Unai Emery

[ez]

I don't think it is necessarily the team he puts out.....we should have enough in reserve to be beating Everton in cup game at home.

its the approach of that team. When we constantly take 30 passes to move the ball to the half way line, its always going to give the opposition time to get 11 men behind the ball, compress the space and make it difficult to play through.
We barely raised a sweat last night, there was no pace, no urgency. Even at 88 minutes we were still pissing about sideways and backwards.

I know its the way we play now. but we are being sussed out.
We need to mix things up.

       

Yes that gets on my nerves.  We never try to catch Everton with players out of position. We prefer to pass backwards for some reason.
And yes what was all that about passing it around the defenders as the last seconds ticked away.

[Risso]

McGinn's played wing-back before and is fast enough at least (in theory!) to make recoveries.

As much as anything, to be honest, I think the problem was that SJM is just bang out of nick.

You've mentioned this a few times now, when exactly has McGinn played wing-back? According to Transfermarkt, he never has for either us, Hibs, St Mirren or Scotland.

[malckennedy]

I think the reason we were beaten last night is mainly because the starting 11 included 2 players (Tielemans and Dendonker) who are not of the required standard. Tielemans in particular seems physically weak and slow. It is too much to carry 20% of the starting line up against a hard working team who are up for the challenge.

I think our squad has 15 or 16 players of the standard we’re striving for but unfortunately 4 or 5 are currently unavailable through injury. So, in spite of the squad being undeniably much better than for well over a decade, we still do not have enough quality players.

[Monty]

McGinn's played wing-back before and is fast enough at least (in theory!) to make recoveries.

As much as anything, to be honest, I think the problem was that SJM is just bang out of nick.

You've mentioned this a few times now, when exactly has McGinn played wing-back? According to Transfermarkt, he never has for either us, Hibs, St Mirren or Scotland.

A few times after formation changes in the second half. He's never started there, so far as I know.

[Lastfootstamper]

I might've dreamt it, but I feel I've got a memory of a memory of McGinn himself mentioning it. Could've been when he was a kid, though.

[Risso]

McGinn's played wing-back before and is fast enough at least (in theory!) to make recoveries.

As much as anything, to be honest, I think the problem was that SJM is just bang out of nick.

You've mentioned this a few times now, when exactly has McGinn played wing-back? According to Transfermarkt, he never has for either us, Hibs, St Mirren or Scotland.

A few times after formation changes in the second half.

Such as....?

[RamboandBruno]

Ramsey and Moreno on the left were hugely influential in our success from late Feb onwards last season. We do play a passing game, which the majority of the regular home crowd have got used to. The difference now is, we haven’t got that pass pass pass, go..that Ramsey and Moreno both give us.

Although Tielemans is not working out for now, i actually think the summer recruitment was ok, i think Torres in particular looks classy as does Diaby. The issue is losing Mings, Beundia, Moreno, Ramsey as well as Carlos. Huge losses that only Man City levels of recruitment would cover.

If we can get Ramsey, Moreno and Carlos back in the next games and suffer no further serious injuries, Im pretty convinced we’ll start firing. Torres playing those out balls to Ramsey with Moreno overlapping is going to change the whole attacking emphasis.

I think Monty also said on this thread or another, about taking Cash out and moving Konsa over there, this relies on Carlos and Moreno being fit, but I wouldn’t  disagree with this. Cash was aggravating last night.

[Monty]

McGinn's played wing-back before and is fast enough at least (in theory!) to make recoveries.

As much as anything, to be honest, I think the problem was that SJM is just bang out of nick.

You've mentioned this a few times now, when exactly has McGinn played wing-back? According to Transfermarkt, he never has for either us, Hibs, St Mirren or Scotland.

A few times after formation changes in the second half.

Such as....?

I want to say Burnley? But my dossiers and flow charts and walls of photos connected with a web of red string are all in my Villa Vault in a garage in Histon.

[chrisw1]

I think it's a bit churlish to moan about passing the ball around the back when it has got us to the position of 3rd most points in the PL in 2023.

Yes at times we seem to be happy to allow teams to get back into shape when a quick break would seem a better answer.  It's frustrating, but it's clearly by design and Emery has earned the benefit of the doubt on this one.

[passport1]

Ramsey and Moreno on the left were hugely influential in our success from late Feb onwards last season. We do play a passing game, which the majority of the regular home crowd have got used to. The difference now is, we haven’t got that pass pass pass, go..that Ramsey and Moreno both give us.

Although Tielemans is not working out for now, i actually think the summer recruitment was ok, i think Torres in particular looks classy as does Diaby. The issue is losing Mings, Beundia, Moreno, Ramsey as well as Carlos. Huge losses that only Man City levels of recruitment would cover.

If we can get Ramsey, Moreno and Carlos back in the next games and suffer no further serious injuries, Im pretty convinced we’ll start firing. Torres playing those out balls to Ramsey with Moreno overlapping is going to change the whole attacking emphasis.

I think Monty also said on this thread or another, about taking Cash out and moving Konsa over there, this relies on Carlos and Moreno being fit, but I wouldn’t  disagree with this. Cash was aggravating last night.

What he said.

[chrisw1]

Yet Cash was one of our best players against Chelsea.

If we move Konsa to right back we are losing our only centre back with the recovery pace to get back when the high line is broken.  It sounds like suicide to me.

Not that it's relevant as I doubt Carlos will be fit for more than a handful of games this season.

[LeeB]

McGinn's played wing-back before and is fast enough at least (in theory!) to make recoveries.

As much as anything, to be honest, I think the problem was that SJM is just bang out of nick.

You've mentioned this a few times now, when exactly has McGinn played wing-back? According to Transfermarkt, he never has for either us, Hibs, St Mirren or Scotland.

A few times after formation changes in the second half.

Such as....?

I want to say Burnley? But my dossiers and flow charts and walls of photos connected with a web of red string are all in my Villa Vault in a garage in Histon.

I hope it's one of those vaults that inexplicably has dry-ice escape when you open it?

[Monty]

McGinn's played wing-back before and is fast enough at least (in theory!) to make recoveries.

As much as anything, to be honest, I think the problem was that SJM is just bang out of nick.

You've mentioned this a few times now, when exactly has McGinn played wing-back? According to Transfermarkt, he never has for either us, Hibs, St Mirren or Scotland.

A few times after formation changes in the second half.

Such as....?

I want to say Burnley? But my dossiers and flow charts and walls of photos connected with a web of red string are all in my Villa Vault in a garage in Histon.

I hope it's one of those vaults that inexplicably has dry-ice escape when you open it?

Err *cough* yes officer, it's not what you think it is, it's *cough* dry ice *cough*.

[Risso]

I want to say Burnley? But my dossiers and flow charts and walls of photos connected with a web of red string are all in my Villa Vault in a garage in Histon.

He's never played wing back. It was an awful idea last night. He's not been very good on the left side of midfield, as an actual left back it was one of the worst bits of rotation Emery could have come up with.

[chrisw1]

I want to say Burnley? But my dossiers and flow charts and walls of photos connected with a web of red string are all in my Villa Vault in a garage in Histon.

He's never played wing back. It was an awful idea last night. He's not been very good on the left side of midfield, as an actual left back it was one of the worst bits of rotation Emery could have come up with.

If he wanted to give Digne a break, his only other options would probably have included bringing Lenglet into the team.  Makes more sense now.