I know it seems premature but I think that is what we need.
I was not convinced by JM tactics of setting up narrow and we still seem very exposed defensively by the way we play. I just do not think it is going to work with Jesse. Carlos Corberan?
We just have to hope the Liverpool win has given them just enough confidence to believe in themselves.. but not too much confidence,which could lead to complacency....A 1-0 win would do me a valuable 3pts and a clean sheet then anything from the spurs game would be a bonus and nothing from it would not be too damaging....👍👍
I believe he has a viable style - he and his players have been naive at times and it's cost us points, but the way we've played against Chelsea, Arsenal and now Liverpool says to me we have unity and something that could be good.
Jesse seems to have bought himself some time with the Liverpool performance/result. I think luck was on our side to win that game, here's hoping for some more good performances/results.
Orta seems to have invested a lot in his appointment of Marsch and is reluctant to get rid. Hopefully Orta has made a good call.
Will the win at Anfield change it? Bournemouth game quite important - two league wins in a row is something we have not tried under Marsch. Fingers crossed - like many others, I had lost my faith in him after the Fulham and Palace games, but now would like him to stay and be succesful with us. MOT
To me he seems an OK guy but at this level is simply out of his depth.
I heard some of his recent interview replayed (either bbc or sky), and it was clear he was saying some of his players did not have the necessary mental strength.
I do not think he wants to criticize his players but he definitely made that comment implying that some lacked mental strength.
On Jesse's part I think it is a combination of frustration, feeling the pressure, not having much experience of coaching at a high level and I think he is out of his depth.
I do not think his tactics will work for us. I hope I am wrong and he turns it around.
Alternatively you could infer that he is admitting that he himself doesn't know which players have that extra mental strength. And that's not an unreasonable admission given that nine players were signed over the summer and others have been injured for most of his tenure. I agree with you that he does sound frustrated, though that in itself doesn't mean he's out of his depth or that his tactics are wrong. I would rather have a manager who hates to lose. Arsenal fans were saying similar things about Arteta for the last two seasons - that he was too inexperienced, too naive, out of his depth, didn't know his best team etc.
For me Jesse crossed a line, basically saying that not all of his players had the required mental strength to perform or were not quite up to it. Time to go.
What better way to lose the believe and confidence of your own players.
He may well say he takes responsibility but at the same time points the finger at some of his players. Well for starters, he selected them and all the changes (even if some were needed because of injuries) he made at Leicester and against Fulham smacked of someone not knowing what to do next. The same applies to his substitutions.
We've not been getting results and he thinks it's just all down to the players? So no issues with the tactics used & system he wants them to play?
A bit shortsighted I think.
His talk about us needing "our best pressing game" to limit Liverpool says a lot. Apart from City, I can't think of a team better equipped than Liverpool to exploite our fairly naive pressing.
I'm afraid they'll have a field day, do hope I'm totally proven wrong.
I think you are reading a lot more into his comments than he actually said. I didn't sense any blame being attached to the players. The opposite in fact. That BBC article read more like a call to arms.
I'm inclined to agree. On listening to his pre match press conference, he didn't single anyone, however he was quite candid in his assessment that he was basically angry at our inability to convert easy chances and continued errors in defence, which is nothing less that we all have been saying, added to which we hadn't been playing that badly. He did mention that some players mental strength in these difficult times may be fragile and that was something he needed to address and work with the players, so if we are saying get rid for those reasons, doesn't see appropriate, to me anyway.
Cooling on Marsch, particularly after BBC feature on him today.
Really don't like the bit where he says he needs to find the players who can perform at the highest level; it's his responsibility to get them to perform at that level.
In that respect, he could do with getting MB's advice!!
If somehow we managed to keep our PL status, then next year he may show interest, however if we stay up chances are that Jesse will be at the reins for a long time, especially as the 49er's will be pulling the strings.
It would be interesting though if we did get relegated and JM departed, would Poch try and emulate the great man and bring us back up with a brand of sensible, attacking football?
One of the best managers without a job. The 56-year-old left Sevilla this month, after 90 wins in 170 games. A Europa League winner, with Real Madrid and Spain on his CV. Back in 2020, The Sun said Leeds were considering Lopetegui.
Domenico Tedesco
Young at 37, Tedesco was sacked by Leipzig this season. He tidied up the mess left by Marsch at Leipzig last season – winning 20 of his 40 games. He has also managed Schalke and Spartak Moscow. Could he tidy Marsch’s mess again?
