A number of thoughts went through my head before, during and after last night's match. When I saw the team I was pleased and mightily relieved to see that Ya YA and Merlin were back and especially, and very justifiably as it turned out, that Joe was in nets. When I saw the bench I realised that this team did not represent Pellers' choice so much as the fit (and half fit!) players available. From the start it was obvious that Ya Ya was a long way from full fitness, and maybe Fernando would have been a better selection from the off, though he has only just returned from a long lay off. Merlin tired and faded and had to be replaced by Navas, who had a good game in the event. There Pellers' scope for choice began aqnd ended. Everywhere else we picked the only players we had.
The problems we had at WHL were still there: too much space out wide, a splendid vacuum in the middle of our defence and little if any cover from our CMs and real problems in transition. Fernando appeared to make little difference at first and it was only Joe's heroics that kept us in the game. Some - but only some - of our atacking play was good and we did createtwo or three chances which Sergio would have taken at any time other than just at the moment.
The real bonus was that all this changed when Borussia scored! We seemed to exhibit a collective will and determination totally absent until that point. Our defence seemed to have realised that one way of coping was to keep the ball in the Germans' third and make them defend. Sergio never hid for all his lack of form. We went for the throat and for the las 25 minutes there was only one team likely to win.
Not a vintage performance by any means, but a battling one and, in the end, a successful one.
