OTF

Rightfully so

Yeah, pretty much. They're going through the replay frame by frame to look for a lighting quick pressure point attack from Schär that doesn't exist.

We've been well and truly shit in the final third, shockingly poor.

Great ball Schär but Gordon couldn't getnhis feet right and it was a pisselweak shot

❤️ BDB

He was quality throughout and still looked very active, should have kept him out there.

Straight away Barnes dangerous

Surely not taking Tonali off

Isak was on there, but didn't shoot anyway...

Dodgy prick treading on Hall's achilles

Silly from Hall

Fucking shit

Both Burn and Schär in their box there because all 11 of theur players were defending.

How did Isak miss the ball there!?

What was Burn doing up there

Better sorting before if you ask me.

There absolutely has to be something wrong with him. He behaves like a 15 year old kid with ADHD.

Trippier's passing early on was shocking and looked like he didn't really want the ball which is unusual for him.

It wasn't a bad performance but we couldn't put much together in the final third despite many opportunities. Not playing with a striker hurts and I agree it was odd taking off Barnes who wasn't playing poorly as he's our best scorer with Isak and Wilson out. Almiron looked very dangerous when he came on, set up Gordon with a great chance. Murphy's worst game for us in a while, I'd start Almiron next up. Tonali was good, but did tire and Howe was right to substitute him. I would have thought Osula would get on. Trippier turned the ball over needlessly a lot in the first half but improved in the second. Hall is becoming positionally much better defensively.

It's not exactly the same problem. The overall/average quality of our squad has improved (less deadwood), we've also improved our european coefficient which means that our share of the champion's league prize money will be greater. In the meantime we've also greatly increased our sponsorship and corporate revenue so with the guarantee of champion's league income we could bring in more players (and are more attractive to prospective players). Nothing that comes easy is worth anything. Winning a trophy will be a fantastic acheivement whatever trophy it is, but that's not the end of the challenge. We need to become one of the most desirable and prestigious clubs in the world to play for, manage etc. I'd say we're already in the top 30.

It was more a declaration of the fickle nature of leadership than a proclamation of my allegiances. Anyway, I am happy that you have embraced it and I definitely can't see anyway that it could go wrong.

Accidentally

I don't share the vitriol for Shearer and Given but the first bit is so blatantly true that it barely even needs saying anymore. It's also true outside the box where players so often do the same to win a free kick (Bruno for example does it routinely), get to the ball first and any subsequent contact from the opposing player is a foul. I don't have any issue with this rule/interpretation either. If you come for the ball and don't get it just about any impediment you subsequently offer to the player who did get the ball can be adjudged a foul. The rule is it's a free kick if you "impede a player with contact". There's contact and Gordon's access to the ball is impeded therefore it's a foul. Same with Joelinton.

Like 👍 the bolded bit. Shearer is wrong on this but at least he has an opinion that isn't governed by the strip the player is wearing unlike most other pundits. For that reason alone I can forgive him though there's 200 odd other reasons too.