First day... 3 points and some positives. KWP, Winks, Ndombele + Kane off the mark. Need a massive week on the training ground from the gaffa with City on the horizon already.
Kane: I still don't think he played a good game, but when he scores I can live with it. So I'm happy he got on the end of those to chances, and did what he does the best - striking a ball.
I don't either... Equally i don't buy into the idea that he, Dele, Eriksen and a number of others magically turned shit for the last 18 months. Nor the gaffa for that matter; i just think he's currently got tunnel vision trying to force a formation that doesn't suit us and leaves us having to win games through sheer determination and raw ability; whereas previously we'd been winning games by being vibrant, energetic and greater than the sum of our parts.
Seeing players like Lucas, Son, Dele & Lamela trying to bulldoze through beefy mid and lower table CBs & DMs drives me nuts.
Did anyone see the graphic on motd last night showing the average position of our attackers? Dreadfull!
Meanwhile, i think the much worn criticism of our FBs crossing is a redherring... Rose and Walker never were good crossers (why else besides that combined with 3CBs would Trippier initially seem like the second coming despite being suspect defensively?)... They did however have players more regularly in closer proximity to link up with as they bombed forward and over- lapped.
Is it any coincidence that we looked so much more dangerous when we broke free of 41212 today?
433, 4141 or 4231 but please lets freshen up for the season as it did feel like more of the same lesser side of last season today.
Yes, Eriksen helped our cause when he came on but we saw plenty of constipated performances like that with him as a starter last season.
Poch said 'we' got it wrong tactically yesterday so i'm preying he's seeing the light.
Everything just got more fluid when he came on. Looked like the other players suddenly started moving
Which is less to do with him and more to do with formation.
Eriksen is the back bone of the team getting anything done, sure at times hes been shit, but when did we ever play well without him?
Need to find a way... If we lose him; then what?
They all count, first game or last. We can't be scrapping at home to the likes of Villa if we want to be progressing. It's not a good sign.
And more importantly we shouldn't be so reliant on one player. We knew that we were at the end of last season, we had to address it in the window, and yet here we are still in the same boat.
Bollocks. You were ignorantly whinging about this before the game.... We had 7 or 8 players missing today. Plus we bought GLC and Ndombele both whom have creative element to their games. Son and Dele also think you're talking gash.