01 Oct 2025 09:00:46
There are many things here that the manager cannot help. He could not help the bizarre collapse of the Guehi (Konate replacement) deal, he could not help Isak not having a pre season due to Newcastle’s incompetence, he could not help Leoni’s injury, nor Mac Allister struggling so badly after his, nor the brutal run of fixtures, and most of all, certainly not the tragic passing of a beloved teammate and valuable forward option.
I don’t think anybody should look back at our signings as ‘wrong’ in hindsight. They are all of the signings we should have made for a tonne of different reasons. Wirtz may have imbalanced the team for now but what else were we meant to do, not sign him? He is a big part of the Salah succession plan that had to be instigated at some point. Everyone we signed was the best in class for what we needed them for.
What can be helped, however, is what the manager chooses to do with the players at his disposal. We have lost all of the control and balance that made us such a great side last year. How I yearn for a boring first half where we figure the opposition out, before hitting them with a 1-2 punch in the second. Wirtz doesn’t know what to do and nobody is on his wavelength, Salah is too wide, the fullbacks are clueless, and the dreadful Konate is overexposed.
To me, the solution is clear. Compromises must be made immediately in midfield to allow the team to function. Drop Mac Allister and Jones for now, stick Szoboszlai and Gravenberch in there to do the dog work and rove from side to side, ala Henderson and Wijnaldum. That’ll give Kerkez and Bradley/ Frimpong bomb on around the outside of the winger like they do best, and push Gakpo and Salah inside so that they can actually link up and be of some use. Salah is not going to be of any use so far out wide, especially now that he appears slower than ever.
01 Oct 2025 09:52:20
We miss Trent and Diaz massively. Trent could create from anywhere on the pitch and Diaz worked so hard far us. Frimpong and Gakpo are massive downgrades. Also thought Robbo would/ should have started yday but imagine he will at Chelsea.
Wirtz will be fine. Salah needs his minutes managed and a replacement lined up.
01 Oct 2025 09:55:06
I think the players we bought will 100% come good. It may take a little more time for them to click but it will happen.
01 Oct 2025 10:13:25
Great post AW, some rational thinking and I agree. We need to reinforce and start working harder.
Also want to see VVD actually bully his team mates a little bit. He is the captain, he should lead by example.
01 Oct 2025 10:27:59
AW, i fully agree with you. So much sense, nuance and perspective in the midst of so much crashing out, OTT schstick and toy- throwing out of prams is always good.
I too, do not go back and say we shouldn't have signed this or that player a few months ago cos if I was excited with what they could add to our team, I also knew it would take time for them to gel and for them to adapt to a new system. Safe to say, Slot knew that, as well. The process is the process.
Right now till performances get better, we may need to go back to what the team knows in terms of muscle memory and lived experiences from last season. We have to stem the tide in terms of actual individual and collective performances before we can even envisage winning a game. Let's do that first and then, go from there.
01 Oct 2025 10:48:23
Can't disagree with any of that, AW.
I have no idea what has happened to Ibou and Macca, but their form is really hurting us at the moment.
01 Oct 2025 11:11:29
So Gakpo who scored more goals and had more assists last season than Diaz is a downgrade? Some people on here spout some nonsense.
01 Oct 2025 11:37:54
I think saying we miss Trent and Diaz is just a bit lazy to be honest. It’s too easy to just look at players that have left and say that must be the problem. I mean, we beat Madrid last season with Bradley at right back and he was arguably man of the match.
Diaz played as a central striker for most of last season and we now have Ekitike and Isak. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who would say Diaz is better than those 2 strikers.
There has obviously been a shift in mindset this year, perhaps because of Jota, perhaps because of the players we’ve signed and we expected it to be easy.
The chance Gala had in the first couple of minutes summed it up. He picked up the ball in the midfield with Jones and Wirtz around him, neither of them got close to him, allowed him to turn, get his head up and play a pass in behind. That is happening way too often. You can’t play a high line when you are not putting pressure on the ball and we are just not putting enough pressure on the player in possession. We are allowing players way too much space in the middle of the pitch to just pick out whatever pass they want and at this level it doesn’t matter how many great attacking players you have if you allow the opposition to do whatever they want with the ball they will hurt you.
We need to be great off the ball and that will then allow us to use our attacking players more effectively when we have the ball. Teams must love playing us at the moment because we just don’t close them down and we don’t bite into tackles and win enough duels. We are way, way, way too passive out of possession.
01 Oct 2025 12:20:51
I agree Barry. We'll be fine.
01 Oct 2025 13:43:57
Great post Woolback. Got it right on the button.
01 Oct 2025 14:10:25
Short memories right, Endo3?