Lallana's Left Peg

Pelle has been good for us. Before today I was happy for him to be a part of the team because of what he offered outside his finishing. But after today he needs to be taken out of the team - there is no way a team chasing a Top 7 finish can accommodate a striker with this level of his confidence shot. Has it ever happened before? But we can't drop him as there is no alternative. January was an opportunity to address that but instead we signed two players who couldn't even make the starting 11 today. Now I'm aware that Premier League ready strikers are hard to come by at the best of times, not least in an awkward January transfer window, but right now, what, if any, is the alternative to Pelle? There isn't any in my opinion and the lad is clear struggling big time. It's costing us. Finish those two chances today and we've got three points. But we have no points.

Remember back in 2014 when everyone said how brilliant it was that we played a strong team in the cups? We're paying the price now. You either accept it or take the view that you play a weaker team in the cups - that is the reality with our squad. Deal with it.

Several players hitting a brick wall in terms of form and / or fitness. Never under estimate the impact that the Premier League has on players. It may not be the best quality wise, but fitness / excitement wise it takes its toll.

Our failure to sign a striker in January will cost us. To what degree remains to be seen. Still an outstanding season, but right now we're in a dip and it isn't clear how / if we can address it.

Long has been bad in every game he has played up front on his own. I fully appreciate Pelle is well out of form and also looks knackered to me (they are probably related a bit as well) however his presence is important to the team. He drops deep and Mane and Elia bomb on. It's very simple but the pace of Elia and Mane mean it is hard to stop. What I would do is like to give Pelle more support with players close to him when he has the ball. Many times he drops deeper to get the ball but when he gets to him there is only one option to lay it off to. I would like to see this: ------------forster clyne--fonte-----yoshida--bertrand -----wanyama--schneiderlin Davis--------------------------Tadic ------Mane ------------Pelle Mane is in and around Pelle rather than coming out to in. Tadic and Davis start wide but come inside to allow full-backs to bomb on and have licence themselves to get into the box as Vic and Morgan are covering.

It seems a little silly to suggest something without being able to understand whether or not it is possible. Or at least show the ability to think about it a little.

What would that be with the personnel we have? You change one part of the team and it impacts the other by default. You need all three units on the pitch to work in harmony the way Koeman sets us up. We've seen a few different formations which reflect different plans but the work in the final third in all of them needs a central striker from which others feed from - either with out without the ball.

But we play with inside forwards who rely on a target man to base their movement off and create space for them. Play two mobile strikers and we need to be more clever in the final third and also have creativity in the middle - both are a big issue for us. Pelle is important for us even though he is well out of form with the ball.

Isn't that a given considering he is our only striker

Which begs the question...why did we sack Jason Dodd?

Is he feeding a small rodent in his pocket? He can't leave it alone.

It's not fun but it is far better than the alternative - to have players no-one else wants and in all likelihood a worse team in a worse league position. This is almost best case scenario!

I reckon there are several clubs that would go for him at £15m as long as he could pass a medical. Our Argentinian friend in North London for one.

Well at the end of the season this automatically happens when loans finish: In: Ramirez - £55k Osvaldo - £55k Stephens - £Unknown Turnbull - £Unknown Out Alderweireld - £70k Elia - £40k Djuricic - £10k So that is the wage bill probably neutral from those transactions. Then in the summer I estimate this: Out Schneiderlin - £25m, £40k wages. Clyne - £15m, £20k wages Rodriguez - £15m, £30k wages Hooiveld - Out of contract (no wages saved as already out on loan - assuming Millwall are paying full whack). Boruc - Out of contract (no wages saved as already out on loan - assuming Bournemouth are paying full whack). Ramirez - Loan (team paying all £55k of wage) Osvaldo - Loan (team paying all of £55k wage) Mayuka - Loan (team paying all of £25k wage) To temper some of the wage saving I would expect most of the younger players to have wage accelerators in their contract for every year they are here. JWP, Reed, Targett, Stephens, Turnbull etc. That will impact wage budgets. Lets say they take up an extra £25k a week between them. So I make that £55m in fees and freeing up £200k a week for wages assuming the existing budget is what remains for next season. Not sure how much we'll spend and on how many players - suspect what (if any) European competition we're in will impact how we approach how big the squad needs to be. Suspect we'll sign Elia (£5m, £40k a week?) and we've got an Alderweireld, Schneiderlin, Clyne, and Rodriguez to replace too - apart from Alderweireld to effectively replace the other three will cost more in wages than they currently earn so it's going to be difficult.

Reading into Ralf Krueger's comments from his recent interview, it sounds like Clyne wants more than we want / can afford to offer him.

Bit unnecessary on a football pitch and no need to humiliate a sub like that.

Depends what the agreed fee is. I think he has settled well and gives us something different. He understands the role he needs to play well. Sometimes tries too hard to impress which results in an inconsistent product but I am definitely happy with what he has been able to offer thus far.

If / when he does leave, we'll likely have a fee of £20m+ and wages of £40k+ a week we can spend on a replacement. Who do people think are realistic? Clasie is the obvious one but he may command a similar fee? Reed is an option but he's no direct replacement (yet). Without Cork, and Davis / JWP both better further forward, it's a definite area to strengthen if Schneiderlin does leave.

Sorry - I meant in terms of his challenge. Not what happened after the 'tackle'.

I agree he plants his leg in the way of potential harm however he does not make an aggressive move into Barnes he simply places his leg in a way to protect the ball and buy a foul. It happens all the time and I think Suarez is very good at it. You get to a space between the ball and opposition player and the opposition player cannot change his momentum and you get a foul. You may also get a kick (as Matic did) but that is the name of the game. However, Barnes was massively overly aggressive and his follow-through was completely unnecessary and clearly done to harm Matic. I don't think Matic's movements could justify Barnes reacting in that way.

I've just seen the tackle. They are professional footballers and know how to control their body. Ashley Barnes knew what he was doing, and I'm even more of that opinion given that he is a particularly nasty piece of work anyway (some of his indiscretions in the past prove that). He should have been sent off. Matic has a right to react like that but it doesn't mean it isn't punishable - the problem is that players will take matters in their own hands if they are not afforded appropriate protection from the Ref and / or retrospective punishment (the latter of which, if appropriately given to the nature of the challenge, should make players think twice).

Can't see Morgan going for any more than £20 - 25m.

I think we can only say that now because of the two January acquisitions. Before then I'd say the squad was no more stronger than last year. Take Elia and Djuricic out of the equation then that would likely mean Tadic starts and the bench would be Long, Gardos, Yoshida, JWP, and two kids.

Pique asked to leave. As did Rossi. Pogba was the mistake - Scholes was coaxed out of retirement instead of giving Pogba a chance.

A Referee's Assistant by the goal would work. But they did it before and whomever fulfilled the role seemed to have the remit to do nothing, which as a shame. As it works well in theory.