YES, we can!!! |
Let's face it, that was a pretty tepid display against Stoke. In the first half we got sucked into their system and looked entirely toothless. In the second we were little better and in the end a draw was a fair result. At the time of writing we are one place above the relegation zone and facing a run of four REALLY tough Premiership fixtures. With Tottenham (A), Arsenal (H), Liverpool (A) and Man United (A) waiting over the next month....unless we up our game, we will be back in the relegation zone by mid-December!...Bottom at Christmas? Surely not...With home games against Burnley and Hull in mid December hopefully we can haul ourselves upwards - presuming our confidence isn't too rattled after the run of hard matches before that.
So what can we do? We look tighter at the back and only for Adrian's foolishness we could have nicked an undeserved win in a game with few clear cut chances. It looks like Saturday's histrionics from Adrian, which included a series of fumbles before the goal, may signal a chance for Darren Randolph to take over in the starting XI.
In midfield we need to move the ball more quickly if we want Payet to get some space. That looks unlikely to happen against Spurs with Nobes suspended. Even worse, with Kouyate playing deeper this is a real problem but against better sides we need to prioritise defence.
Up front, Antonio is undoubtedly a presence, but we really need either Carroll or Sakho back to recover some structure. At this point many fans are sceptical about the quoted return dates as both players have 'mysterious' ailments that are dragging on and on. In the meantime it's a chance to see what Andre Ayew has to offer - it's hard to fathom where he fits into our system just now. Young Fletcher always looks lively but has not really delivered anything of substance just yet. On a less positive note, It looks like Slav's finally given up on Zaza.
Young Fernandes looks like a real prospect but what the hell is Slav at now playing him at right back? After the failed Antonio experiment, nit's shocking that we are repeating it with the young Swiss starlet....PLEASE JUST BUY A PROPER RIGHT BACK!!!
Right now, you'd settle for 4-5 points from the next four matches.
Tough times ahead - we need a united front, especially as the media are ripping so much entertainment out of our current plight.
Final word is of congratulations to the Ireland rugby team who finally overcame the mighty All Blacks after 114 years of trying! The bottom line is that anything is possible. Even a four game winning spree against the in form finest of the Premiership!
Actually Nobles suspension might speed up the midfield and stop the backwards and sideways passing
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