Margins and Mentality in Both Boxes

[garyCTID]

Again, very good points made. In an ideal world we all want perfection from our team but we’re all also old enough to know we’re never going to quite get it. Which is why we then have a healthy debate. Our problems right now, to me, is mental weakness. Even though we have some well seasoned pros I don’t think they’ve ever had this much adulation bestowed upon them by fans, pundits, ex pros etc etc. And now we’re at the major business end they’re buckling under the pressure of what everyone expects from them. In the last few games even our most experienced pros like Silva and Kompany have looked unsure of their abilities, Silva more so which is very surprising as he’s been superb as of late after his personal family problems. We are great till we concede then we completely implode and Komps & (especially) Otamendi, start running around like headless chickens. Diving in and finding themselves completely out of position making it easy for the opposition to score virtually unchallenged. So Pep should be working on their mental attitude to stay calm and self manage their game. Even Ederson has looked nowhere near th e keeper he’s been all season lately. Very nervous and unsure. Walker, great one game, headless chicken the next. Just calm down lads!! Sterling is never going to be a top finisher, it’s just not in him. He’s had special coaching the last 18 months trying to improve that. But like some other poster said, his body shape is never right. That’s a natural gift and he simply doesn’t have it. Made even more comical on Saturday that his last chance, the shot from Otta that he deflected onto the post, was more than likely going straight in from the original shot! We’ve got young lads with a lot of petulance, Jesus, Sane, etc but we all had that in our youth but that’s part of the manager’s, coaches job to calm them out of. To keep cool. To appreciate that an opponent kicking and pulling at you and swearing in your ear should be taken as a compliment as that player knows how good you are and he’s just doing what it takes to put them off their game. Hopefully Pep has no time got the lads on the training ground right now, but sat in a classroom working on their mental ability to see games through. And that with the right attitude and belief we can turn round the three goal deficit against Liverpool, with some help from our fans. Then finish the season like we deserve with great glory and not just crawling across the finish line with a whimper which would sour the taste.....but only a bit. COME ON YOU BLUES!!

 

[John Oliver]

Thanks ono, the stats are very revealing. My take on what’s needed,

RE STRIKERS, Sergio wont be here much longer, Jesus is struggling a little, Nmecha yet to prove himself, Sterling isn’t a striker. Need for succession planning. No panic. But if a young striker could be brought in now to start preparing for sergio’s departure, that would be good.

RE ATTACKING MIDFIELD, would keep Sterling at least for now, and the others. If and when a top man is available who fits in with how we play, scores goals and is not outrageously expensive, go for him. No panic, but try to do it before Merlin ‘retires’.

RE DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD, this is the big one. We need a skilful player, but one with a flash of steel who can help rally the troops when the flood gates threaten to open. And maybe an able lieutenant who can run run run to fill the cracks. But I don’t watch much football beyond UK and so have no idea who we should buy. Wonder if there any possibles in Italy, with no World Cup their players might be fresher than most.

RE DEFENDERS/ WING BACKS, not sure about Danilo but give him another try. Walker worries me sometimes, and wonder if we will need to get Maffeo back from Girona. Hopefully Mendy will be as good as we all hope and the four central defenders tighten up a bit.

Hoping for a win tonight, but qualification for semis probably too much to ask.

 

[shemnel]

we'll be hunting for a defensive midfielder in a big way this summer and the rest of europe know it.