Peter Bosz
Bosz, 58, is still waiting for his next venture after a tricky spell at Lyon. TalkSPORT say Wolves interviewed the Dutch gaffer and were impressed. An attacking manager, Bosz also has taken charge at Dortmund, Leverkusen and Ajax.
Marcelino
One of Bielsa’s predecessors at Bilbao, 57-year-old Marcelino is incredibly experienced – but is yet to step foot out of Spain. With 823 games and 11 different jobs in his home country, could he finally try his luck at a non-Spanish side?
Andre Villas-Boas
A left-field one, but a manager that boasts many traits Leeds might look for. Attacking, charismatic and with Premier League experience. The ex-Chelsea and Spurs boss, 45, starred at Marseille – one of Bielsa’s old sides, in his last role.
The First two on the list would great but both would require some serious time. Lopetegui would be a EPL manager signing while Tedesco would be more a long term develop with the young players type.
I hear what you're saying but personally I'd rather watch entertaining football, played with some common sense and if we do go down, so be it. The thought of watching a team managed by Dyche would bore me to tears.
Actually yes! but to somewhat concede to your argument, with his previous track record, if he signed a 6/7 month contract, with absolutely no clause for an extension, regardless of the outcome, then his brand of football may keep us in the PL, however let's not forget all Dyche managed to achieve in his time at Burnley, was to survive in the PL, no ambition about trying to squeeze into the higher top tier of the league, just plain old mid-table obscurity and lump it forward football. If you believe that's us going forward, then our respective opinions are miles apart.
Well TC that's exactly how I feel too, they won't have a choice other than to spend a few bob. On the flip side, we could decide to appoint a new coach after the window. That worked (just about) last time out.
As I've said before & after the Leicester game, we must be the fave team for others to play against. We commit the same mistakes over and over again.
Last season the same happened under MB & JM. The rot was halted, just in time, by the combined brilliance of Raphina & Joffy and having Lady Luck on our side (at Wolves, West Ham & at home against Norwich, Brighton).
Something tells me those circumstances won't be repeated.
I'm now at the point were I believe, that a drop back to the Championship wouldn't be such a disaster. Look at Fulham.
It would, all at once, allow us to get rid of a bunch of overrated and overpayed guys. And probably more importantly give those promising youngsters a fair crack.
The comments were probably aimed at me rather than Guy. I am certainly not one of the more knowledgeable posters, but the impression I get is that JM is simply out of his depth.
With our limited resources we need to set up to play more defensively/solid. I think this would give the whole team more confidence. We do have some quality going forward and can hurt teams, but obviously lack a reliable goal scorer.
We do have some promising strikers e.g. Perkins, Gnoto, and surely one or two of them could be given a go
As the flack is all flying towards yours truly, I would appreciate if people would at least look at what exactly I said.
"There is a lot to say on both sides of the argument.
But the results from the last seven games is relegation form by most standards.
There is no argument with that fact.
Those results are what ultimately will decide JM's fate."
So, I never claimed that we are the only club to play with "this" style of football!
I never said anything about Marsch needing to be replaced NOW, I merely said there's a lot to be said on/for both sides of the argument.
Ice: Personally, I believe JM will be given those 4-5 games before the World Cup.
The harvest in terms of points will either nudge in his favour or not.
I would argue that Fergie in the day had (in terms off quality at his disposal) a lot more going for him.
And, more importantly they were not in relegation trouble, were they?
1972Glory: Indeed it took Newcastle a while to get used to Howe's style of play.
(Did that change come about without Toon signing new quality players?)
On here some stated, Toon are doomed, they're new signings are dross.
Reality is that without those signings Newcastle would probably not have turned the corner.
RE Arteta, well yes Arsenal fans were calling for his head, but he already had numerous quality & very expensive players at the club. Since then, they've only improved their team & squad. Oh and again, correct me if I'm wrong, Arsenal were underperforming, as were Fergie's team, they were not involved in a relegation battle!
Smurf: Of course you don't agree, didn't expect anything.
For you Harrison isn't an out and out winger, for me he is nothing but.
Other positions he has played in were nothing but a faillure, both under MB & JM.
His best position is out wide, getting beyond the full back & delivering dangerous crosses (his deliveries could/should be better). Play him more central and he's rather useless, running down blind alleys and overall he hasn't the vista to hurt teams.
You argue he's in the form of his life, is he really? 1 goal and 3 assists in 10 games with all of those coming in the first 3 games.
I gather JM is fully with you on this, as he benched him against Leicester.
