QUOTE(IpohGuyz @ Apr 21 2023, 03:41 PM)
Ole could have the Europa cup and remain manager if not for Ddg lousy kick. When lost final, everyone blame the team clueless, shouldn't go to penalty, should win easy.
In yesterday case, same clueless performance, should win easy. Why this round manager not at fault? Lol.
In both case, I don't think manager at fault. The only constant is, we have same culprit. Ddg underperforming +Maguire playing for opponent
I'll provide a little elaboration on how I see things, was guilty of being too brief earlier.
Maguire is how Ole wants to play. Ole's top pick for a defender is Maguire, bought for a high price and instantly made club captain. The centerpiece.
And how Ole plays is a back 6. Defend deep. Boot it up for the front 4 and wait for individual magic to happen.
For Ten Hag, Maguire is not how he wants to play. In fact, he benches Maguire for the season and only has to field him because of injuries.
I posted earlier in the season that we will start seeing a dropoff in Apr-May because of fixture congestion. It is not primarily because of fatigue inducing a performance drop but because of injuries meaning players who don't fit the system stepping in. Ten Hag is a systems manager who wants to play a certain way. The most important component is the triangle of Varane-Martinez-Casemiro for the distribution base. When did our performance issues start? When one of that triangle wasn't available, Casemiro's suspension. Now made worse by Varane and Martinez being out. We know there are players who do not fit the model and they did not get gametime until lately, Because now there is nobody else. We can field a starting 11 with the players in the medical room.
When our team doesn't have that distribution base, we lose fluidity. So what we see on the field...is eeriely similar to what we saw under Ole BECAUSE it is Ole's team (Maguire-Lindelof).
Expectations. I think we should keep in mind the expectations at the start of the season.
Top 4? Good.
Top 4 and a trophy? Great.
We are on track for the latter. Europa is never on the cards and I'd advise fans to not hold out expectations for the FA Cup or talk of a treble. Eyes on the prize and the prize is Top 4. Because our key players are out and we are limping over the finish line. I'm already looking at that Spurs PL game as the key game for us. And in the summer, hopefully we'll be able to bring in a top forward and a midfielder at least. If the Glazers stay, it's going to be a dark dark summer.