Marseille away Wednesday 21st January at 8pm

[danperkins]

Biggest problem Kerkez has seems to be that he is invisible to Gakpo. He constantly makes runs both inside and outside Gakpo and the ball rarely finds him as Gakpo has slowed down and gone inside and played it sideways.


Watch Kerkez when Ekitike, Wirtz, Jones or Szobo drift left. Suddenly there is link up play and he gets found when he makes runs and he shows as an outlet for those players to play a qucik one two with.


There is a very good player in Kerkez I think, we just need to make use of him more.

I don't think Gakpo is as bad as many make out but he certainly can be predictable and very frustrating but he does have ability, people shouldn't forget his production levels of last season. On times he has ignored Kerkez or just not seen him, on times Kerkez has or hasn't made the right runs and on times he has made good runs but his delivery has been poor. It has been dysfunctional on that left hand side and on the right and in the middle and at the back.. you get my drift it's been a bit of a **** show but on the brightside somehow we still are 4th which shows you how average teams around us are.

Imo Kerkez has showed some improved play much like Wirtz and it's a very welcome sight but both have a long way to go to get to the levels of why we bought them. Gakpo would be a great squad player and rotates well but imo he's not the guy who should be out automatic starter, he's just not too one dimensional. Gonna be a tough game vs Marseille, interesting to see their approach at home, might be a game that actually suits us. Well hopefully lol

[Buzzo]

[ame]https://twitter.com/jamespearcelfc/status/2013588521257213973[/ame]

[Slinky Skills]

Brutal. Lol

[ame]https://twitter.com/i/status/2013598308082602493[/ame]

[peterbread]

Del

[Exiled_red]

So if he is out we are forced to play Gomez CB for 90mins or as long as he can manage and then push Gravenberch back there for any time he can't manage. But we definitely don't need to sign a defender in this window

[Scratch]

So if he is out we are forced to play Gomez CB for 90mins or as long as he can manage and then push Gravenberch back there for any time he can't manage. But we definitely don't need to sign a defender in this window

But in all fairness, who is available this window, who is of the right calibre and won't just be a stopgap? (Bearing in mind a stopgap will still take a squad place, take a wage, and cost a good wedge, even more so for the winter premium that seems to be placed on mid-season transfers)

[Exiled_red]

But in all fairness, who is available this window, who is of the right calibre and won't just be a stopgap? (Bearing in mind a stopgap will still take a squad place, take a wage, and cost a good wedge, even more so for the winter premium that seems to be placed on mid-season transfers)

Well we needed a CB in the summer, the Guehi deal feel through on the last day of the summer window, they have had 4 months to think and talk to people. We supposedly have the best guys in the business in this department they supposedly have a longish list of targets - we are potentially going to have to replace all of VVD, Konate and Gomez over the next 18 months and are already one CB down. To be in the position where injury or suspension for VVD or Konate leaves us relying on. Gomez whose injury record is shakes at best seems bordering on negligence.

[Exiled_red]

We have only taken 20 players to France. In CL we can name up to 12 subs, this means we will at most have 9 subs (presumably 2 will be GKs) so in 7 CL games this season we will only have named a full quota of subs once. For me this suggests we don't have a suitably sized squad. Under the previous manager we would have rewarded/encouraged youngsters by giving them opportunities to be involved in match day squads, do we not value this approach any more or do we not feel any or good enough or what?

[peterbread]

It’s probably a bit of both. There are some good options there that could be used.

If you wanted an extra 9 you’d have Danns or Will Wright. Danns is still out and Wright is only back from a long layoff.

Wide players the best is Kone-Doherty who’s another left sided player like Rio.

Defence could be considered a weak spot which is why they’ve signed up 3 young CB’s this window with a potential 4th coming in.

Or maybe they’ve signed more CB’s in preparation

[SB]

The kids will be playing in the U19’s & at some point they need to play instead of sitting on the bench as unused subs week after week.

[DerKrampus]

We'll lose, and nothing will change. Que cera..

[kingfunk]

Now we have already qualified for the next round the pressure is off and we’ll win easily.

[Sus]

Now we have already qualified for the next round the pressure is off and we’ll win easily.

What? Have we?

[kingfunk]

What? Have we?

Results elsewhere in the competition on last night mean we are now assured of advancing to at least the play-off round.

[Sus]

Results elsewhere in the competition on last night mean we are now assured of advancing to at least the play-off round.

Arne in!