Aaronson isn't a winger, he loses half of his ability on the wing.
The lad needs to play behind the striker(s)/as an attacking midfielder.
On to your mate Firpo, of whom you claim he provides us width.
Thank god he only had 90 mins this season, the only times I noticed him against Leicester, he always got beat by his opponents or he fouled them.
Have to admit that in THE vital moments he was conspicuously absent.
But from what I saw last season, he actually does provide a lot of width.
→ Just a pity that it is for the opponents.
Bet Fulham can't wait to run at him.
Now onto the point of playing the way we do.
You are comparing us with Man City & Liverpool?
Smurf, that was my point exactly, the difference being that those kind of teams have the quality of players required to play that way. We don't!
They've got far better, quicker and more skillfull players to execute their game plan.
For us, we need to be 100% and get the rub of the green to get a decent result.
The flip side being that unlike Man City, Liverpool we don't have the players to stop teams from destroying us. Furthermore we also conceed very sloppy goals and we look vulnerable against all kind of teams.
As for Leicester, throwing their name into the mix with Pool & Shitty?
They couldn't be more different than those 2.
Them lot building out from the back, really.
Perhaps a peep at the league table may well prove to be kind of illuminating.
Now on to JM.
I didn't call for him to get the sack. I'm saying his current game plan is not working.
2pts from 21 is ample prove of that.
The sooner he gets it, the better!
MB was stubborn, was unwilling or unable to tweak things and ultimately it cost him his job.
The same will happen to JM.
Greenwood is being tried in midfield because sadly, the lad has zero pace!
And let's not forget what has happened at Newcastle. It took Eddie Howe a while for his team to get used to his style, but it paid off, same to be said for Arteta, who had numerous Arsenal fans calling for his blood, but seems to have turned out ok!!.
Ok, I'm going to push back at that analysis. Firstly, playing to our strengths - well, Harrison and Aaronson (when he's on the right) are not out and out wingers. They play better when they're more narrow and central. Harrison is in the form of his life this year. We haven't seen enough of Sinisterra to know whether he's of that ilk too, but I suspect he is. Yes the Full Backs are required to provide additional width, and I would say Firpo certainly does that. The side effect is that they will be caught out defensively on occasion, but I'm still a big fan of taking risks going forward.
To say that we are the only club that plays this way in the premiership simply isn't true. All the top teams play fast pressing attacking football. They also all play with just one up front supported by attacking midfielders and narrow wingers, with attacks starting from the back. That applies to Man City, Liverpool, Leicester etc etc. The type of defensive hoofball football that some are harking back to, died a decade ago. Nobody plays like that anymore.
And who would you replace Marsch with. I'd say almost certainly, the next manager would be promoted from within, with Maric and Skubala as the leading candidates. Will they play a different brand of football? Not a chance.
Now is Marsch perfect? I wouldn't say so. I think he erred by loaning Shackleton out. I think he should have been selecting Gelhardt more regularly, I don't quite understand why Greenwood is being converted to a midfielder. And Perkins should be in the first team squad as of yesterday But those are not reasons to sack a manager? No, and even if it was, it's far far too early to play the nuclear card.
There is a lot to say on both sides of the argument.
But the results from the last seven games is relegation form by most standards.
There is no argument with that fact.
Those results are what ultimately will decide JM's fate.
There are 9 new signings but only 5 of them have had first team minutes in the Premiership. 3 of those signings are players familiar with JM's tactics / game plan or at least, they should be!
From what I've seen, on a tactical level, is that JM's guidelines needs to be excuted at 100% (little room for error) and on top of that → we need to get the rub of the green.
The game against Chelsea stands out, playing well + a lot of things went our way.
The narrow concept we deploy, with our wingers not really acting as such, relies heavely on the full backs providing the width, bombing forward and providing balls into the box. This way of playing has it flaws, certainly in the Premiership when you're up against very pacy & skillfull oppositon.
It does not really matter what opposition we face (already in preseason, games against Cagliari & others provided ample proof), we're very open & vulnerable to the counter attack.
With our fullbacks out of position, we get stretched and get cut through with ease.
If you try and play this way, you need to have either very pacy fullbacks, who can make up ground quickly and/or dito CB's.
Now when you take a closer look at our CB's, they're anything but pacy.
Pascal is quickest of the lot and he's playing LB.
At fullback we've got Kristensen and Pascal, the latter has probably been our best defender thus far. But going forward, both lack the necessery attacking quality.
