What we need now are nasty, aggressive defenders like Carra or Hyypia

Man Utd, Spurs, Palace, Liverpool and Stoke fans reflect on their weekend results with mixed emotions, while Arsenal supporters feel the club is in danger of becoming a mid-table side.

Have anything you’d like to add? Join the debate here.

 

 

UNINSPIRING AND TEPID: MANCHESTER UNITED FANS UNHAPPY DESPITE WEEKEND WIN

Other posters on this board need to stop dreaming and wake up. Tough game for us yesterday Southampton played really well but another 3pts in the bag. We are on the right track! That is the key really.

Without Pogba, Utd’s midfield looks seriously short on creativity and zing. Mikhitarian, Mata and Herrera are all good players but lack that special something that would elevate them and the team to greater heights.

The Martial Art

 

The two big issues for me is that there is zero width in the team and we struggle badly in midfield when teams press us high. Koeman said that after the Everton game. And to be honest, even when Pogba is in there it makes little difference. He has some lovely moments that look great on youtube but doesn’t control games like a Scholes was capable of doing.

Also, no idea why we start with Mata or Miki on the right who then come inside and look to create width with Valencia on the overlap? It just hasn’t worked. Yesterday both Mata and Rashford came inside constantly. Except for a few moments, Young and Valencia couldn’t get forward on the overlap.

Miki and Mata give you zero from a defensive standpoint. Why Mourinho doesn’t just play Martial and Rashford wide? It can’t be for defensive reasons because Mata on the right offers nothing defensively. It should be either Mata or Miki in the 10 position with Rashford, Lukaku and Martial up top.

No doubt we’re short in certain areas but the formation is not helping. It’s not just a case of throwing 500 million at it. The manager needs to build a way of playing that is effective for the players he has available.

N1xer

 

Yesterday definitely wasn’t the most inspiring or entertaining affair but we again looked solid and organized. We take the three points and we look motivated with Lukaku looking particularly passionate after the final whistle.

We are definitely not showing enough class when Pogba is out who I think is the best midfielder in the league by a country mile unlike N1xer.

So far so good. Mourinho is building well here in my view.

Hatters

 

And poor old Fellaini is always the scape goat. Despite his performance against The Saints reading as follows;

Most passes
Most headers
Most fouls against
Most blocks
Goal saving clearance

Happyhurling

 

 

ARSENAL NEED £200M INVESTMENT TO AVOID SLIPPING INTO MI-TABLE

After watching some of the games this weekend, I would say Arsenal’s top-four hopes are gone already.

Based on current form, the top four will be City, Man Utd, Spurs and Chelsea in no particular order. It pains me to say that we are miles behind Spurs at the moment. And things will not get better even when Wenger leaves. He will leave us likely worse off than when he took over.

And with 100M worth of talent leaving for free next summer, we could become a mid-table team very quickly given our ownership situation. Wenger’s vision was based on the assumption of a rigorous FFP rule. This not only did not happen, but now with the TV money being thrown around, we have no advantage from the income generated by the Emirates. It’s not all lost though.

Kroenke must allow a new manager at least 200M to rebuild the team. Someone young is a must, not Ancelotti etc… The danger is that our inept board will likely hire Howe instead of someone like Tuchel… A worried Gunner!

Ahmad1973

 

GUNNERS ARE INFERIOR TO SO MANY TEAMS

I too would be inclined to say no.

Although I never really expected us to win the title in recent years,I still thought we’d be thereabouts.But I have to admit, this season is the first time I genuinely feel so inferior to our rivals.Again,Mainly because of the quality of the managers they have.

I see a lot of the other teams play.They play and perform better than us.I also feel they have so much more strength in depth as well.And when their managers are so much more animated and care much more than wenger than it’s really worrying.How can you possible defend someone who sits on that bench rather than instructing his players on the touchline more than ever before.

Wenger is an outdated manager.He’s out of ideas, hardly ever has a plan b.He dosen’t understand the modern game, and definitely dosen’t know what’s necessary to win a title.He simply needs to leave the club asap.

