Have fundamental mistakes been made ?

[Pieter A’dam]

there must a lot of stuff going on at training that we are obviously not aware of. I think the squad has enough quality to survive in the PL, but we need more consistency. Especially in the backline; clearly Christie can not cross a ball, so i would bench him and was hoping to see more of Bryan so that Sess can play left winger again. On the Midfield its clear that when we miss TC its more difficult to play our passing game, and i have serious doubts if KMaC is a real PL player, he lacks pace and can not press, that was already very clear in the first game against Palace. I know he is a great leader and all, but he is just too slow. Ian Wright pointed this out at MOTD. I have seen a lot of positives with Sri, Mitro, Schurlle, Betts, lets get more consistency quickly ..... Saturday will be a real good test against Watford and a win playing out style will give a big boost. see you there

[toshes mate]

I do agree with the full back recruitment being a big error and actually I'd go further and say that that is where we are really struggling this year. None of our full backs currently threaten in attack while still being solid in defence. TFM threatens on occasion up front but loses his man repeatedly when tracking back. Christie appears to give both a really good go but there is a limit to what he can do as he's a good Championship full back. Bryan seems to defend quite well but struggles to impact the game past the half way line. Our formation demands quick, threatening full backs like Fredericks. I am not saying Fredericks should've stayed as we've discussed a number of times on here. However, we spent money in the summer and we were never really linked with the kind of players we truly needed at full back .. and it's going to hold us back from reaching the top half of the table.

I also subscribe to the view that the 'right' kinds of full backs are vital to the way SJ sets up his sides which makes the sale of Malone, the loss of Fredericks, and the failure to retain Targett all the more significant when judging our transfer dealings, but, that is water a long way under the bridge.  I thought RS played pretty well at LB last weekend, better than he played at LB last season. The proverbial problem is that we cannot play him in two places at once and so miss his link up play in midfield.  However, I am not sure we have seen how well the new recruits could knit together once players get to know each other better and we do have a settled nucleus to the side which is also why we are missing TC so critically right now.  I just feel that we are looking messy and sloppy in defence and midfield because we still haven't got the balance Targett and Fredericks gave us in the latter half of last season.  However I don't believe you often see new recruits fit together so well so quickly as Targett did especially when there are quite a few of them to settle in.     

[Skatzoffc]

I know it looks a bit sketchy but Joka has never been that quick off of the mark in finding his best team. He is methodical.

With this many new signings I think that will happen again.

I said it on Saturday and will say it again. Imo he was tinkering against city. I believe he had already let the game go, we are not going to win at Citeh. So he gave outsiders a chance to play and show their desire to play for the club and he rested others he has already decided on. Also a change in tactics against "the" top team.

No need to panic about wrongness of squad. We have a great squad and the new boys, Anguissa etc will take a time to acclimatize to the speed of the PL.

We'll be ok.
COYW!

[RaySmith]

I know it looks a bit sketchy but Joka has never been that quick off of the mark in finding his best team. He is methodical.

With this many new signings I think that will happen again.

I said it on Saturday and will say it again. Imo he was tinkering against city. I believe he had already let the game go, we are not going to win at Citeh. So he gave outsiders a chance to play and show their desire to play for the club and he rested others he has already decided on. Also a change in tactics against "the" top team.

No need to panic about wrongness of squad. We have a great squad and the new boys, Anguissa etc will take a time to acclimatize to the speed of the PL.

We'll be ok.
COYW!

I just don't believe that Slav didn't play a team he thought could best get a result at City. I'm 100 % sure that  he wouldn't send a team out for any game with the idea that they would definitely lose, so he  would give  squad members a run out.

If he did, then fans like me, who went to the game, would be asking for our match ticket money back.

Whatever, of course Slav makes mistakes,  to err is human, but I leave picking the team to him with his and his colleagues' professional judgement, and working daily with the players.

I think he is  a manager who will   take risks though - rather than relying on  being defensive when you're a small club, like so many managers who specialise in getting success with smaller clubs do.

And, our attacking, close passing style, has won us success, as well as plaudits - we got into the Prem, and now go to places like the Etia,  and are not disgraced - which I don't think we were.

[ToodlesMcToot]

I think that if the season ended before January, the OP would have a point about the Burnley, Cardiff, Huddersfield mini-leauge to escape relegation. Might add in Newcastle for good measure. With as much change that has been made to bring in talent to "do more than survive", we will continue having a slow start to the season.....as we have had each season that Slavisa has been with us. We'll likely be in touch with the relegation fodder thru to the new year, I'd imagine.

However, I do believe in Slav's approach and the players he's brought in and believe we'll be a top half team, on form, for the remainder of the season and finish middle of the pack.

Just need to get Ream healthy so that Slav can find his best back four.

Free Joe Bryan!!! Let the lad play!

049:gif

Our schedule has also been quite difficult. Away matches at Spurs and City, plus Brighton. Home opener against a settled Palace side with Zaha where we should have had at least a point. We thrashed Burnley. Now we get hot Watford, at Everton (never taken a point there) and Arsenal.

The schedule should soften right when we get everyone healthy and sorted, so I expect results to start coming beginning with the match at Cardiff.

Someone put up a poll with the next several matches, asking how many points we'd take from them. My initial thought was that I'd take 3 if they all came from Goodison. Obviously, I want more but, we need to get that monkey off our backs.

[TheLoyalist]

I get the frustration. I definitely would rather be competing for spots in Europe right now, but realistically I think our best shot at real progression won't come from a change in tactics or a new player (bar a Messi transfer). Getting frustrated that we lost to arguably one of the best premier league sides ever in City is, in my mind, a waste of time. Our season and our future didn't really hinge on that match at all. Patience, hard work, and focus on a long term goal of competing for european spots is our best plan at the moment in my opinion, and unfortunately part of that plan probably means getting slaughtered by an oil club every once in a while.

As for the idea that our tactics were why we lost to city, I disagree. Any formation and player combination we sent out there would have had a formation and player combination response from City that would have been just as terrifying as what we came up against. Like, whatever team we put out, city's would've been better. So I think pointing the finger at tactics is borne mostly out of unwarranted frustration and helps no one. What's most important is can SJ stay focused, and can he keep the team focused on long term goals of stability in the top half of the premier league? I think so, but I don't know SJ, and I don't know the players, so really I can't answer that.

On a side note, City look to be on the down turn for a bit here. Don't think a CL title is coming anytime soon for them, because let's face it, at some point playing under the best tactician in the world is tiring to the point that it's not worth putting in the performances necessary to execute. I think that's what we're starting to see with City, still think they'll win the league this year though.