shurlock

This drivel is a non sequitur on so many levels.

Koeman given any postmatch interviews yet?

Lot of balls hung up there which Mane has no chance of winning (would have liked to see Jrod go up top). Say what you will about Pelle, we're very reliant on some kind of target man.

True. Not just limited to his crossing. Likes to release people early. Think our first goal against Feyenoord came from something similar.

#Moneyball

Caulker all over the place, twice there.

We're playing alright on the whole. Our left side's gone missing at times; but like how we're pressing them.

This lot's much sharper than the dutch dross we've been playing.

Don't disagree -and it's not like he hasn't been getting into good positions (how he didn't score against Spurs at home is still mindboggling). But it's not a reason to drop him. I would be more worried if the other parts of his game started to go, even if he was chipping in with goals.

What do you mean, can't carry him? He's not our main striker or even Mané or Tadic. Even the idea of an AM is a misnomer under Koeman as he doesn't set us up to be open and adventurous. Davis ticks the right boxes in that regard: first and foremost, he helps us maintain our shape but is sufficiently good on the ball and plays with his head up that we're able to transition quickly from defense to attack. By contrast, a player like Eriksen who's liable to go missing for large periods of a game and offers little defensively, is a poor fit. Until Juanmi shows he can drop back and help the other two CMs and has the IQ to link defense and attack in the same way, he won't be playing in that position, especially away from home. Against Vitesse, the team seemed to lose some cohesion when Juanmi took on that role and Davis moved back.

Who's more mobile -Pelle or Lambert?

Can definitely see why Davis did it. Vitesse were breaking but play seemed pretty far out (iirc) for Davis to have to take the player out.

He looked very good going forward but I want my fullbacks first and foremost to defend. Lets see how he is positionally and in one-on-ones before banking the profit.

Oh dear, MLG, what a mare. Leaving a trail of destruction and edits behind you. Put it down to preseason.

What game were you watching? It's not like Yoshida hit a ball into the middle, leaving us open. He also took a look before clearing. The ball was cut out near the touchline - an area of the pitch where things are usually dealt with (do you actually believe in analytics or are you happy to reason backwards and fit the data when it suits yoy?). Frankly, Davis (already on a silly yellow iirc) should have been stronger - his challenge had hallmarks of Leicester's opener and Fonte should have been quicker to sense the danger as he got turned way too easily. Numerous things, including Yoshida's initial clearance, can be identified and picked apart; then again, you don't see the whole picture.

Cheers - got to think it's going to be difficult for sampdoria, slovan liberic and possibly FC Zurich.

Which of those games were at home or away?

But some people are just in the "blinkered camp".

Not a vintage performance but it didn't have to be against a meek Vitesse side. Vic, Mané and Cedric all very good while the GK came through when it mattered. Clasie was a concern, some very underhit passes and Vitesse played around him with ease. This should have been a gentle induction for him, against a familiar side that largely stood off us. The pace and power of the premier league is a whole other matter.

At first glance, count four Europa games that went against form. With the CL results, puts us in a decent position for a seeding. Obviously, a lot can still change.

Both remain reasonable assumptions, granted the first is slightly stronger than the second. 1. Not buying the coy, slippery "at the moment". Most are expecting us to sign another CB, one of sufficient calibre to replace TA (you do too, no doubt); and if we do, it'll completely change the dynamic and competition for places. In the short-term, Yoshida will be the incumbent for the third spot and will have to be dislodged. Either way the drop off from the starting two CBs to the other two will be pretty sizeable if the new CB justifies his likely transfer fee. Conversely, the lack of an option to buy speaks volumes about our initial expectations for Caulker. Bertrand was the starter. There were some who were making Targett the starter; but let's not pretend they weren't also the types who cream themselves over every Academy prospect, the types who were heralding Reed as Schneiderlins heir apparent. Most realistically accepted that Targett who had yet to make his first-team debut, was not starter material. At most, the flexibilities entailed by Bertrand's loan would give Targett space to emerge. By contrast, Caulker is joining a stable of very experienced CBs. 2. There are differences in levels of "known" (even you allude to them). Caulker has played more than twice as many prem games as Bertrand. Progressing through Chelsea's ranks to a CL final suggested something about the lad's potential; that he also looked less than impressive at times may have been due to the constant insecurity of going out on loan and the fear of failure that goes with the big club turf. Who knew. Caulker, by contrast, has enjoyed a steady flow of first-team football -in effect, everything a young footballer could hope for. True he's younger than Bertrand, (only slightly) creating some uncertainty about his ceiling; but that doesn't begin to match Bertrand's unknowns. You might say that Caulker has been unlucky to play for s***e sides; but at some point, you have to ask whether he's part of the reason these teams were so s**te. Chickens and eggs and all that. Of course, none of this makes him a bad pick-up

Bertrand was coming in as first choice; he was a replacement for a full England international and probably our brightest prospect (we had also been linked with some other high-profile fullbacks); Caulker doesn't have to meet the same standards, assuming he's filling in for Gardos, not TA. At the same time, Caulker is arguably more of a known quantity than Bertrand, so you can only push the 'potential' argument so far. I don't think Caulker will pull up many trees, under the influence of Koeman's fairy dust (or whatever the propaganda is on here) -and I'm more than OK with that as he's not being asked to.

Has it just started? Was diagnosed with it in 1999, right after coming back from OT (Taibi's famous howler). Didn't feel great on the way up; but that was just the start and it got a lot worse. The one positive is that there are no ifs and buts as your only instinct is to sleep.

Completely different situations.

Even that is pretty tepid. Far more important is wealth inequality.