2022/23 Frank Lampard

[billyblue80]

It doesn't matter how "arsed" you are if the front players go to press and the backline drops off you're going to get cut to ribbons at this level. The tactical side is a shambles and this is the highest level. Effort can't fix it.

I don't disagree the tactics are ridiculous and that's on FL no doubt, emptying the midfield and leaving Gana as a sole six, so easy to play through, but have you seen some of the press we did? Just jogging towards the opposition players the lack of application and the tactics led to a horrific performance.

 

[billyblue80]

Weve gone from Moshiri's "Fab Four" (Bolasie, Sigurdsson, Tosun, Rooney) to a new Sexy Six (Gray, Gordon, Maupay, Iwobi, McNeil, Dominic Calvert-Lewin).

"The more things change the more they stay the same"

8pts behind the RS (Salah, Diaz, Nunez, Firminho, Carvalho, Jota) and 7pts behind Chelsea (Aubameyang, Ziyech, Pullisic, Broja, Sterling, Havertz, Mount)


Ive noticed a number of posts saying that our midfielders should be scoring more goals.

In 2021/22 Fabinho (5) and Keita (3) + Jorginho (6) and James (5) were the non-forward top league goalscorers for those two sides.

Midfielders at RS and Chelsea DO NOT REGULARLY SCORE GOALS.

Thelwell needs to sell players to generate funds to buy 3 top notch attackers.

Its that simple.

But we has DCL, Richy, James, Sig, Bernard, Digne as our main creators/threat eighteen months ago after the Fab four. Now none of those play they've all been sold apart from DCL who is permanently injured. Agree we need forwards desperately but we also need creativity.

 

[billyblue80]

Gana and Onana don’t look like they’ll be a goal threat, don’t have that natural composure/aren’t the cleanest strikers.

Iwobi is one who we might expect to score goals, having been a forward previously. Though he doesn’t really look like a regular goal scorer either. Hard to coach goal scoring in to players who don’t have the instinct - it’s what you pay the big bucks for!

It’s another area of the team that is majorly lacking though, I agree. 14 games playing a midfield three and one goal between them - that isn’t sustainable and needs looked at seriously. It might be that it’s a change of personnel required in future transfer windows to add goal threat.

Garner needs to come into the team and we need another creative midfielder

 

[Alan Whittle]

@Alan Whittle care to inform them?

All I’m saying is; Chico and @St James; You never see them together. You see what I’m saying here? Geddit?

 

[Moomin]

All I’m saying is; Chico and @St James; You never see them together. You see what I’m saying here? Geddit?

He does have form for this.

@brumblue the Birmingham fan and he was also the Swansea one.

The Swansea one did rile up more people.

 

[billyblue80]

We haven't scored from a corner this season apparently :/

 

[Alan Whittle]

He does have form for this.

@brumblue the Birmingham fan and he was also the Swansea one.

The Swansea one did rile up more people.

He’s got more form that the the Great Train Robbers. He’s bang to rights.

 

[davek]

I reckon Mohiri will give Frank another transfer window and see how he goes till February. Then
if its still crap appoint a panic manager and hope for the best and my guess that manager would be Sean
Dyche.

Frank bought Maupay and Dwight. Sackable offences. Nonetheless I hope Frank gets it right coz the club needs
stability and continuance and I'm sure Moshiri is sick of paying off failures who laugh all the way to the bank
in the Virgin Islands.

The board basically told him: "Here's a few quid to fill the squad out and revamp the team in defence, midfield and attack"...which he tried to with two-thirds of the cash brought in from Richarlison...then they told him to sell another of the best players from his first season here like Gordon if he wanted to give himself a chance of doing it all with quality replacements. Selling two who he'd relied massively on was a bridge too far for Lampard and so we ended up with this attack.

For that reason I wont judge Lampard too early. I want to see what happens when he's allowed to use his second transfer window to improve the attack as well.

Lampard cant be judged in the same way we'd judge Koeman or Silva or Ancelotti, who all had loads to spend.

 

[davek]

Garner needs to come into the team and we need another creative midfielder

Has he looked all that great to you so far?

I was expecting more of an impact tbh.

 

[MikeH72]

He does have form for this.

@brumblue the Birmingham fan and he was also the Swansea one.

The Swansea one did rile up more people.

Chico was @BrianSwan? This is brand new information to me.

 

[toffee-L]

Now that the dust has settled (slightly) since our back to back maulings by the mighty Bournemouth, I go into the World Cup break with a more than a hint of trepidation towards the manager's future. I believe he's had a disaster with the last two games especially and has put himself in an extremely invidious position with both his actions and his words.

To rail against our second string players, who are known to be diabolical by anyone with a memory longer than 5 minutes, only for your first teamers to come back in and stick the place out just as badly reflected badly on him as he tried to pass the blame.

We all know that we've got a poor squad, but I was encouraged by the effort we were putting games earlier in the season, even ones that didn't go our way. That effort was completely missing at the Vitality and our players can't hide behind the World Cup excuse as there's only about 3 of them going and one is a goalkeeper. It's a possible sign that Frank is losing the dressing room. The way he's used Idrissa Gueye recently harkens back to his baffling use of Ngolo Kante at Chelsea, he is overcomplicating an incredibly basic squad.

He must galvanise the players over this break, it's vital he gets them back on side and that we add attacking quality to our ranks as soon as the January window opens. It would be a travesty after the relief of last season and the groundswell of support he had from the fanbase if his term ended here with a whimper. He needs to do better and I am really hopeful that he does.

 

[Moomin]

Chico was @BrianSwan? This is brand new information to me.

That's the one.

Thought he was banned.

 

[Zatara]

Can you explain this paragraph to me please Zat?

The RS and Chelsea forward lines (that score loads of gosls).

While our forward line does not (massive gulf in quality.

Their midfielders dont score many...like ours.

Ergo the major difference is the forward lines of RS/Chelsea compared to ours.

We buy 3 top forwards and I imagine were in a similar or superior position in the table to RS/Chelsea.

But we has Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richy, James, Sig, Bernard, Digne as our main creators/threat eighteen months ago after the Fab four. Now none of those play they've all been sold apart from Dominic Calvert-Lewin who is permanently injured. Agree we need forwards desperately but we also need creativity.

Would you say that the RS and Chelsea midfielders are especially creative?

Id say the difference are the front 3.

 

[billyblue80]

Has he looked all that great to you so far?

I was expecting more of an impact tbh.

He's shown he can keep the ball in that pivot and also has a shot on him and can take a set piece. Deserves a go in my view shame he was injured Saturday.

 

[billyblue80]

The RS and Chelsea forward lines (that score loads of gosls).

While our forward line does not (massive gulf in quality.

Their midfielders dont score many...like ours.

Ergo the major difference is the forward lines of RS/Chelsea compared to ours.

We buy 3 top forwards and I imagine were in a similar or superior position in the table to RS/Chelsea.



Would you say that the RS and Chelsea midfielders are especially creative?

Id say the difference are the front 3.

Don't disagree but their wkngbacks are exceptionally creative almost like wingers and their forwards make their own chances or for each other. We don't have one forward that does that they're all reliant on service bar the odd bit of luck from Gray/Gordon