Seeing the comments so far, it feels like a silver lining us needed in this particular dark cloud, so I’ll give it a shot.
Thought that for the first 35 minutes, bar the odd wobble, we were in our game, moving the ball well, keeping Haaland engaged and looking very dangerous, even though we weren’t making their keeper work too hard.
Beyond that sliver of silver, it was a very dark cloud that we have watched build for much of the season so far.
They grew into the game thereafter in the first half after they’d figured out how to get through the press, and took our weak underbelly to the sword…that being a porous DEFENSIVE midfield and a back line that was asking for the killer through ball to beat them.
It is clear that some are past the cut and thrust of a Premier League midfield/defensive tussle, some are not quite World Club Champions calibre, and some are just not able to perform without a supporting cast that allows their game to flourish.
That said, with a fully fit squad, and given that first half an hour or so, we can beat anybody!
Once again, though, Ederson kept us in a game we were dominating in all aspects except the important one: Goals!
Haaland looked for it, fought hard for his goal, dropped in as a great outlet and helped feed the midfield…but barely got a sniff of a goal in the second half.
The problem are plain for all to see, but we are going to have to work through them with the best of what we can put on the field. The only problem now is that some of that “best” once were, but their time has come and gone.
Let’s hope the break has come at the right time for all concerned and that the long-term damage is not so great it cannot be addressed, if not fully rectified, by the end of January.
We need strength, stamina and youth to add to the full field Rondo, because we have players who appear great at it in the 6 x 6 box, but less well in the 120 x 100 yard box they’re asked to play in during games!
The media will have a field day, esp depending on other results this weekend, but I’d still rather be in our place than that of the vast majority of teams!