Ronald Koeman discussion

[Khalekan]

The irony hasn't been lost on me either Khal : in trying to stimulate debate, Dave's 'red rag to a bull' style actually killed it.
Bit like the US army's strategy in the Vietnam War whereby "to save the village from Communism, we had to burn it down"

lol

 

[Joey66]

Nope.

Lukaku was resting after the Euros.

Gerald started as a lone striker and nearly scored a few.

In fact, the first half we were all over them.

Of course, Koeman had let Pochetino and the rest of the world know two days previously that we were "only 75% fit" and Spurs pulverised in the second half.

Stek indeed saved us a couple times.

we did manage a shot at goal then?lol

 

[bignev23]

Based on today's evidence he could do worse

Personally I think he made a clanger by bringing in so many new faces in one window, I don't think that's ever been a successful strategy anywhere ever and it also raised expectations for most fans rightly or wrongly. Factor in the loss of Lukaku which is massive for us and I'm willing to give him time to get HIS team performing at a decent level, the dream of it all clicking together from the off is over though.

 

[ijjysmith]

We set up that way because we don't have the balance. I didn't rate Lukaku, but at least with him you had a plan that can work and the whole side was geared towards him.

But now? We built a side geared to a hold up player, and didn't bring the hold up player in.

No side can play top quality opposition being hamstrung in that way and expect to compete. Rooney is a technical playmaker at this point in his career, Sandro is untested in the league and DCL is too young to be relied on week in week out. The players behind the striker such as Sigurdsson and Klaassen are all the type of player who rely on a Llorente-type player to succeed. To only have Giroud as a target is bad enough, but I don't think that was true - I think we had to sell Barkley to bring in Jimenez, which is worse.

We're hamstrung; that's the best word to describe it.

I agree. So why is he setting it up that way.

Using City as, an admittedly extreme example as we are light years away from them of course, they played with Jesus and Aguero up top today. Neither could hold a sock up let alone a football but they still looked excellent.

With our plethora of midfielders maybe we should try and mimic that style with Sandro and DCL? Obviously way crapper than City but they might have a crack at goal. Maybe.

 

[roydo]

To only have Giroud as a target is bad enough, but I don't think that was true - I think we had to sell Barkley to bring in Jimenez, which is worse.

The evidence does seem to support that Tubes.

 

[Khalekan]

we did manage a shot at goal then?lol

lol

 

[Trout Masked Replica]

This is Koeman's team and it's very poor.

 

[a bell maul]

We're hamstrung alright...and it's a grade 3 soft tissue injury

 

[a bell maul]

I agree. So why is he setting it up that way.

Using City as, an admittedly extreme example as we are light years away from them of course, they played with Jesus and Aguero up top today. Neither could hold a sock up let alone a football but they still looked excellent.

With our plethora of midfielders maybe we should try and mimic that style with Sandro and DCL? Obviously way crapper than City but they might have a crack at goal. Maybe.

Not a bad suggestion mate; hell, we have to try something new. The style/set up to date has been turgid awfulness

 

[Tubey]

I agree. So why is he setting it up that way.

Using City as, an admittedly extreme example as we are light years away from them of course, they played with Jesus and Aguero up top today. Neither could hold a sock up let alone a football but they still looked excellent.

With our plethora of midfielders maybe we should try and mimic that style with Sandro and DCL? Obviously way crapper than City but they might have a crack at goal. Maybe.

Spot on. We need now to stop shoehorning in too many players who play centrally and rely on technical movement in tight areas with the width coming from the full backs, because it won't work.

Even if it means dropping the likes of Sigurdsson or Rooney, we have to get the right balance in so we can compete properly and cohesively.

But ultimately I can't ignore that I can see exactly what Koeman was going for, and therefore place the blame largely on Moshiri for letting him and us down so badly through his blatant lies.

 

[ijjysmith]

Spot on. We need now to stop shoehorning in too many players who play centrally and rely on technical movement in tight areas with the width coming from the full backs, because it won't work.

Even if it means dropping the likes of Sigurdsson or Rooney, we have to get the right balance in so we can compete properly and cohesively.

But ultimately I can't ignore that I can see exactly what Koeman was going for, and therefore place the blame largely on Moshiri for letting him and us down so badly through his blatant lies.

I would drop Rooney. From a bloody great height.

 

[sheedys left foot]

Regardless of the opposition that is pretty inexcusable after the amounts spent.

Back when we were everloan that would have been inexcusable.

We're clueless at the minute and I don't buy the whole "they need time to gel" nonsense

 

[Blue Juice]

If your main tactic is hoofing and crossing it to a giant , why would you leave the key part of your plan to the very very end. We spent months chasing siggy to provide crosses and assists, then seemingly left 1 week to get someone in to convert.

No matter how much lukaku wanted to leave it was absolutely bizarre to let him go so early. End of the day he had two years left on his contract. Sign a replacement that fits the desired system THEN let him go.

Unless it was actually sell to buy, but even so why would you sell and then buy a tonne of players that don't fit the system you want to play?

 

[bignev23]

We won the possession though...

 

[navidson]

He won't drop Sigurdsson

We wasted most of the transfer window chasing him instead of a striker - Why would the moon-headed tactical genius do something as dramatic as dropping one player for another more appropriate player?

Jonjoe says hi by the way