Wearyourblue

Var and ref got baited there. Don't think it should have been a red. Botman stepped into contact to let the ball go past him. Look where he stepped into Jackoson compared to where it landed. Obviously Jackson was an idiot for jumping that early as well for a ball he'd never get.

Or maybe Maresca now trusts his team to win the ball and give Palmer the freedom to roam, with Enzo, Caicedo and Lavia surrounding him. Some people think we played open until Maresca's tactics took over, maybe we played more open when Lavia and Fofana were fit, because we could deal with the consequences of opening up.

Neto shooting right at the keeper

I think his position is fine, I think we get nothing out of some attacking players. As bad as Sterling was here, and Mudryk had his struggles, both paired much better with Palmer than Sancho or Nkunku. Played together with: Matches PPG Joint goal participation Minutes Nicolas Jackson Centre-Forward 55 1.71 12 3.914 Noni Madueke Right Winger 43 1.88 8 2.373 Enzo Fernández Central Midfield 51 1.65 6 3.651 Raheem Sterling Right Winger 26 1.50 5 1.410 Mykhaylo Mudryk Left Winger 31 1.74 3 1.308 Jadon Sancho Left Winger 24 1.83 3 1.422 Moisés Caicedo Defensive Midfield 61 1.77 2 4.805 Marc Cucurella Left-Back 48 1.88 2 3.844 Levi Colwill Centre-Back 45 1.64 1 3.532 Christopher Nkunku Centre-Forward 33 1.79 1 1.062

I really miss Guiu in these games.

I get some of the complaints... but where would we be if we had prime Hazard on this team? We'd be really entertaining and we'd be competing for at least 2nd IMHO. Sure Maresca hasn't been perfect, but we have one player that can create goals on his own (and he's in a slump). Despite all of that we're tied for third in goal differential. Most fans wouldn't disagree we could use a striker upgrade, a left wing upgrade, a goal keeper upgrade and one center back, yet we're third in GD, he can't be that terrible. Anyone saying Potter level? we were -9 GD that season, with a much more experienced attacking unit

Sanchez paying attention to his dopple

Nkunku, just doesn't come back fast enough for a ball ever...makes our decent entry balls look like rubbish

Also sad we have more post about Felix and Mudryk than we do Azpi.

That volley...miss him.

That's what Argentina do so well... force mistakes, the deep player makes the run, Enzo saw him right away, the GK was held on his line, until he saw too late that the runner was behind. We need our players to catch up to that. Palmer is good off the ball, Neto is decent off the ball. Sancho and Madueke never have creative runs. Jackson's only good runs off the ball are in behind the defence away from the box. I like Guiu's in the box movement, but he still lack in other areas. I mean our fans that complain about watching our football, also complain about Enzo, yet he's clearly a huge piece of IMO the most fun national side to watch right now. Here's exactly what I mean about the board terribly underrating the guy: "Jesus, let's not wax lyrical.....Fernandez's best comparison is Billy Gilmour"

Poch's system has always been so reliant on the 9. Enzo plays best in movement football. Such a beautiful assist though. I feel like Enzo is becoming the anti- Mason Mount. Mount to me is the most overrated player by this board, and Enzo the most underrated.

Schweinsteiger is the guy you can immediately recognize from his calves

I understand our board and recruitment hasn't been perfect, but what player have they sold for profit that would have fit into the teams 3 year plan for profit?

Cucurella now has more goals this season.

neto spending more time high and cristo out wide made them both better

Colwill is just too soft and filters up the line

Thought Cowill was worse on the second, and the third than Chalobah

I may be alone on this... but I think the best striker on our team would be Reece James.

"Another example of a limited modern manager with one system he will use regardless of whether or not he has the players for it. Whatever happened to looking at what you have, and THEN deciding on the best way to set up to try and actually win football matches ?" If you're building a long term projerct.. I think you start getting the players to fit the system.

So the common view seems to be, our GK's not good enough, our strikers not good enough, our center backs aren't good enough, and our wingers aren't good enough. But we're top 4. A new manager needs new players. I see Maresca as at least a good manager... if we know we can get a great one make a move...if not keep rolling with Maresca.

This is why we need a new winger, this is why later noni and acheampong were subbed off. Neto and Sancho don't go to goal near enough, and that's the only thing Noni does.

What's Enzo's job? Apparently to some fans he must do everything. He presses, then recovers to the box to win the ball, then starts the counter, joins the counter,sees Noni, press the goal keeper all by himself in a very undisciplined way, so he has to sprint all the way back to defend the left back, forces a pass, then wins the ball again, hits it down the line, which Noni bounces it out for a throw, then Noni doesn't defend at all. You can see Cole point to Jackson, to defend the man in the middle, Jackson is late... but all of these fans want to blame Enzo, when for the prior 2 minutes, he did almost everything. And others can't win a single ball.

City are basically skipping the midfield, and slotting balls over the top.

If Jackson were two footed he could have hit left.