West Ham (A) - EFL Cup R4 - Post-Match Thread

[waspish]

Strange how whenever we lose the same old excuses are rolled out
It was either our reserves or B team that played.
Its only a tin pot competition.
It was their cup final.
Less games to play at the business end of the season.
None of these excuses hold any water.
The team that started last night was packed with established internationals.
It is one of 3 domestic trophys up for grabs each year . Tin pot it is not.
Why would it be their cup final in all seriousness?
4 fucking games more with a squad like we have, shouldn't be any issue at all.
According to some we deliberately tossed off the FA cup last season so we could concentrate on the champions league, that went well too.
We lost because we are so wasteful in front of goal end of story, and that's not likely to improve until we get a proper striker in.
Any team no matter how dominant we are in a game can hang in there because we keep missing.
Needs fucking sorting.

Just think if we wasn’t as wasteful we would won some trophies in the last few years!

 

[SSL2]

I think it's quite concerning how poor our 'second team' performs these days and can't be relied on as much as we think. This stems back to the end of last season especially when resting the key players before our Champions League games.

Sterling has featured heavily in both of these teams, whereas the likes of Mahrez and Gundogan who were very much first picks last year for those 'big games' against the likes of Dortmund and PSG, have now fell down the pecking order and now find themselves 2nd choice. Compared with that of Bernardo and Jesus, who are the opposite and now find themselves in the 'undroppable' category.

Chelsea FA Cup semi springs to mind as well as the game which we lost in the league to them, Leeds at home also, them games we played our so called '2nd team' and really struggled - Again last night was the same.

The difference in the quality of our attack last night compared with that of Brighton on Saturday was huge. The whole team just seemed to lack creativity and looked quite flat in all honesty.

Final note I cannot believe Sterling's fall from grace - From being first name on the team sheet in 17/18 to now looking really average and a shadow of his former self. I don't see him recovering and with every passing game the situation is getting worse.

 

[CookiesForCream]

Liverpool and PSG were games we didn't win but probably would have, with someone in the team who can reliably convert chances.

Same last night.

Dominating games does not equate to winning games. Putting the ball in the net more than the opposition does.

Spot on.
The only statistic that matters is scoring 1 more than the opposition before the final whistle.
We spunk away chance after chance. We can thread a pass through the eye of a needle but can’t pass the ball into the goal. We insist on trying to ‘walk’ it in or get into the 6 yard box before fluffing it.
If we don’t get more clinical with our finishing quickly, it’s going to cost us heavily. Teams already know what frustrates us and how difficult we find it to break down a narrow parked bus. They’re happy to take a point and defend in numbers and narrow and try and snatch a counter.
I believe Sterling is done here, he’s been shocking for some time now and not sure what’s wrong. I hope he gets the move he wants. Maybe Newcastle would like him, but I don’t think he’d go there. He wants abroad where it’s easy. Thank you for your service Raz.

 

[B\connellblue]

Just think if we wasn’t as wasteful we would won some trophies in the last few years!

I could argue We could have won a few more too.

 

[B\connellblue]

We are playing with a false 9 system and attacking full backs. That is resulting in us dominating in every game we play, including arguably the three best teams in the world. In some of these games we are missing chances, others we aren't. One thing I can cast iron fucking guarantee you is that if Harry Kane or Liam Delap were stood up front at Anfield or PSG, we wouldn't have played the entire game around their penalty area and had them chasing shadows.

Football is a lot more complicated than you think. You put the emphasis in one area and it exposes a weakness in another. Of course we need a striker in the squad. It is not a revolutionary thing for you to suggest this. But you might just find that when we play with one we would be conceding more goals or creating far fewer chances with one in there.

We need the RIGHT striker, not any old stump, and the way we are playing with the False 9, I'm quite happy to wait for a world class young one who can play the City way, whether it be in January or next summer. Our current system is bamboozling everyone, particularly when we play with the first team and not the reserves.

Well it's certainly bamboozling me how players at the very top of their profession can make scoring look so difficult.

 

[Uncle Wally One Ball]

We are playing with a false 9 system and attacking full backs. That is resulting in us dominating in every game we play, including arguably the three best teams in the world. In some of these games we are missing chances, others we aren't. One thing I can cast iron fucking guarantee you is that if Harry Kane or Liam Delap were stood up front at Anfield or PSG, we wouldn't have played the entire game around their penalty area and had them chasing shadows.

Football is a lot more complicated than you think. You put the emphasis in one area and it exposes a weakness in another. Of course we need a striker in the squad. It is not a revolutionary thing for you to suggest this. But you might just find that when we play with one we would be conceding more goals or creating far fewer chances with one in there.

We need the RIGHT striker, not any old stump, and the way we are playing with the False 9, I'm quite happy to wait for a world class young one who can play the City way, whether it be in January or next summer. Our current system is bamboozling everyone, particularly when we play with the first team and not the reserves.

Wholly agree well said

 

[Zenmanc]

KDB has looked off the boil most games and last night he was well off he made more mistakes than anyone. We looked bored and lazy against a team who rarely even threatened us. So much creative promise and zero heads in the box to be on the end of it. Palmer looked better but IMO a Foden start with possible Cole on to spell him at 60 and we may have avoided penalties or at least Phils spectacular take.

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

Strange how whenever we lose the same old excuses are rolled out

This is the first league cup game we've lost in 5 years, and the only other cup games we've lost for four years are semi finals, so I don't know what your sample size is looking like here.

 

[wattle]

We are playing with a false 9 system and attacking full backs. That is resulting in us dominating in every game we play, including arguably the three best teams in the world. In some of these games we are missing chances, others we aren't. One thing I can cast iron fucking guarantee you is that if Harry Kane or Liam Delap were stood up front at Anfield or PSG, we wouldn't have played the entire game around their penalty area and had them chasing shadows.

Football is a lot more complicated than you think. You put the emphasis in one area and it exposes a weakness in another. Of course we need a striker in the squad. It is not a revolutionary thing for you to suggest this. But you might just find that when we play with one we would be conceding more goals or creating far fewer chances with one in there.

We need the RIGHT striker, not any old stump, and the way we are playing with the False 9, I'm quite happy to wait for a world class young one who can play the City way, whether it be in January or next summer. Our current system is bamboozling everyone, particularly when we play with the first team and not the reserves.

Spot on

 

[jimharri]

Well done to the blues down there last night. You seemed to have left a good impression behind.