Massive overreaction. We're suddenly flawed because we're one-paced?Yeh, good post. The lack of pace and energy across that midfield is a real burning issue when it comes to circumventing parked buses. Moving the ball quicker would help, but when a ’bus’ is as narrow and deep as Palace’s was yesterday, then the ability to fashion half a yard and the strength to hold opponents at bay, might also be useful.
I know they didn’t all play yesterday, but there’s a lack of genuine variety when it comes to particular attributes. Rodri, no change of gear. Fernandinho, 36 years old and no change of gear. Gundogan, 31 years old and no change of gear. Bernie (in great form, but….) no change of gear. Mahrez, 31 years old, built like a twiglet, no change of gear. Kev, 30 years old and (due to current lack of fitness….) no change of gear. Grealish (pretty lively yesterday, but….) no change of gear. Palmer (and please understand I’m not knocking the lad in any way - I’m just highlighting a squad issue), no change of gear.
The only players with the pace to test the opposition and to require them to double up and leave gaps elsewhere, are Foden and Sterling, and one of those has control issues that render him a waste of time on days like yesterday.
From the moment Palace scored, 5 minutes in, everyone in the ground knew the game was gone. 10 men or not, I think the last time we came from behind at half time to win was 4 years ago at Huddersfield. We didn’t lack resolve yesterday, in fact I thought the players gave it a decent go after the break, but physicality, pace, movement, we just don’t have it, which is why we are so easy to frustrate. Move the ball sideways multiple times, fail to work an overload, cut in and either float over a cross to no-one or scuff a shot into a forest of legs, and rinse and repeat.
Lack of a centre forward is an undeniable issue as we all knew it would be, but I agree those midfield runners you refer to are the bigger problem
There’s no ‘suddenly’ flawed about it and it’s hardly controversial to suggest that our midfield lacks power and pace, because, QED, it does, or that that lack of pace and power might be a contributory factor when up against a block as low and narrow as Palace’s yesterday. That’s not the first time this season that we’ve scored ‘nil’, nor the first time we’ve barely looked like scoring. And we certainly didn’t lose because we went down to 10 men. IMO we played better after Laporte went off!Massive overreaction. We're suddenly flawed because we're one-paced?
We made some bad mistakes defensively yesterday and went down to 10 men hence we lost. There are offensive problems. Sterling is out of form (because he's not playing), KDB is not fit, and Grealish has been ineffective so far.
I don't our basic speed has got anything to do with these issues.
That's it in a nutshell. Possession is everything regardless of the result.We’ll buy a striker and coach him to pass it sideways.
Won't get too deep into that here as it might come across as pinning it on him which I'm definitely not doing, plus if you don't have anything but overwhelming praise for him you get jumped on. I'll simply say I didn't see what he brought to the side that we didn't already have in abundance when links first appeared, haven't seen anything from him so far to change that thought. Plenty of time for that to change.Thoughts on Jack since his arrival?
no one should say Jack has been great as that is just not the case. but at the same time no one should shit on him for not being great till now, as that fault squarely lies on pep for not finding him the right role.Won't get too deep into that here as it might come across as pinning it on him which I'm definitely not doing, plus if you don't have anything but overwhelming praise for him you get jumped on. I'll simply say I didn't see what he brought to the side that we didn't already have in abundance when links first appeared, haven't seen anything from him so far to change that thought. Plenty of time for that to change.
but shooting is not something that can be improved massively with coaching look at sterling. some people like aguero is born with it. what happened was we stopped buying that kind of players instead buying passers.It is not about strikers, it is good finishers and the team has had shooting coached out of them. Liverpool play 3 up front, not really classic centre/inside forwards but all can finish and will shoot instinctively, make the necessary runs etc.
Yesterday we had a forward line of 4 and only Rodri and Cancello were shooting in the first half.