Very frustrating day at the office.
Needless and amateur mistake by Jesus cost us any early momentum we may have built. However, it seemed that again we were completely unprepared for a team to fire out of the blocks and hassle us.
Their game is the same against us every time. Which is why my biggest scratch of the head comes from the lineup. Sterling doesn’t do well against their right back, Foden ran him ragged in the last game. This isn’t the first time it has happened against them.
Our midfield was painfully slow, Kev is one of the best when he’s on form, but he’s not on form, he’s just come back and is an automatic starter, but because he’s rusty/unfit/not ready, he’s destabilising the team. Foden, Gundogan and Bernardo would have been the right choice today. Let Kev come on later in the game and ease him back into it.
Cancelo didn’t have a good game today. Nor did Dias in my opinion, not by their recent high standards.
Hopefully we can learn from it but I’d like to think we have enough to get the points we need in the last 10 games.
We need a striker, we really, really need a striker to replace Sergio and possibly another if we can move Jesus on or coach him into a wider position. As he plays now, I just don’t think he contributes enough at all. His goal record is good, but if he doesn’t score I don’t think we get anything out of him that someone else could do and more. He’s not the only one and I’m not slagging him off, just an opinion.