T-1000 174 Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 47 minutes ago, Frankie said: One longer term issue may be the injury to Jack who was again immense tonight and we missed him when he went off. That made a bad night even worse. Should mean an opportunity for King though. I was surprised that King did not come on when Ryan Jack had to go off. I felt he would have added a bit of calmness to midfield and it would have meant that Arfield could remain as one of the front three. With respect to Tav, although his performances have not matched those of last season if Flanagan was used as right back we would lose some attacking flair. Polster might be an alternative but we have not had much opportunity to see if he can perform at a consistently high level and provide an offensive threat. Finally, when we saw the group we were in it was apparent that it was going to be tight and after two games we still have all to play for though it would be useful to get a result in the next match against Porto. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFK-1 1,693 Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFK-1 1,693 Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 850 Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 6 hours ago, Frankie said: I think we have four fine centre halves. Each has their pros and cons so the suggestion that one is somehow above the others isn't the best argument in my view. IMO it could come down to partnerships. Playing two centre halves means they need such a good understanding of each other. I dont think we have had the time to 'trial' which two would eventually be the best two together despite having a lot of pre season friendlies as Edmundson and Helander came in late. Our only chance is league cup and u-23 games but it would also be a risk in the event of any injury. So for me SG starts Goldson as experience every time and is rotating Katic and Helander. The latter may also need time to settle and adapt. FWIW Katic starts first every time for me. A back 3 doesnt seem to enter SG philosophy but with Tav out of form at the moment it could have been an option. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Artagnan 173 Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 (edited) 12 hours ago, Frankie said: Let's not blame the rest of the defence for the goals Tav cost us alone. Other than a couple of half-chances due to the midfield giving the ball away in the first half our defence played fine and I actually had Barisic as my man of the match. So disappointing Frankie, having appearing to solved the problem on the left side of defence. we now appear to have a new problem on the right side. Tired of hearing about Tav's goals & assist count - his primary role is to defend. Edited October 4, 2019 by D'Artagnan 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
compo 7,038 Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 Let's look forward to our next match against Hamilton we can moan and groan forever but it won't change the result. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rousseau 10,607 Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 Gutted. I thought this would be a really tough game, but they did nothing. I've since learned that they were a tad depleted, I think? It was a good opportunity to set ourselves up well in the group. They'll be better in the reverse fixture, unfortunately. We defended well, to be fair, which is usually the case in Europe. I thought Helander and Barasic were superb; both suit the European game. Goldson was okay, generally; not great, but okay. Ojo... there's a talent there, but... Arfield was good. I thought Stewart was decent too: he showed flashes of being able to create something, but it was not enough, however. Two brain farts sums it up. Strangely, I still wouldn't drop Tavernier. Yes, he's not been as good as last season, and he's always got a mistake in him, but he's just too important to the team. I can't explain it. My take aways are: Goldson needs to practice heading the ball DOWN, and Tavernier needs to practice defending long balls over the top. And, Ojo needs direction: he needs to be told, roughly, what to do in any given situation, taking the initiative out of his hands. Gutted. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rousseau 10,607 Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 Going forward, I think Kent will replace Ojo in the team. We're almost 'forced' to play him at the moment. Jones is still missing too -- which completely slipped my mind until now. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie 8,562 Posted October 4, 2019 Author Share Posted October 4, 2019 We have Barker as well but they're quite different in terms of style. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill 13,717 Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 I don’t think we will achieve much in the EL this year. We’re capable of being successful at this level but as long as key players continue to make basic errors in defence and sacrifice results in the process, we will struggle to be the team we want to be. All players have a performance limit they find difficult to breach and I believe Tavernier might have found his. Much as he’s been a pillar of our progress to date, it looks increasingly like he’s not going to be part of the rest of our journey ... which is a huge pity. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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