This.
Siggy always had the reputation of disappearing in games but still managed to score and make the odd excellent pass. This season he's not doing that.
Schdeiderlin offers nothing going forward and isn't even a good defender. Seems like he gets booked every game, but not for an aggressive challenge or a sound tactical foul - it's just petulant, like he's pouty that he's been beaten by his man.
Tosun is slow. He looked like he was carrying a piano on his back yesterday.
None of these guys have their best days ahead of them. They're in their decline. Siggy has fallen off a cliff. Schneiderlin doesn't look fit for the PL at all, let alone at a club with aspirations. Tosun has had his moments but isn't going to get any better. Coleman is another one whose best days are behind him. Have to add Walcott too.
Play the kids. Holgate was poor, yesterday, but DCL and especially Iwobi looked better than anyone else on the pitch when they came on. Holgate, Mina, Davies, Iwobi, Kean, Calvert-Lewin, Kenny if/when we get him back, Gordon, Baningime - all of these guys want to establish themselves and make themselves stars. Davies and Iwobi have holes in their games but FFS they both fight to get forward. Arsene Wenger once said (I think it was him) that points in the table are the price you pay for bedding in young players, since they're going to make mistakes. But I feel very strongly that I'd much rather watch players with growth potential and young legs fight like hell and maybe lose or draw on youthful errors, than watch a side of expensive players looking over their shoulder at their best days play fearfully.
I've been a Silva defender and holding out hope for improvement but not anymore. Starting Siggy over Iwobi, when Iwobi at the 10 gave us our best showing of the season against West Ham, in a must-win game against the dead-last side in the league, with a brutal run of fixtures coming up, and his job on the line - failing to give Kean a start against a bad team that doesn't even have its best XI available - giving those spots to Siggy and Tosun -
AND THEN complaining about the lack of pace and mobility?
That's actively inviting failure. That's managing out of fear.
I can't see how he stays. Canning him will be hugely disruptive. I don't see a choice after that atrocity.
