Al Hilal (N) | CWC | Post Match Thread

I barely watched any of this tournament. I've been on holiday for most of it and only really caught half of the first game and highlights of the Juve game. I'm glad we are out. It's been uneccessary for me. Maybe it's worked for bringing the new lads up to speed, and that could be a bonus. Three competitive games, a bit of money, and home for a well earned break before the new season. Goodbye and good riddance.
 
Were the last couple of weeks a false new dawn? I really hope not but all the old vulnerabilities remain to be ironed out.

I know it always sounds lame but the silver lining is those players really do need a break. We’ve had glimpses of a quicker, sharper style but there’s work to be done when they return for pre-season.
 
LongsightM13 said:
Tens of millions pissed up the wall as well, especially how our side of the draw had fallen. We should have been finalists at least. Unforgivable
Many of the old guard look finished not only physically but mentally as well. Make no mistake, that was an embarrassing surrender
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A squad full of injury prone defenders is not a recipe for success is it . Dias Akanji Ake and Stones have all underperformed for a couple of years now and Pep keeps on playing the same way and not learning from the resulting shitshow at the back
 
SWPISHOME said:
The state of the goals we've conceded, Genuinely wouldn't see it on a Sunday morning!

Juventus had two chances against us and scored both, Same shit again tonight.

We need to sign a right back and fast, on top of all that I'm pissed off saying for the last 2 years that Ruben Dias is finished his time is up he's absolutely nowhere near good enough, I just wish Pep would start playing Khusanov at centre back alongside Gvardiol.

Also please start playing different fucking wingers!

Big season for this for Pep he needs to stop picking his favourites, it could well do him out of a job. People can say what they like about this CWC calling it "friendlies", Try telling that to Khaldoon! Massive money to be won for the club completely thrown away, let's be honest we should be at least making the final with the side of the draw we were on too. No excuses. Not good enough.
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What annoys me pep never switches the winger to really there proper side Savino record at Girona was him playing mainly on the left!
 
Regular Joe said:
Definitely first world problems. Won’t be flying home early, this annual leave was very hard to come by. I have plenty of ideas what to do, just wasn’t what I was hoping for and doesn’t stop me being disappointed.
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If you want to see some interesting life - go to San Francisco especially Ghirardelli Square. Great entertainment on the weekend, a great Irish Coffee bar and Fisherman's Wharf for great food.
 
bondsman said:
I’m worried despite our new acquisitions we may be in for a repeat of last year. We desperately need CBs who are pacy and can stay fit and a proper RB.
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We absolutely will see more of last season displays if he persists with Gundo, Bernie, Akanji, Dias and Ake.

All 5 of them have the combined pace of Javi Garcia.

The blueprint on how to play against City has been set by many teams now.

Soak up the pedestrian sideways passing. Break with real pace.

The players dont even need to be that good technically. As long as they are quick. Its simple, but we keep playing in to the same trap every game. And I've seen nowt in this pre season that says any different.
 
Bluekiwi said:
If you want to see some interesting life - go to San Francisco especially Ghirardelli Square. Great entertainment on the weekend, a great Irish Coffee bar and Fisherman's Wharf for great food.
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I’m seriously thinking about going west coast so thanks for that. The other option is Boston/New England. Always wanted to go to Fenway…
 
bit embarrassing, Al Hilal is a decent side with a great manager, but we simply should have rip them apart instead of conceding 4 goal. for Khaldoon probably bit more embarrassing to lose out to a Saudi side, only a Qatari side would have been more of an uncomfortable loss.

even Wydad and this very poor Juventus side managed to find lot of space in counters and found themselves in great chances while Al Hilal finally punished us for our errors, this is a bit of a worry because not one bit improvement I see in our general defending, and I dont mean just the defenders or GK its the whole team what they do after losing the ball or what they dont do attackers, wingers, midfielders etc.

high line wont work without 11 players working together off the ball no matter what Pep thinks. as what he thinks is getting found out more and more so that has to change.

due to schedule now players off for a deserved break of something like 4/5 weeks?
not ideal at all they come back about 10 maybe 12 days before PL kicks off, their form surely will be like they would need a few weeks of pre season ad fitness wise God help anyone coming back overweight or badly out of shape due to some cakes, ice creams, extra meals during their off time lol.

hope Pep and Lijnders will spend next few weeks thinking about how to make us defend much much better and make it hard for opponents to score against us.
this is nonsense that opponents can go into games that 3/4 on target shots all game guarantees them 2/3 goals if not 4...
 
robbieh said:
Didn't watch the game but noticed that Savinho and Doku played 120. Is that correct?
How did they play?
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Doku was putting in good balls but shock horror Haaland was hiding at the back post. Savinho was useless after HT.
 
Whether or not said:
At least Pep, and perhaps more importantly his new coaches, get to see the obvious problems before the season starts. Defensive horror show to be honest, but wasteful up front and wide open to the break. The only mitigation, against a Saudi team, is the heat.
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He saw it all last season in fairness. When I heard the commentator list the teams that put 4 past us you realise the very best teams dont do that as often we do.
 
Martinez goalie from Villa is trying to move away from em, what on earth havent we signed him on a free & got rid eddie he can’t keep ball out net, & dias after a few years of being excellent has been regressing for 18months he looks slow & makes rash decisions a shadow of himself, akanji after looking a bargain for the price has morphed into a 15million quid defender which is what we paid, Ake is injury prone same as stones, why on earth are we not playing Khusonov he was brilliant bar errors on his debut, gonzales has disappeared into the ether like he’s kalvin phillips, Cherki looked great when he came on, but we persist in bernie & gundo both well past it, ive gotta say im worried about this upcoming season, this insistence with playing a high line with tortoise speed centre backs is suicidal we persisted last season & now again & we concede almost every shot & every breakaway results in chances & inevitably goals for the opposition, what on earth is going through Peps head??
 
Damanino said:
hope Pep and Lijnders will spend next few weeks thinking about how to make us defend much much better and make it hard for opponents to score against us.
this is nonsense that opponents can go into games that 3/4 on target shots all game guarantees them 2/3 goals if not 4...
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I don’t think the strikers should be getting a free pass here. Yes Bono had a cracking game but we need to be converting more of our chances, and if we do that then we can concentrate on controlling the game, which is the skill we’ve lost most in the last season and a bit. We should have been 3 up at least by half time.
 
sir baconface said:
Were the last couple of weeks a false new dawn? I really hope not but all the old vulnerabilities remain to be ironed out.

I know it always sounds lame but the silver lining is those players really do need a break. We’ve had glimpses of a quicker, sharper style but there’s work to be done when they return for pre-season.
Click to expand...

It wasn't a false dawn but simply this is a team in the process of forming. The two goals conceded against Juventus were already something of a warning sign.
 
bondsman said:
I’m worried despite our new acquisitions we may be in for a repeat of last year. We desperately need CBs who are pacy and can stay fit and a proper RB.
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Proper RB and for Dias to sort his head out and stop trying to become a celebrity and go back to being a proper footballer.
 
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