LC Crystal Palace at home Wednesday 29th Oct 745pm

[Buzzo]

Father in Law left 20 minutes early for the first time in his 60 years as a season ticket holder!

I’m not surprised.

The only game I can recall where we’ve done similar is when B-dog put the second string out v Real. But even then he gave himself bench options.

Last night was a waste of every bodies time.

We sacked it off at half time.

[Buzzo]

Did no one find it striking that all the senior players were there watching, that doesn't normally happen does it?

Some of them looked ****ing fuming mainly as the weather was atrocious but VVD looked like ****ing Shinobi wrapped up in all his gear but to me it didn't look like they wanted to be there.

It was almost like a **** you from Slot and he made them attend to show him and the club some respect. Normally they'd be away tucked up in the corporate rooms but last night they weren't, they were down on the dugout with the team.

Maybe I'm just over thinking things.

I think it’s good that they are there to support the kids (yoot). Arne said that Virg and Ibou were in consoling the red card machine kid at the end.

Overall though, the mood/vibe must have been quite low.

[labourRed]

4-3-3 with Dom/Jones playing around Grav in the middle, I would think?

Mama
Bradley - Konate - VVD - Kerkez/Robbo
Dom - Grav - Jones
Wirtz - Ekitike - Gakpo

Yeah. Kinda Gravenberch to sit at the base of midfield. Or Jones. Or a rotation with Jones but someone playing a 6 behind a double pivot.

Wirtz at the point of a diamond ish and RM without the ball.

If Salah has to come on, he can play centrally.

[Kenneth]

Yeah. Kinda Gravenberch to sit at the base of midfield. Or Jones. Or a rotation with Jones but someone playing a 6 behind a double pivot.

Wirtz at the point of a diamond ish and RM without the ball.

If Salah has to come on, he can play centrally.

A three with Mo and Gakpo sacrifices for too much in midfield work. Pack the middle and get the fullbacks up, and Wirtz in the coutinho position.

[Mark79]

They’re welcome to it.

Again though, the fixture schedule is at breaking point.

[ame]https://twitter.com/dalejohnsonbbc/status/1983855052792955040[/ame]

[peterbread]

A three with Mo and Gakpo sacrifices for too much in midfield work. Pack the middle and get the fullbacks up, and Wirtz in the coutinho position.

Very much in the style of the classic Klopp team.

The fullbacks want to attack and offer width the wide forwards work better narrow and all the midfielders have the qualities to cover defensively and offer the work rate and can keep possession and win it back.

[labourRed]

So Jones and Isak won't make the game. The latter wouldn't anyway (or shouldn't) but the former causes us an issue as Mac Alistair is miles off it, but he'll have to start now, unless we want to roll the dice with Endo.

[Scratch]

So Jones and Isak won't make the game. The latter wouldn't anyway (or shouldn't) but the former causes us an issue as Mac Alistair is miles off it, but he'll have to start now, unless we want to roll the dice with Endo.

Szob, Grav and Wirtz will start in the midfield I imagine. Need the first two to sit deeper and let Wirtz do the wandering. And need Salah to be told that tracking back is required, unless we play him as the central striker and put Ekitike out wide instead, cos at least Hugo has the legs for pressing.

[Buzzo]

Removing the names of the players to avoid any discussion on that. The wide forwards positioning, ie staying high out of possession is imo tactical and not work rate related.

We’ve always based our game on our ability to turn the ball over quickly and in doing so we have players in attacking positions that we can release. This is what typically makes us a high scoring team (something we still are).

If the wide players are more defensive and chase back we lose that. Solutions need to be found that ensure we are not so wide open, but the majority of our issues seem to be around us being really passive when it comes to winning first and second balls and that with Wirtz as a midfielder who we are looking to get on the ball in the final third we end up with basicallly a 2 man midfield. This gets over run and pulls the defence out of position. We need to get back to being solid and have players coached to know when to go and when to stick, and we need to rediscover connectivity in how we press for the ball.

I can see an argument for Ekitike playing wide but as with everyone else (Wirtz, Gakpo) he seems to prefer the left side. Not getting a forward who can cover and has experience playing off the right seems to be an issue. Would be interesting to see Chiesa but Arne seems reluctant to start him.

[Norbs]

Szob, Grav and Wirtz will start in the midfield I imagine. Need the first two to sit deeper and let Wirtz do the wandering. And need Salah to be told that tracking back is required, unless we play him as the central striker and put Ekitike out wide instead, cos at least Hugo has the legs for pressing.