Some would argue that we've got many players (a big squad) and plenty of talented players. But just take a look at our defence & the way we were shipping goals last season, is it really that surprising we're still vulnerable?
Up front we have Rodrigo who started very well, but got injured and since he came back has again looked more like that familiar misfit of previous seasons.
We all know of Patrick's problems with injuries and he's not looked the same since. Apart from his lack of finishing power, the fact he got outpaced & outmuscled by Tielemans says it all.
It feels like JM's doesn't like or trusts Joffy, I'll admit he hasn't always looked as sharp or confident, but he's been given very little time to prove his worth.
Overall I also feel that JM's game plan doesn't allow our talented players to fully play to their strengths. For example, what's the use of having pacy wingers when you ask them to tuck inside that much.
A win against Fulham has already become vital for us & JM.
Give JM a chance, he's been in the job about 8 months, his assistant has been in the job about two months. It's a new coaching team, there are nine new signings. It's far too early to talk about sackings. A win at the weekend could turn the season around. It's not as if there's an obvious choice out there.
By fek the gummies r busy today
He has a reprieve
We just have to hope the Liverpool win has given them just enough confidence to believe in themselves.. but not too much confidence,which could lead to complacency....A 1-0 win would do me a valuable 3pts and a clean sheet then anything from the spurs game would be a bonus and nothing from it would not be too damaging....👍👍
Need a win v Bournemouth to give him more time till after the WC
In Marsch we trust!
I believe he has a viable style - he and his players have been naive at times and it's cost us points, but the way we've played against Chelsea, Arsenal and now Liverpool says to me we have unity and something that could be good.
Jesse seems to have bought himself some time with the Liverpool performance/result. I think luck was on our side to win that game, here's hoping for some more good performances/results.
Orta seems to have invested a lot in his appointment of Marsch and is reluctant to get rid. Hopefully Orta has made a good call.
Will the win at Anfield change it? Bournemouth game quite important - two league wins in a row is something we have not tried under Marsch. Fingers crossed - like many others, I had lost my faith in him after the Fulham and Palace games, but now would like him to stay and be succesful with us. MOT
Benietez? story doing the rounds
To me he seems an OK guy but at this level is simply out of his depth.
I heard some of his recent interview replayed (either bbc or sky), and it was clear he was saying some of his players did not have the necessary mental strength.
I have no confidence in him time to go
For me Jesse crossed a line, basically saying that not all of his players had the required mental strength to perform or were not quite up to it. Time to go.
Think JM will get until the Bournemouth game unless we are thumped by Liverpool
Is Poch a pipe dream? We did get MB, after all.
Cooling on Marsch, particularly after BBC feature on him today.
Really don't like the bit where he says he needs to find the players who can perform at the highest level; it's his responsibility to get them to perform at that level.
In that respect, he could do with getting MB's advice!!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63414666
Julien Lopetegui
One of the best managers without a job. The 56-year-old left Sevilla this month, after 90 wins in 170 games. A Europa League winner, with Real Madrid and Spain on his CV. Back in 2020, The Sun said Leeds were considering Lopetegui.
Domenico Tedesco
Young at 37, Tedesco was sacked by Leipzig this season. He tidied up the mess left by Marsch at Leipzig last season – winning 20 of his 40 games. He has also managed Schalke and Spartak Moscow. Could he tidy Marsch’s mess again?
Peter Bosz
Bosz, 58, is still waiting for his next venture after a tricky spell at Lyon. TalkSPORT say Wolves interviewed the Dutch gaffer and were impressed. An attacking manager, Bosz also has taken charge at Dortmund, Leverkusen and Ajax.
Marcelino
One of Bielsa’s predecessors at Bilbao, 57-year-old Marcelino is incredibly experienced – but is yet to step foot out of Spain. With 823 games and 11 different jobs in his home country, could he finally try his luck at a non-Spanish side?
Andre Villas-Boas
A left-field one, but a manager that boasts many traits Leeds might look for. Attacking, charismatic and with Premier League experience. The ex-Chelsea and Spurs boss, 45, starred at Marseille – one of Bielsa’s old sides, in his last role.
https://football-italia.net/ranieri-i-want-to-continue-coaching-in-a-good-project/
👍👍
Sean Dyche guesting on Sky Sports tonight!
Just sayin' and I wouldn't say no.
.
Cannot blame injuries this year. Maybe MB fancies coming back now he have a fit squad?
I wonder if Radz is actually in a position whereby he can sack the manager?
Might it be a case of the Yanks want him there as part of the takeover deal??
