🌑 The commitment of the players struck a chord with the gaffer, and rightly so. These are the people responsible for the performances. The crackpot slurs against Mourinho began to pile up, and today we had more or less the same players, but this time, many of them were champing at the bit.
🌑 José knew yesterday that Harry Kane was going to be available. ‘He’s one of the best strikers in the world’, that was the quote.
🌑 José has warmed to the Lamela/Moura axis. Expect more of this. The tenacity was great to see.
🌑 Sonny’s new contract isn’t a burning issue, he’s happy, and he still has plenty of time on his current deal.
Excellent summary, nice one. can i just say, everyone is full of praise for the way Ndombele has improved, but i think Aurier has come on lots lately too..
An excellent analysis of what happened and what has been happening. Pleasing to see the transition.
I agree. Lucas and Lamela were smashing today, but players can’t generate consistency if they’re only getting a run out off the bench here and there.
José, hopefully will have seen today that a high press with energy is how this team operate best, and for all their inconsistencies, there’s no two players (apart from Sonny) with more energy and commitment on their day than those two.
Today was a breath of fresh air rushing into a stuffy old wardrobe.
The press conference confirmed the evidence of our own eyes for the last several games. 1) How much we miss Kane when he is not playing. 2) The fact that we have played better late in games and looked more dangerous when Lamela and Moura have been brought on … Jose could also have added … 3) How much better we look when we control the game, rather than gratuitously ceding possession and territory to the opposition, especially inferior opposition.
It’s not hard to understand. Journeyman players are journeyman players because they lack the basic footballing skills and talent to be anything else. Their highest ability, when they actually deliver it, is that they show endeavour, look ‘half decent’ and don’t actively screw things up! Defensively, Davies, Dier, Sanchez, Doherty fall into this category. In midfield, Winks and Sissoko, embody similar qualities, with occasional moments of unexpected creativity. These kind of players very rarely make a difference by addition, only negatively by subtraction.
Contrast that with players who can actually ‘play’, who have genuine footballing ability, who can hold the ball, rather than shovelling it sideways or backwards like a ‘hot potato’, who can dribble, pass, who are capable of moments of sublime skill and/or who can positively influence a game. Then who do we have? Lloris, Toby, Reguilon, Ndombele, Hojbjerg, Lo Celso, Kane, Son, Lucas and Lamela. (you could certainly add Dele and Bale to that list, but only if they worked hard enough to deliver on their talent).
Today Mourinho picked every fit player in this latter ‘player’ category plus, unavoidably, two of the journeymen, Davies and Sanchez, with the final player being Aurier, who at least has the capability of being a real player when on form. That’s it, you pick your best players and you let them play, you let them off the leash. You don’t subjugate them with excessive caution, or handcuff them by playing six across the back, or defending 10 deep for three quarters of the game on the edge of your own penalty box!
I rate that Kevin.
Unfortunately it’s consistency that separates the merely good from the great, players and teams.
Without Winks, Sissoko and Dier plodding about like worn out cart horses we actually looked like a football team.
jose has to see attack is the best form of defence. He also has to keep a winning lineup barring injury.
a good day at the office
Tanguy was trusted in midfield alongside PEH and it confirms that two defensive midfielders just doesn’t work 75% of the time. Jose’s persistence with both PEH and Sissoko in the same team was of particular frustration to me. Today he changed it and so did the dynamic, let’s learn from it and move on…
the snow has settled as are my thoughts and emotions
-Good performance against a team who didn’t come to attack us from the off.
-I think it gave us the chance to see players playing a style they feel comfortable with.
-Kane PEH are top top players
-perhaps a realistic rebuild are 2 good centre backs.
it’s good to be honest – I like lamela , he can be frustrating (or injured) but his tenacity with/without the ball is infectious.
pleased for moura
COYS
Sissoko improves the team very little, better to play someone with more guile…
I know that Hjojberg was MOM for you but I thought Moura was great. If only he could add consistency to his natural talent. I think we look and play a lot better without Sissoko for all his endeavour.
Cheers, Charles!
👍 H.