19 Sep 2026 13:01:07
Hi Eds
Hope. your all well.
I just started watching the spurs game and noticed Solanke is back up top for spurs. i then remembered they paid Bournemouth quite a tidy sum for him.
He has only ever had one decent goal scoring season. under none other than our own Iraola. this fills me with confidence in that if he can get someone like solanke banging in 20 goals a season what can he coach into our boys.
Do you think he can get bigger names firing? or from what I have seen this season Koumas can hopefully step up and add goals to his work rate (which is insane)
Keep well fellas
Thanks.
{Ed666's Note - If he can get Isak pressing I think that will help us immeasurably.
19 Sep 2026 17:47:16
It's far, far more important that he scores goals! that will benefit the team more than pressing, scoring goals is the hardest thing in football, and the most important football commodity of the lot.
If you don't score you don't win? and if you don't concede you don't lose!
19 Sep 2026 19:33:17
007 you are missing the point. AI needs his forwards pressing as this will help the attack to get the chances to score the goals. Without the press you don't get the best out of Isak and all the attackers, so yes the press is just as important.
19 Sep 2026 20:19:00
Iraola needs time with the squad, he took 9 games before getting a win at Bournemouth. It’s a case of gradual progress and improvement. He won’t turn us into world beaters overnight, there will be lots of mistakes but they will be gradually eradicated.
19 Sep 2026 20:49:53
@MOT, Goals win games, not how many presses you make, you can make 50 presses a game and not score, but score one important goal from a corner, penalty, free kick, throw in etc and win the game that's not pressing a football, they are dead ball situations.
Tell me how you can press a football if a Goalkeeper kicks every goal kick directly into your half of the field, every dead ball in their half as well directly into your half of the field, every clearance an opposition defender makes in his half to your half, you can't press a football when it's 50 foot above ye head unless ye Peter Crouch!
The above dead ball situations, defenders clearances are 4 of your forwards and your 2 midfielders caught in the opponents half of the field, and been bypassed aerially, that's how ye simply beat a press you go aerially, that makes every challenge in your half of the field a 50/50 ball, as it can only go to a home shirt or away shirt, and more importantly the ball nearer your goal than the oppositions, goals will always be the most important and the most deciding factor in football.
19 Sep 2026 20:59:36
I'd rather Isak's output stay tailored; pushing him to press unnecessarily will result in injuries. Anyway, he's far more useful in a counterattack, breaking lines with well-timed runs, receiving delivery from out wide or being a general fox in the box, which is where most of his goals come from.
If you send Isak out to do what Koumas does it will only end in tears.
19 Sep 2026 21:12:49
@MOT,
For reference purposes just take a look at Coventry's winning goal today their goalkeeper kicks it directly from his own half directly to his winger in the opponents half, who then wins a 50/50 ball, then scores the only goal of the game, one goalies pass, one winning goal, bypassed all ten outfield players of Nottingham Forest "aerially" not a press to be seen! That route one goal was Coventry's first PL win in 25 years, and all achieved with one goalies clearance from his own half.
YNWA Andoni.
19 Sep 2026 21:23:55
I think it also ends in tears if Isak trots around aimlessly and allows the opposition to pass out of from the back through him because he's not closing down. You can't have the rest of the team press and Isak do nothing; it's worse than being down to 10 men.
There have been some signs Isak work rate is improving, but if our strategy is to press and Isak can't just be a passenger.
This nonsense about goals overlooks the fact that Isak contributed almost nothing all last year and most games this year so far because he's been largely immobile and our team has moved the ball so slowly the defense is always setup.
To score goals you need take chances, to get a chance you have to receive the ball in space, to receive the ball in space you have to lose your defender which means making runs AND a team mate needs to complete a pass, to complete a pass you need possession, and to get possession you need to win the ball back, and one good way you can win the ball back is by pressing.
Saying all Isak needs to do is score goals is like saying all you need to do to win a race is cross the finish line in a car and then completely neglect the car's engine, tires, and the driver you put in it. Wild stuff.
19 Sep 2026 22:00:11
007, I think you misunderstand me. I am not saying goals aren't important of course they are, only an idiot would think not. AI has made it clear that our attackers need to press as that is an important part of how we attack and defend as a team.
The better team presses the better and more frequent chances we will create, which will mean the likes of Isak will score more goals. The press a vehicle to facilitate the goals, so yes the press is just as important for the way AI wants to play.
19 Sep 2026 22:49:04
You're right 007 goals win games, we should play 11 up front.
20 Sep 2026 02:27:56
@007, the two aren't mutually exclusive. It's a fairly basic couple of ideas. If we are attacking Isak should be looking to score. If we lose the ball Isak should be the first line of defence closing down the opposition player with the ball.
I'd doesn't just apply to Isak. Koumas won the man of the match earlier this week and a good part of it was for leading the press from the front.
Or am I missing something?
20 Sep 2026 06:41:24
We pass the ball between us to much Isak is a player that plays on the last man which means give him the ball earlier. Nunes suffered with this he was going earlier but the ball was not released early hence caught off side on numerous times which made him look poor.
There is nothing wrong with passing long it catches teams out Ali did this on number of occasions with Mo the famous one v city.