And if it was agreed by all that JM should go, would he have to be replaced by another American manager?🤔
Anyone except Dyche, Bruce or Allardyce....!!
The only good thing to come out of all this is that we HAVE to buy in the January transfer window to avoid relegation!
That means paying over the odds and the only reason clubs will sell to us is that their player is crap!
They will have to come from abroad....
It will also mean that we daren't give the likes of Gnonto, Joseph and Perkins a chance to prove themselves....
Our next 5 games include Liverpool, Spuds, Citeh and Newcastle....only Bournemouth are 'easy' and we keep losing to teams like this!
Looking forward to Tommy Tuchel being appointed after we've lost to Bournemouth to give him the whole of the World Cup break to work with us....
The comments were probably aimed at me rather than Guy. I am certainly not one of the more knowledgeable posters, but the impression I get is that JM is simply out of his depth.
With our limited resources we need to set up to play more defensively/solid. I think this would give the whole team more confidence. We do have some quality going forward and can hurt teams, but obviously lack a reliable goal scorer.
We do have some promising strikers e.g. Perkins, Gnoto, and surely one or two of them could be given a go
OK.
As the flack is all flying towards yours truly, I would appreciate if people would at least look at what exactly I said.
"There is a lot to say on both sides of the argument.
But the results from the last seven games is relegation form by most standards.
There is no argument with that fact.
Those results are what ultimately will decide JM's fate."
So, I never claimed that we are the only club to play with "this" style of football!
I never said anything about Marsch needing to be replaced NOW, I merely said there's a lot to be said on/for both sides of the argument.
Ice: Personally, I believe JM will be given those 4-5 games before the World Cup.
The harvest in terms of points will either nudge in his favour or not.
I would argue that Fergie in the day had (in terms off quality at his disposal) a lot more going for him.
And, more importantly they were not in relegation trouble, were they?
1972Glory: Indeed it took Newcastle a while to get used to Howe's style of play.
(Did that change come about without Toon signing new quality players?)
On here some stated, Toon are doomed, they're new signings are dross.
Reality is that without those signings Newcastle would probably not have turned the corner.
RE Arteta, well yes Arsenal fans were calling for his head, but he already had numerous quality & very expensive players at the club. Since then, they've only improved their team & squad. Oh and again, correct me if I'm wrong, Arsenal were underperforming, as were Fergie's team, they were not involved in a relegation battle!
Smurf: Of course you don't agree, didn't expect anything.
For you Harrison isn't an out and out winger, for me he is nothing but.
Other positions he has played in were nothing but a faillure, both under MB & JM.
His best position is out wide, getting beyond the full back & delivering dangerous crosses (his deliveries could/should be better). Play him more central and he's rather useless, running down blind alleys and overall he hasn't the vista to hurt teams.
You argue he's in the form of his life, is he really? 1 goal and 3 assists in 10 games with all of those coming in the first 3 games.
I gather JM is fully with you on this, as he benched him against Leicester.
Aaronson isn't a winger, he loses half of his ability on the wing.
The lad needs to play behind the striker(s)/as an attacking midfielder.
On to your mate Firpo, of whom you claim he provides us width.
Thank god he only had 90 mins this season, the only times I noticed him against Leicester, he always got beat by his opponents or he fouled them.
Have to admit that in THE vital moments he was conspicuously absent.
But from what I saw last season, he actually does provide a lot of width.
→ Just a pity that it is for the opponents.
Bet Fulham can't wait to run at him.
Now onto the point of playing the way we do.
You are comparing us with Man City & Liverpool?
Smurf, that was my point exactly, the difference being that those kind of teams have the quality of players required to play that way. We don't!
They've got far better, quicker and more skillfull players to execute their game plan.
For us, we need to be 100% and get the rub of the green to get a decent result.
The flip side being that unlike Man City, Liverpool we don't have the players to stop teams from destroying us. Furthermore we also conceed very sloppy goals and we look vulnerable against all kind of teams.
As for Leicester, throwing their name into the mix with Pool & Shitty?
They couldn't be more different than those 2.
Them lot building out from the back, really.
Perhaps a peep at the league table may well prove to be kind of illuminating.
Now on to JM.
I didn't call for him to get the sack. I'm saying his current game plan is not working.
2pts from 21 is ample prove of that.
The sooner he gets it, the better!
MB was stubborn, was unwilling or unable to tweak things and ultimately it cost him his job.
The same will happen to JM.
Greenwood is being tried in midfield because sadly, the lad has zero pace!
