Brentford again (away) FA Cup 3rd round, 5:30pm Saturday 7th January (not on TV)

Lukerz

Finally signs of life in the last two games. A battling draw at Leeds (which would’ve been a good point in normal circumstances had we not lost the prior 5 games) & a battling win at Brentford. There is clear effort from the players & there has been a noticeable change in our ability to press & intensity. A few signs Paqueta is just looking a little more settled.

A back five is looking like the way to go now between now & the end of the season. Zouma coming back in for Ogbonna & Emerson getting a chance at wing-back. It allows us to be solid &, whilst it may not be pretty, it should allow us to collect the required points to push on.

Two pivotal games now; Wolves & Everton. Not sure I feel overly confident but the last two games were certainly better than the previous 5. I thought we were ok against Brentford at home too (first half).

Hamstew

I was mullered last night so didn't catch it. Always nice to get through to the next round of a cup.