and you get Brighton.

Wank house club.

Tbf we should have been down to 10 men in the first half.

 

[Maureen]

Yep. The need for some additional creativity via a new CM/CAM this summer was highlighted today.

I mean fuck me, if Winks is your best option to bring on...

I don’t get why a lot of people thought it good to get rid of both gio and tanguy. Either one is miles better than winks. In fact played in a 3 with either PEH!/ benta/ skipp and they would be ok.

 

[Raiders]

I completely agree with an extra man in the midfield, Brighton overloaded it easily with their 5-4-1. If we played a 3-5-2 with a creative midfielder beside Hojbjerg and Bent I guarantee we would have played much better. Kind of like how Ndombele played in that draw against Liverpool a few months ago. The problem is we don't have a single player that can play that role. Need to address this in the summer.
Games like this when Kulu and Lucas are powerless is where you need an actual playmaking midfielder to connect the midfield to the attack, not just Kane.

I noticed that Kane did not drop deep until quite late on - and we actually created a few chances. I wonder if he was told to stay high.

There was a massive gap between the front 3 and the midfield. In addition, our wing backs were pegged back. It made for an odd display.

 

[1882]

Not one shot on target all game - at home - is as shocking as it was telling!!

A fucking 30 yard pot shot from PEH or Bentancur would've been vaguely acceptable... But not even that...

The closest we got was Bergwijn's 'Gazza Euro '96 impression' against Germany on 91 minutes...

I'd have been pissed off with 0-0... but to lose that late was just horrible.

 

[Crocker]

Conte gave them a couple of days off after the Villa game, hence Harry goes to the Masters. Conte then gets covid and has to be separated from the first team and presumably phones in his training instructions. The players then see this as a green light to phone in their performance yesterday.

Thankfully, Conte should be covid immune to the end of the season at least, because clearly if he’s not standing over them on the training ground they forget and still think Nuno is in charge.

 

[Raiders]

I'd accept that but it wasn't even a 'cocky' performance to me, aside from the shot at the start. It was just a totally dead one. If somebody told me the whole team had been out the night before and were severely hungover I'd immediately believe them.

Zombie passing in midfield, no pressing even after they surely had a bollocking at HT, late in the game when it was 0-0 and you'd expect us to be in panic mode our players seemed to just be stuck in a trance watching them pass it about. Bizarre.

Whilst I do agree we had an "off" day. Brighton's tactics totally nullified our system and players. It felt like there was nothing we could do apart from hope for some bit of luck. I am shocked Conte did not change it. I kept waiting for Reggie to come off for an attacker and for us to switch to 4 at the back.

 

[Raiders]

Not one shot on target all game - at home - is as shocking as it was telling!!

A fucking 30 yard pot shot from PEH or Bentancur would've been vaguely acceptable... But not even that...

The closest we got was Bergwijn's 'Gazza Euro '96 impression' against Germany on 91 minutes...

I'd have been pissed off with 0-0... but to lose that late was just horrible.

I do remember Bentancur having a long shot that wizzed past the post.

 

[1882]

I don’t get why a lot of people thought it good to get rid of both gio and tanguy. Either one is miles better than winks. In fact played in a 3 with either PEH!/ benta/ skipp and they would be ok.

I wonder how different the 2nd half of the season would've been WITH Skipp fit and in the side...?

We're not doing too badly without him, but yesterday was EXACTLY the type of game he'd have thrived in... ...and maybe been the difference between dragging out a win, and what we got!

 

[Shotgunofmichalebrow]

After the match last week we were all buzzin, then the next day we saw Harry at the Masters!
I am originally from NIreland and have lived in Canada for 40years, I’ve made that flight back home over 100-times and I can tell you, even when I was younger, it takes it‘s toll out of you.
You really don’t sleep/sleep well in either direction and it probably takes a couple of weeks until you’re 100% back to normal. I couldn’t believe when I saw Harry there in the middle of a crucial part of the season, how did Conte sanction this?

This is an excellent point. It was a crazy decision. Kane has become a law unto himself. Wasn't impressed when I saw it.

 

[Raiders]

The disappointment was the ponderous turgid flat display . Without the front 3 clicking then there is nothing of any creative play .
Emerson , Reggie pig shit and central midfield could never support the attack .
Conte didn't read the situation and had no answer to Potter's technically better , time wasting team .
Conte has so little on the bench , the 2 diddy men Bergy and Lucas are far more miss than hit . I was hoping dreaming that he would coach them and give them a go as wingbacks as we are so poor in these positions. It looks like this will never happen .
Hopefully we can step up next week.

The ball never got to the front 3!

 

[Maureen]

Have you ever played a fast paced competitive sport? Your twitch reactions are on fire and it looked to me that the reaction was one of momentary surprise. If it was simulation he would’ve made more of a meal of it, you’re speaking shite.

Cucurella should be praised for his honesty for not going down, if he had simulated then Dejan would’ve been rightly sent off.

These instances prove why diving and simulation are rife in football.

Don’t we have some players who the sane thing? Also if it was the other way round we’d have wanted the player sent off otherwise everyone would bang on about conspiracies and so on. Let’s be honest here.

 

[Maureen]

True. A better squad and a full preseason may help with that though. I feel like he first had to focus on just stopping the rot and getting us to play somewhat in his fashion.

But he could with the players at his didposal change the shape or formation. He could have taken off reg went to back 4 or replaced him with sess? Just tried some thing as it looked we were never gonna score. How about r bring on Harvey or another youngster at least they would be hungrier than winks. Would have tried to impress. However Conte is a very conservative manager and doesn’t make changes or does it too late. Yday we needed pace and he should have taken off kulu at HT as he was shite and on a yellow and put berg or Lucas on. They would have given Brighton something else to think off on the right. As it was royal and kulu on the right were easy to defend against as never has any pace.

 

[SpiderSpurs]

 

[Raiders]

Potter won the tactical battle. One can't just put it on the players. Having 0 shots on target at home is a product of how both teams were set up.

 

[1882]

Onwards and upwards. Let's not make the same mistake the scum made.

First 11 picks itself.

Yes, we didn't turn up yesterday...
Yes Brighton used spoiling tactics and dark arts more akin to Alastair Crowley ..

But this one's ALL on you matey boy...

 

[1882]

Maybe Harry went on his golfing holiday, beacause he already knows he has CL football secured next season...





....with Man City!

 

[1882]

In a way, it's better they got the monkey off their back against Dr. Woolwich....

PLUS it means we stay extra vigilant and avoid complacency, cos we know what they CAN do!

Brentford and Brighton/Palace did to Chelsea & Arse what usually happened to us...

Palace, Southampton, Wolves AND Burnley have all beaten us unexpectedly...

We've had that wake up call hopefully... THREE or FOUR times over!

it's someone else's turn... Whilst we get on with not making the same mistake again.

I expect the mood on Saturday to be very upbeat (from BOTH sets of fans!)

Should be a cracker...

I'm such a deluded prick!
Shame on me....

 

[StripiestPilot]

Potter won the tactical battle. One can't just put it on the players. Having 0 shots on target at home is a product of how both teams were set up.

It’s true that Potter’s plan worked perfectly but I just don’t accept that we saw the players give their best effort. If that was their best effort then we will not be in the CL next season.

 

[Mrs Perryman]

I know my tactical nous is pretty basic (and that's me being kind), but as our creative MF is practically non existent, how about we play with 5 forwards, and just pump long balls into their area?????
Stupid idea, but it might have worked yesterday - anything would have been better than yesterday's "performance" !!!