Someone tell Tuchel you don’t win football matches with % of possession.

Not even 1 shot on target in that whole half…

As WHU are sitting take off Pulisic and Gallagher also RLC as a card risk.

Suggest Broja and Havertz or Mount and Jorginho.

 

Puli off for Broja, please! Other than that, you can see that players do not click yet. Gallagher and James don’t seem to understand each other. Loftus-Cheek too slow to release the ball at times. No one making runs between the lines other than Sterling (who’s the only quality so far up front). But a very solid defensive line so far. The team just doesn’t work together so far. It will need time to, but I’m not sure we’ve got that time to spare. We need to grind the win.

7 minutes ago, IliyaKrostin said:

Someone have a proper link for the game? 

 

http://1stream.top/soccer/MjQ4MTAzNTQy?sport=soccer

I just have to watch the City game later in the evening to see some proper football.

All the new guys are a shoe-in to start at this rate.

RLC, Gallagher and Pulisic all need to go in January. None of them are good enough for where we aspire to be ... and we need to bin this 5 at the back when we are at home now that we have centre backs that can play as a pair.

Take a centre back off, 3 of them marking one player is a complete waste, we all can see west ham have came with a deep defence and midfield wanting to catch us on the break after 5 minutes yet we persist with 3 centre backs.

1 minute ago, mwblue10 said:

I think that’s more due to the team selection.

Nah. We’ve seen this too many times before regardless of the selection. Has that forward line received any service? I see players making runs. Nothing but back passes and slowing play down. Everything builds up through the wingbacks. It’s so predictable and damned slow.

Just count the number of one-touch passes that half.

Patience is required (all season)

Moyes might finally have recreated his Jagielka/Distin centre-back partnership. Dawson was a little too much fun to be a convincing replica of the former.

We are playing into West Ham's hands. If they continue to sit so deep and show so little ambition in possession then we need more players forward, and more specifically someone who can actually link play between the midfield and the attack. Sterling and Pulisic have tried, but there haven't been enough other players up there with them to actually do anything with the ball. It would also be nice to have a forward who could physically compete with Zouma and Kehrer, but I don't think anybody in the squad is capable of that. (Havertz is probably the closest fit).

If we're going to play a 3-5-2 in the future, then Mount really has to be one of the three. Gallagher has many qualities, but his positioning is that of a much more orthodox central midfielder. I don't think any individual player has been bad, but we do need a tactical tweak for the second half. It would make the most sense tactically to bring on Mount for Gallagher (he is also the player out of himself, Kovačić and Loftus-Cheek who is least comfortable in a midfield two), but Loftus-Cheek's yellow card may make him the primary candidate. We should also look to get Chilwell on for Cucurella (who is also on a yellow) at some point: less direct and unpredictable in possession but probably more intelligent with it and better technically.

Good at least that Fofana has been able to get a relatively calm, controlled debut. No reason we can't go on and win this if we make the right changes.

3 minutes ago, jbdiver said:

Just count the number of one-touch passes that half.

Tbf that relies on having players with the talent to play 1 touch passes.

Pulisic and RLC haven't played a 1 touch pass in their careers. Not sure about Gallagher technically either.

But Ruben in particular wants 5 extra touches every time he gets the ball.

Edited September 3, 20223 yr by HazardousChoice

3 minutes ago, RMH said:

Puli off for Broja, please! Other than that, you can see that players do not click yet. Gallagher and James don’t seem to understand each other. Loftus-Cheek too slow to release the ball at times. No one making runs between the lines other than Sterling (who’s the only quality so far up front). But a very solid defensive line so far. The team just doesn’t work together so far. It will need time to, but I’m not sure we’ve got that time to spare. We need to grind the win.

Don't agree with the point about making runs. Puli, Sterling and Gallagher have made a number of runs....as always though, we fail to play the ball, preferring instead to play sideways or back. possession for the sake of possession 

I remember seeing Tuchel screaming at Gallagher for not playing direct - How about f*cking everybody else? No need to be targeting him for that.

I'd go to a 4-2-3-1 for the second half.

Mendy

James - Fofana - Koulibaly/Silva - Cucurella

Jorginho - Kovacic

Mount - Havertz - Sterling

Broja

 

One CB, RLC, Gallagher and Pulisic off, and Jorginho, Mount, Havertz and Broja on.

5th sub probably Chilwell for Cucurella if we haven't scored by 75th minute.

 

Opposition goalkeepers playing against us.

70% possession and 0 shots on target shows that Tuchel needs to buy Alex Sandro as we fully depend on our full-backs to be the match winners, @TomCFC85 was right all along.

I’ve pre-empted my nap at half time by removing my contact lenses. Night night. 

3 minutes ago, jbdiver said:

Nah. We’ve seen this too many times before regardless of the selection. Has that forward line received any service? I see players making runs. Nothing but back passes and slowing play down. Everything builds up through the wingbacks. It’s so predictable and damned slow.

Just count the number of one-touch passes that half.

Thank you.. it definitely isn’t the players. It is the same thing no matter who he picks; pass it around in a circle, get it wide to James who gets to the byline & crosses it in. Rinse & repeat.

Thing is, even if we score one, I fully expect an 86th min equaliser 

Why are people surprised by the score we are playing 5 defenders 3 midfielders and 2 wingers.. SMFH.. 

Kova's dribbling could be the key to unlock this yet he needs ball players to spray one touch quick return passes to dribble and then get fouled. With a resulting free-kick in a dangerous area.

 

I take it I have missed nothing then?

Just now, Scott Harris said:

I take it I have missed nothing then?

My cat turned up. 

10 minutes ago, DarkMata said:

I’m convinced we’d be better if we brought Lukaku, Werner, and Alonso on for the second half.

Werner was a nightmare....for the linesman. I'm sure the linemen would all get very tired flagging his every run.

1 minute ago, Scott Harris said:

I take it I have missed nothing then?

I’m currently drinking a cup of tea