TheSpecialOne

 

LIVERPOOL LACK AGGRESSION AND LEADERSHIP AT THE BACK

Daniel Sturridge: Jamie Carragher doesn't know what his latest injury is

What we need now are nasty, aggressive, pure defenders like Carra or Hyppia. Van Dijk definitely fits the bill, and he shouts his head off organising the defence.

Ball players like Agger are nice to have but not the type of defender that will win us anything – just look at some of our main rivals like Utd or Chelsea and the aggressive defenders they have.

Don’t know about his aggression, but De Vrij is a defender in the purest sense, with his main attributes being positioning, tackling and concentration – essential for a top CB

Songman

 

WHAT TEAM SHOULD CHELSEA PLAY AGAINST ATLETICO?

Conte has some decisions to make ahead of the gam, with issues to address at CB, wing-back, out wide and does he start Cesc?

Has either Christensen or Rudiger earnt a start? Will Azi be deployed at wing back? Who partners Hazard out wide…Pedro or Willian? Does Zappacosta get a start as this European tie will be more to his liking? Apparently Luiz broke his wrist against the Goons but will be ready to face Atletico!! Wow. His suspension is domestic so if fit, he starts.

My team 3-4-3: Courts, Christensen, Luiz, Azi, Alonso, Zappacosta, Kante, Bakayoko, Pedro, Hazard and Morata. If Conte tried 3-5-2 then Cesc replaces Pedro with Hazard playing behind Morata.

Stuilse

 

A GREAT WIN FOR SPURS AT THE WEST HAM DOG TRACK!

I’ll take 3 points at the E.London dog track, Serge Aurier was a cert for a red and was surprised Mo didn’t put Trippier on as soon as he got the yellow.

Tight for the last 20 mins and always feared the worse,well done lads Rose,Dembele and Wanyama to come back so things are good.

Shinehead4

 

IT WILL GET BETTER FOR PALACE

Did not expect to win against MC, ask an inform Watford at home last week. OK in the first half and if it had gone in off the post it may have been all different. Now we do not have any strikers (Benteke) but on the other hand what has he done.

Lets use midfielders to do our scoring and use pace again, the Chelsea loanee could go up front with Zaha although we can’t put everything on Zaha’s shoulders.

We will get out of this. Parish I love for getting us here but it is his boob that we are now in this temp. position. D>B> just wanted to buy defenders in fact we could do with 2 strikers and a good winger. Why we are still playing a goalkeeper who parries a ball that was going wide straight into the path of a striker I don’t know. This is football, this is Palace, it WILL get better.

Punch Metz

 

STOKE FAR BETTER THAN 4-0 HAMMERING SUGGESTS

The score line flattered Chelsea as we played a lot better than the score suggests. We gave them three of the goals because of three poor moments and were punished for them. Had Marcos been sent off a he should have been we would probably scraped a draw, but it wasn’t to be. There is the usual load of gloom and doom on the Oatcake, but I was pleased with the overall performance.

Having a makeshift defence against any team in this league isn’t good, but against the likes of Chelsea the result, if not the score, was a foregone conclusion. Sadly, Johnson was yet again a liability and Joe Allen was ineffective.

Jese needs to be rested until he can relax over his new born son – flying backwards and forwards to Spain can’t be good preparation. There is a lot of talent there, but he has too much on his mind at the moment.

selbyStokie

 

I thought Chelsea were Clinical and Cynical sums them up yesterday.

Chelsea deserved the win by a 2 goal margin have been fair. Morata (a great talent) took his goals well and had he been on Stoke side i suspect Stoke would have won. Yes Stoke gave the ball away 3 times but Pedros finish was class and Morata first two so clinical.

The early goal let Chelsea sit back so we played ok without creating great chances and needed a bit luck to get a goal.

The start of the second half Chelsea gamesmanship and the Mike Dean show or lack of it helped them (What would the decisons have been at the Bridge). Going down pretending injuries and kicking and throwing the ball away should have been picked up on by Dean. The allowing Alonso to stay on the pitch and being unable to see Cahills block/foul on MCM in the area (clear as day from my seat) but not Deans angle yet he spotted the goal kick Chelsea delibrately took short to retake again but no time wastings warnings.

The last ten minutes Chelsea could have had a field day.

A decent side Chelsea but you can understand why they do not have many neutral fans.

clitheroekid