30 Nov 2025 23:14:04
awesome to get the 3 points.
especially happy to see positive performance from Gomez, Kerkez, Wirtz. Konate as well. maybe real Madrid dropping their interest will help him focus.
Also did I detect some overlapping runs today!?
Only query I had is Macca and Dom. I get Slot probably wants to play Macca into form, but it actually looks like he needs to be drip fed back into form. I don't like Dom being used out wide and would have rather had Dom next to Grav and then Chiesa brought in for Mo
But, can't complain really. 3 points and now we onto the next!
01 Dec 2025 00:44:33
When we signed Dom, I think Ed1 may have said at the time that he thought Dom's best position was Salah's position.
Happy to be corrected but, if you did say that Ed, where would you say Dom's best position is now?
{Ed001's Note - I can't remember for sure, but it is probable as he mostly played a more attacking role then for club and country. I like him in the heart of midfield now. That suits him perfectly imo.}
01 Dec 2025 03:51:49
He has the engine and ability to pay box to box in midfield.
If you had observed, he was not touching the byline like Salah (isolated position) but was closer to their line. he was making it narrow and not wide. That was one of the noticeable change.
Gomez in defense and he was high up position wise of all the defenders but Kerkez was bombing up and down.
Grav had a better game after long time which was a plus.
Wirtz was decent as usual, hopefully he will start shooting after from the silky footwork he is showing.
Hopeful Salah take this positively.
01 Dec 2025 03:55:01
Dom himself has said that he prefers playing deeper in midfield rather than in a more advanced position, and I think he would be great there, but because our press is so disjointed it feels like we need him higher up the pitch to press from the front, he just covers so much ground and is such an intelligent player off the ball.
01 Dec 2025 06:13:21
Wirtz on a better day would have had a goal and an assist on that showing, he was instrumental in Isak's goal too, though Isak should take a bow after that finish, the more you watch it the better of a finish it was, that was a very difficult shot to put away and he made it look easy, he hit it so cleanly and nonchalantly.
One positive thing I've seen the last three or four games (okay, not against PSV, when we let in the last goal because Cody wouldn't pass Kerkez the ball when Kerkez was in a great position, then Cody lost the ball), is that Gakpo is finally passing to Kerkez sometimes when Kerkez is on the overlap, I think Kerkez is a bit too desperate to impress when he's on the ball but he did get in one or two half decent deliveries last night. Still a bit rushed in everything he does on the ball, but defensively he was generally great last night, Bowen is not at all an easy player to go one on one with.
Gomez was just brilliant. Did everything he needed to do and did it at a decently high standard. He did mess a few attacking moves up, which is fine considering it's not his forte and he's been out of the side so long. He is positionally smart and knows where the ball should go whenever he receives it, uses his body so well. Just a sound performance at right back.
01 Dec 2025 06:23:30
Szoboszlai is not a deep lying midfielder, for me. We've been crying out for more legs in the team and him playing in the front three gives us that and allows Wirtz to play where he should.
Chiesa in for Salah would give us even less legs.
I don't get the claims that he should be starting. Him coming on as sub and doing ok doesn't mean he will do it when starting.
He hasn't done much at all when he has started.
01 Dec 2025 06:33:56
I think with Chiesa we have seen so little of him that it's hard to judge how he would do if he started, but that he has absolutely done enough to warrant consideration for a start or at least more minutes than he's received.
We don't know how Chiesa would do with tactical instructions, coordinated pressing and positional discipline because every time he's come on it's when Slot has lost the plot and thrown players on in a situation they've never trained to play. He obviously has the skillset to perform in that situation because he is technically very good, runs around non-stop and is always looking to get on the end of things. I think we don't know enough about how Chiesa would work consistently in a system to say that he would be good or bad, and that in itself is a bit frustrating. Also, I don't think he is at a point in his career where he can play 90 minutes, much less play more than a game a week if he did start. Technically however he has it all, he has vision, intelligence, can beat a man and can finish.
01 Dec 2025 07:38:36
Gomes was great, made good runs forward and gave another passing option. Considering it feels like he hasn’t played for 18months he was a revelation.
Wirtz played like how we all expected him to, he’s a joy to watch. One clever quick touch and he sets up a goal scoring opportunity time after time.
01 Dec 2025 08:20:56
Szoboszlai can play anywhere. He is our best player currently, runs all day and can pass to anyone anywhere. He also strikes a ball very cleanly. A good looking fella too, envious is not the word ?.
01 Dec 2025 08:47:03
It was a huge improvement over recent games. Amazing how much more solid we look when we play a RB! I think Wirtz was also key to the performance. Not only did he generally play really well (and was involved in the Isak goal) but he was everywhere again and most importantly hardly ever had more than 2 touches. It sped the play up and I think it encouraged the other players to do the same. We were far more solid defensively and for once there were no big errors in defense.
There is still a lot of work to do as our performances are still way below where they should be. There were still a couple of occasions where an opponent just ran unchallenged for almost the entire length of the pitch and the lack of control when West Ham went down to 10 was a huge red flag. When we are a goal and a man up we should be knocking it around calmly controlling the game. Instead West Ham started to dominate just like against Newcastle earlier in the season. It was almost like the players switched off thinking that it was won.
Wednesday won't be easy. Sunderland have surprised a lot of people this season and I suspect we will need to step the performance up again if we want to get the 3 points.
01 Dec 2025 09:10:29
Chiesa needs to start in a strong XI not thrown on as a sub or to the wolves in an FA Cup game.
He cannot be expected to shine when we are 2-0 down or he is surrounded with youth team players in a dogfight.
Slot needs to give him the chance he deserves.
01 Dec 2025 09:45:53
Funny enough playing Dom RW/ RAM probs would of helped having frimpong in there playing the line overlapping. Gomez did a good job tho so I would keep him there for now untill one of the RB are back.
02 Dec 2025 01:05:11
Rigsby - Dom has said that his preferred position is to play as an 8. By deeper it just means playing more as a CM than a CAM.