Saturdays Game

[Mooo block]

At this stage of the season and in the desperate position we are, the performance counts for nothing and the result is everything. Take Spurs away this season, we battered them for 80+ minutes: They had 2 attacks, scored 2 goals and Bam.
We got diddly points but played really well or played average and got all 3 - which you gonna choose???

Fair point but we dont have the choice do we? I would prefer 3 points yes and we've got more chance of getting it playing the best central midfield partnership which clearly isn't the combination we played on Saturday

[bonheurjh]

Let's win this game and we are half way through!

[zeberdee]

pass completion ratio of 57% - think I'm right in saying nearly an all time prem league low. so not good. but then we played beautifully away at spurs and lost, so ive no problem at this stage winning ugy. with granero such a disappointment, faurlin never recovered from his injury, mbia a bundle of energy but v little composure, diakite out of the picture and "troubled", jenas with v little game time behind him, derry out of his depth, the problem is that there is no brilliant alternative waiting to be unlocked. best we can hope for is the midfield two keep it v tight, pass it quickly out to the wings and mop up when we lose possession. we might also have to hit it long on occasion. it sure won't be pretty. we are light years off being able to move it round like southampton. that said, passing alone doesn't win you games or swansea wd be top of the league....

Agree with that. No point just wishing things were better - you got to start from where you are at and the win at Southampton is one of the few bright lights about so it would be wise to try to build on it.

Agree Granero and all the CMs are flawed - would give Jenas a start there as at least he passed to his team mates on Saturday which puts him a cut above the rest - passes to team mates is better than passes to opponents.

[Kit]

Neither side covered themselves in glory last saturday and I said at the time it was like watching a Championship game not Premiership BUT we were certainly not outplayed by Southampton, who after the initial first 20 mins gave away the ball time after time, agreed we then gave it back again to them but we won the game reasonably comfortably in the end. Both Keepers had little to do but as the away side I think we edged it and deserved the win, how important it was remains to be seen and I hope it is the catalyst to a winning run for us, I believe it can be, beat Sunderland and the confidence will come flooding back.

[zeberdee]

Fair point but we dont have the choice do we? I would prefer 3 points yes and we've got more chance of getting it playing the best central midfield partnership which clearly isn't the combination we played on Saturday

There was 3 in CM on Saturday - Park+Mbia shared the more DM side of it and Granero the more AM side. Harry subbed Granero who had a bad game for Jenas on 52 minutes and Jenas did the AM + box to box role too.

CM is a weak area for the side - no Samba/Remy level signing in January that might have changed that. So CM is not going to boss many, if any, of the remaining games so really you end up looking for who does the basics - Park+Mbia did the 'make a mess of the midfield' which is useful and Jenas did the 'pass to QPR players' which again is useful and Granero was not doing. So I think the three that finished last game are likely to start the next one. They did their jobs OK and better than the alternatives.

My bet for the likely team next game would be these 3 in this order of likely:

A) Same again - managers don't often change winning teams
B) Same again with JJ for Granero and Fab for Bos - tweaking
C) All out attacking 442 going for goals like a crazy man:
Green
Fabio Samba Hill Traore
Remy Jenas Park Hoilett
Zamora Bothroyd

C would be quite a sight but A is what I would bet on injuries willing.

[Blogandwhitehoops]

I'd drop Taarabt deeper and tell him to hit Remy quickly. Play him alongside Mbia and let him dictate the game from deep. Basically do what Granero should be doing buit hasn't done all season

[silvercue]

We are at home and Sunderland are northern monkeys. Should be easy.

[zeberdee]

I'd drop Taarabt deeper and tell him to hit Remy quickly. Play him alongside Mbia and let him dictate the game from deep. Basically do what Granero should be doing buit hasn't done all season

Yes Adel as deep lying playmaker pinging passes to the front three could work in a Carrick/Huddlestone quarterback sort of way which Harry has used elsewhere before but...
would he do that (supply the front 3) or would he try to dribble thru the entire opposition team (starving the front 3) ? You know what Jenas will do because he done it on Saturday - so I think JJ might just have the edge to replace donkey Granero - but it is a close run thing imo.