too many older players in midfield?

[Elong]

we drew, we should have won... get over it.

Oh okay fair enough.

STOP POSTING EVERYONE, JUST GET OVER IT LADS, NO NEED FOR THE FORUM TONIGHT

 

[Boss_Blue]

I have heard all the stuff about whether or not we are fit enough and whether that is why we lost four points out of two games that should have been put to bed easily.

I called after sixty minutes that we were in big trouble in both games but I think it may be a little easy to say that we are not fully match fit.

Barry (who I thought was excellent today), Osman and Pienaar are not 90 minute players at premier league pace anymore. Distin struggles to keep concentration. Having two midfielders that have to be replaced because of lack of stamina starting a game severely curtails your options for subs later.

Four or five transfer windows under Moyes where we had no money for squad strenthening are starting to show the effects feared.

Nope

Maybe Barry and McCarthy are too alike - its our central defensive pairing is our downfall at the moment!

Nope

Distin struggles.

Maybe

You need a blend of youth and experience though. Barry and McCarthy give us that in the engine room. Pienaar having to go off was unlucky, normally Ossie might have only come on after 70 mins. Barkley being out means we're relying on our more experienced players than we would do normally. Stones will get game time over the course of the season so I'm not overly concerned about the age profile of our top 16 to 18.

Yep

 

[Zatara]

I like seeing young players with potential in the team, ive always promoted that.

Hibbert / Alcaraz / Distin / Barry / Pienaar / Osman /Kone

Ignoring their abilities, they will need replacing.

 

[riddick]

Maybe Barry and McCarthy are too alike - its our central defensive pairing is our downfall at the moment!

I dunno(about Barry/McCarthy being the same), i thought the best delivered balls today were from Barry. I just dont see how you could take one out and be on par. I have to be honest tho, Martinez has been quite poor with his substitutes, and that is being a bit generous.

 

[Chang Elephant]

Need to jettison Osman and start playing Besic. No midfield cover/tackling/running from the Skem midget.

 

[alpha1]

An argument could be made that the 2 centre backs are getting too old as well!
I wanted us to bring in somebody like Martins-Indi to bring youth and skills to the defence but it wasn't to be and I also believe we need to bring in somebody up front to help out there.
The midfield does have some older players but I believe we can solve that by making sensible substitutions i.e. Besic, Oviedo

 

[Saint Domingo]

Barry and McCarthy were unbelievable yesterday considering they were up against the likes of Ramsey and Wilshere, completely shut them out the game. When the forward players tired though thete was no cover on the flanks and they got overworked. We couldnt stop the pressure coming onto our pathetic centreback pairing then.

 

[Quim]

we drew, we should have won... get over it.

Top blue alert

 

[Jayhow15]

With this and the Distin/Jagz thread, you'd think we were on the brink of relegation.

People need to look at our start objectively and without their blue tinted specs on. Even if we get beat off Chelsea i dont think there is a great need to panic. Its early doors. Same number of points as at this time last year and look how that worked out !!!

 

[zirc]

Perhaps Besic is crap.

BUT HE DID A BOSS TURN I SAW ON VINE LAD.

Not bothered about his fancy turns but I saw him put himself about controlling midfield in the WC and that's exactly what we've needed in the last third of both these games

 

[Jayhow15]

Not bothered about his fancy turns but I saw him put himself about controlling midfield in the WC and that's exactly what we've needed in the last third of both these games

Yeah that game needed seeing out. Once Rom went off we had nothing up top to retain ball, and then it came back too easily. With the greatest will in the world Atsu, Ozzie (legs had gone by then) Naisy and Geads were never gonna do that, crying out for Besic to be that "dog of war" if you like and put himself about last 10 !

 

[N.S.N.O.]

we kept playing a 4-3-3 in the second half yesterday, when a 4-5-1 would have helped us control the game....we kept things far too open when at 2-0 we didn't need to....you can still attack plenty with a 4-5-1 (particularly counter attack)....
Martinez changes made no sense to me either...mcgeady & astu were changes you want to make if we were chasing the game....besic should have come on for Osman or Barry who were tiring...Mirallas still looked ok when he went off, thought he could have played up front with lukaku coming off earlier (at one point Baines made a great run and put in a cross, and lukaku was standing 15 yards outside the box)

 

[Walken]

if someone could just set osman on fire, I can't help but feel a lot of our problems will just go away

 

[Carlito]

I like Barry and McCarthy but I think they sit too deep, which becomes a problem when Barkley isn't available.

Osman had some good moments yesterday but can't carry the ball fast enough. Martinez needs to find another attacking option in centre midfield before the window closes.

 

[Ihaters]

Everyone who was fine last year are still fine, its just our pre season sucked and we played two good teams.
Look at how much Lukaku has improved from the first game, McCarthy and Barry were immense last year, and you know what, after a couple of months out, they are not suddenly pants, they are simply not match fit.

Besic should of been used to cover the lack of fitness near the end of the game but Martinez rarely does anything except change the striker and wingers unless there is an injury. It worked last season and there will be plenty of times it works again this season.

People need to stop yearning for defensive closing down of a game, after the sheer volume of threads moaning about that happening under his predecessor, its just a different way of working, give it time we'll be back on track in no time.

Every competitive game will see our players fitness improving again, and at the same time a reduction in mistakes as a result, that includes Osman, Distin, Jagielka, Stones, everyone.

Still can't believe we conceded 2 in the last 10 mins though ffs. RM has to take a lot of the responsibility for that imo but I am certain its not a sign of declining players.

Losing Barkley certainly hasn't helped as well.