09 Feb 2015 14:07:44
I generally think we will just fall over the line this season and get CL football and have a go at winning the FA cup. I think the manager knows this too which would explain why we are seeing different types of set ups and formations. It all boils down to one thing: The manager doesn't have faith in the current set of players to deliver his style of football and get us in the CL this season.

It is foolish in the extreme to say the manager and his staff do not know what they are doing. They see the players everyday. They know the problems as well.

It seems to me that the decision to play with a defensive mentality was took after we lost to leicester. Before that, we were playing a very attacking system. But that defeat must have been a rude awakening for the manager. For he was probably told that his minimum requirment this season was to get the team back into the CL. Thus, the manager has made us hard to beat; and probably thought that with the strikers and attacking quality we have, we could still score goals. Now, IMO, that has definitely transpired to a degree: We are harder to beat and have won a lot of games down to individual qualities.

I understand that people are not happy with some of the performances ( I say some because not all are as bad as some make out. There has actually been some very good performances over the last few months) but I think that some should just take a step back and try to understand that the manager is probably under huge pressure to get the team back in the CL. Thus the manager, knowing that he doesn't have the team he wants to properly implement his style of play, has opted to look at every game on an individual basis and sacrificed his own beleifs in order to get the team back in the CL.

That is just my thoughts. I don't by all the stuff about him making big calls based on his ego.

1.) 11 Feb 2015
11 Feb 2015 13:51:05
we need to play a winning game first. we all know some of our squads are not up to standard and some are low with confidence and seem confused. Winning will boost their confidence and is crucial for our back 4 and strikers. Then we can focus on playing beautiful football. Some players like De ghea does his job and at the end of the day, all other players to mature and do their jobs. forget the performance for now. they will follow. We've got some quality players. we just need to juggle around a little more.