And let's not forget what has happened at Newcastle. It took Eddie Howe a while for his team to get used to his style, but it paid off, same to be said for Arteta, who had numerous Arsenal fans calling for his blood, but seems to have turned out ok!!.
give him 5 games more.
remember Ferguson was one game from being sacked before all clicked together and we all know what he did active
Ok, I'm going to push back at that analysis. Firstly, playing to our strengths - well, Harrison and Aaronson (when he's on the right) are not out and out wingers. They play better when they're more narrow and central. Harrison is in the form of his life this year. We haven't seen enough of Sinisterra to know whether he's of that ilk too, but I suspect he is. Yes the Full Backs are required to provide additional width, and I would say Firpo certainly does that. The side effect is that they will be caught out defensively on occasion, but I'm still a big fan of taking risks going forward.
To say that we are the only club that plays this way in the premiership simply isn't true. All the top teams play fast pressing attacking football. They also all play with just one up front supported by attacking midfielders and narrow wingers, with attacks starting from the back. That applies to Man City, Liverpool, Leicester etc etc. The type of defensive hoofball football that some are harking back to, died a decade ago. Nobody plays like that anymore.
And who would you replace Marsch with. I'd say almost certainly, the next manager would be promoted from within, with Maric and Skubala as the leading candidates. Will they play a different brand of football? Not a chance.
Now is Marsch perfect? I wouldn't say so. I think he erred by loaning Shackleton out. I think he should have been selecting Gelhardt more regularly, I don't quite understand why Greenwood is being converted to a midfielder. And Perkins should be in the first team squad as of yesterday But those are not reasons to sack a manager? No, and even if it was, it's far far too early to play the nuclear card.
Very good analysis Guy.
No other team in the league sets up to play the way we do (same was true with Bielsa) and for good reason IMO.
The team needs to be set up to get the most out of the players we have - e.g. wingers- and also the way we play leaves us too exposed defensively.
The way JM wants us to play is never really going to work on a consistent basis.
There is a lot to say on both sides of the argument.
But the results from the last seven games is relegation form by most standards.
There is no argument with that fact.
Those results are what ultimately will decide JM's fate.
There are 9 new signings but only 5 of them have had first team minutes in the Premiership. 3 of those signings are players familiar with JM's tactics / game plan or at least, they should be!
From what I've seen, on a tactical level, is that JM's guidelines needs to be excuted at 100% (little room for error) and on top of that → we need to get the rub of the green.
The game against Chelsea stands out, playing well + a lot of things went our way.
The narrow concept we deploy, with our wingers not really acting as such, relies heavely on the full backs providing the width, bombing forward and providing balls into the box. This way of playing has it flaws, certainly in the Premiership when you're up against very pacy & skillfull oppositon.
It does not really matter what opposition we face (already in preseason, games against Cagliari & others provided ample proof), we're very open & vulnerable to the counter attack.
With our fullbacks out of position, we get stretched and get cut through with ease.
If you try and play this way, you need to have either very pacy fullbacks, who can make up ground quickly and/or dito CB's.
Now when you take a closer look at our CB's, they're anything but pacy.
Pascal is quickest of the lot and he's playing LB.
At fullback we've got Kristensen and Pascal, the latter has probably been our best defender thus far. But going forward, both lack the necessery attacking quality.
Some would argue that we've got many players (a big squad) and plenty of talented players. But just take a look at our defence & the way we were shipping goals last season, is it really that surprising we're still vulnerable?
Up front we have Rodrigo who started very well, but got injured and since he came back has again looked more like that familiar misfit of previous seasons.
We all know of Patrick's problems with injuries and he's not looked the same since. Apart from his lack of finishing power, the fact he got outpaced & outmuscled by Tielemans says it all.
It feels like JM's doesn't like or trusts Joffy, I'll admit he hasn't always looked as sharp or confident, but he's been given very little time to prove his worth.
Overall I also feel that JM's game plan doesn't allow our talented players to fully play to their strengths. For example, what's the use of having pacy wingers when you ask them to tuck inside that much.
A win against Fulham has already become vital for us & JM.
Give JM a chance, he's been in the job about 8 months, his assistant has been in the job about two months. It's a new coaching team, there are nine new signings. It's far too early to talk about sackings. A win at the weekend could turn the season around. It's not as if there's an obvious choice out there.
Going to have to be somebody that fancies a challenge.
Pochitino is out of work...
I tend to agree dd! We need width and probably a new manager. Not sure who though