A pitch you wouldn’t take a horse out on. Mind you, there were spots out there that would have discombobulated even the sturdiest of cow elbows.
We flew halfway across the world to play a team that that if they were a Marigold glove, they would have been one wrenched from a bazillionaire’s hand and discarded still inside out on the floor, next to a pedal bin. We beat them and we only ‘lost’ one man to the physio table in the process. It was a game that required a certain degree of mental strength. A certain degree of determination not to get sucked in to the melancholy of it all.
The playing conditions need another mention. I can’t be bothered to go back and do a cut and shunt to the opening sentence. Playing surfaces like that aren’t just dangerous from an injury perspective, but they hinder movement, passing, the lot. It was bloody cold and the journey will have had taken its toll.
I know this is pointing out the bleedin’ obvious, but if I don’t type it out, some wiseacre will.
The first half wasn’t great, but by the time we were a few minutes in to the second, it’s thrills, spills and majesty were already being mourned.
Hugo playing was a welcome sight. Love Brad, yadda yadda, but this “playing the back up guy until the competition gets serious” thing is tedious. One of Lloris’ big strengths is him being able to just “snap” into life in games after long periods of inactivity. Another 90 minutes and another clean sheet.
Bonzo looked every inch a seasoned international. Deft, craft, guile, modesty and an assured assist.
Young Vlad is 2 games in an looking like there is a top notch player in there somewhere.
Given the conditions, I’m struggling to get my head around the benefit of dragging Kaboul out there. Hidsight is a wonderful thing but given we’re hosting a pretty dire looking West Ham indoors next, wouldn’t that have provided a better opportunity for him? Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
The jury has to still be out on Fryers. I’m not going to write his career off on the strength of last night, nor am I prepared to get his name heat applied to the back of this seasons shirt. I think I’ll stick with nobody knows I’m a lesbian.
Sandro had a tough old time of it. A few passes went astray, but he really put a shift in. The positive here is that the guy on has one gear and isn’t one of those chancers who think they can take it easy now and again.
Lamela didn’t have a memorable game. Again, I’m not digging him out or getting my undergarments in a twist on the back of this and a few other cameos.
I was a little surprised to see Dembélé used, but I’m taking this as a sign that the injury that dogged him is finally a thing of the past. Man of the match yet again was Holtby, another guy who refused to let the occasion get in the way of putting in a performance to catch André’s eye.
Chadli took his goal well and didn’t do a whole lot else, but who cares? Job done. Defoe was textbook Defoe.
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