Problem is that Etikite would normally play that role of the left which means Wirtz has to occupy the right side. Let's face it, Salah is the problem in this set up, Slot has nothing to lose from leaving him out again and playing a front three of Etikite, Wirtz and Chiesa

[labourRed]

Szob, Grav and Wirtz will start in the midfield I imagine. Need the first two to sit deeper and let Wirtz do the wandering. And need Salah to be told that tracking back is required, unless we play him as the central striker and put Ekitike out wide instead, cos at least Hugo has the legs for pressing.

We do that, we lose. Simple as that.

[memzey]

I think part of the problem is that we play both Gakpo and Salah who share similar strengths and weaknesses. We look a better outfit when only one of them plays. If we are intent on Salah keeping his place in the team then Wirtz or Fede for Gakpo on the left seems the best solution. If we move Wirtz out there, that opens up the possibility of playing a more solid midfield three, which I would be in favour of. He might also not have such a blind spot when it comes to using the overlapping fullback. The other issue for me is that Macca has been a shadow of his former self these past few months. This is a really bad time for Jones to have picked up an injury as the stage is set for him to show his worth.

[Kenneth]

Removing the names of the players to avoid any discussion on that. The wide forwards positioning, ie staying high out of possession is imo tactical and not work rate related.

We’ve always based our game on our ability to turn the ball over quickly and in doing so we have players in attacking positions that we can release. This is what typically makes us a high scoring team (something we still are).

If the wide players are more defensive and chase back we lose that. Solutions need to be found that ensure we are not so wide open, but the majority of our issues seem to be around us being really passive when it comes to winning first and second balls and that with Wirtz as a midfielder who we are looking to get on the ball in the final third we end up with basicallly a 2 man midfield. This gets over run and pulls the defence out of position. We need to get back to being solid and have players coached to know when to go and when to stick, and we need to rediscover connectivity in how we press for the ball. And creating chances isn't our biggest issue this season, our xg blah blah is pretty good, it's the susceptibility at the other end that is costing us most points.

I can see an argument for Ekitike playing wide but as with everyone else (Wirtz, Gakpo) he seems to prefer the left side. Not getting a forward who can cover and has experience playing off the right seems to be an issue. Would be interesting to see Chiesa but Arne seems reluctant to start him.

When we had pace and players who are fast with the ball, we got forward quickly from deeper positions. Mane and Salah would bomb forward, often waiting for passes a foot inside out half to stay onside, Diaz would start in the midfield and run to the byline. It wasn't based on wide forwards waiting for the ball near the edge of the 18 yard box. Gini, Henderson and Fabinho would get help from either robbo or Trent , depending on who was pushing forward, and Salah would get back and cover Trent. We had more bodies in midfield if we lost the ball and teams countered. This season, a couple of quick and direct passes gets a team to the edge of our box.

[labourRed]

Removing the names of the players to avoid any discussion on that. The wide forwards positioning, ie staying high out of possession is imo tactical and not work rate related.

We’ve always based our game on our ability to turn the ball over quickly and in doing so we have players in attacking positions that we can release. This is what typically makes us a high scoring team (something we still are).

If the wide players are more defensive and chase back we lose that. Solutions need to be found that ensure we are not so wide open, but the majority of our issues seem to be around us being really passive when it comes to winning first and second balls and that with Wirtz as a midfielder who we are looking to get on the ball in the final third we end up with basicallly a 2 man midfield. This gets over run and pulls the defence out of position. We need to get back to being solid and have players coached to know when to go and when to stick, and we need to rediscover connectivity in how we press for the ball.

I can see an argument for Ekitike playing wide but as with everyone else (Wirtz, Gakpo) he seems to prefer the left side. Not getting a forward who can cover and has experience playing off the right seems to be an issue. Would be interesting to see Chiesa but Arne seems reluctant to start him.

I did flag this as an issue in the summer to be fair. You can throw Isak in that group as well Mac Alister (or at least he likes the left half space as does Wirtz). I did think Slot would work it out but here we are in November (basically) and we simply haven't. And it's worse as Frimpong is injured for 6weeks and Salah doesn't look like he can string a ball to a red shirt and he's apparently undroppable and worse Chiesa is only seen as a fill in at CF as ironically we don't think he has the pace for wide right.

Logically, to me at least, we have to use Wirtz out there or Gakpo. None ideal but we have to find a solution (in the same way using Szobaszlai at RB in a pickle) with what we have, as Seymeno still plays for Bournemouth and Olise is in Germany.

**** me, the more thought i put into this season, the more annoyed i get. These are football people and they are not stupid either, but by god they are not helping themselves sort some basic issues out.

Thing is, despite not being a betting man, i'm pretty certain we'll start with Wirtz in a three man midfield and Salah wide right. If we do, Emery will piss himself laughing and take us to the cleaners without getting out of second gear.