Swansea (Home) - 30th September 3pm (match thread)

OutcastLondoner

Lukerz said:

Hernandez and Carroll too often drifted into unthreatening positions. We don't need big Andy down by the corner flag. Need to find a way of getting them closer together and in the box. The right wing should be, generally, for Antonio and Zabaleta, not Andy.

I'd like to see Carroll fined every time he comes and picks up the ball near the half/way lined, enters his own half, does a step over then eventually lays it off, ending any momentum and leaving himself a mile away from where he should be. I think he sometimes feels he has to prove he can use his feet or maybe it's just he's just eager to touch the ball but we need him to lay off quickly and get forward. At best it stops momentum, at worst he gives the ball away like he did against Spurs. Hernandez has also been guilty of coming deep, picking the ball up and swivelling around loads - sometimes it wins a free-kick and helps us hold the ball, other times it just means he's not where he needs to be.

We seem to have a dual problem of strikers not in the right places because they don't trust the midfielders, and midfielders being ponderous because the strikers aren't in the right places.

NEoldiron

Outcast, you've answered your own question in the last paragraph.
If we actually had a functioning dynamic midfield they would not need, or, in fact, have the time to drop back.
The problem is a lack of co-ordination, confidence or, at times, ability.
These are supposed to be professional footballers i.e athletes with a particular ball playing skill who are paid enormous salaries for possessing it.
At times it's hard to see athletes with or without any skill, a case in point being Ayew (our one) on Saturday.
Look at the movement of Citeh against Chelski, Spuds against Huddersfield. That co-ordination doesn't happen accidentally, it's honed on the training ground.
I'm not saying that we have the quality of Citeh or Spuds, but who we do have are greatly under performing as regards their supposed ability.
There were 8 players in our starting 11 who are internationals plus 2 of the substitutes who were used. How can so many international footballers play so badly together in a match when they are training together every day? It beggars belief.
Not happy
;angry

OutcastLondoner

NEOld, partially but I think it's more complex. While there's reason to distrust the midfield, they need to continue giving the right runs, otherwise the midfield have nothing to aim at.

Vorselaarhammer

I missed the game, Bilic said the fans deserved to boo which kind of makes me happy I did...

I thought Wright made some interesting observations on MOTD. Neither striker being in box will limit their ability to score. ;bowdown

Slaven_Cups_His_Beard

He's being polite......