Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur sat March 16th 17:30

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I wouldnt over-analyze the game. Just a shitty day. Whole team played bad.

However I have to say, that our midfield tends to be lazy. On the ball and off the ball. They dont play it quick enough and it doesnt matter if its Bentancur, Biss, Höjbjerg, Sarr or Skipp. Bad positioning, subpar pressing and just in general not enough movement between them. And it always seems as if nobody wants to support the backline and play the role of a '6'. We would need a standout player this summer in that position.
 
Playing under pressure isn’t easy. That’s what separates the best teams from the rest. Anyone can play well when there’s nothing at stake, Fulham played with freedom today because it didn’t matter if they lost. They were up for it and played without fear.

Whereas our lads were intimidated by the way Fulham started and fell apart after the first goal went in. Toughening these players up is the big challenge for Ange as it was for all our managers. Even Redknapp used to complain that we were too quiet, too nice, too soft.
Come on such a simplistic view point. That means every team in mid table can play with no fear and rip us up then? It’s our coaches / mgt team plus senior players to make sure we handle it. Especially 20 mins into game and you know something ain’t working do something about it. But no we just let it drift to HT hoping for some 2nd half improvement. Hard to always grab back the initiative.
 
Sarr just had a bad game. It happens. More than enough credit in the bank.

But Biss' form is a concern.
Could PEH bent and MADDs next game or as I keep saying bench the generally weak and useless wide players. It’s not as if we get to byline and put balls in the box. Play rich and din up top our two best goal scorers so far this season. MADDs behind them and then a midfield 3 from Biss, bent, PEH or Sarr. Keep the FBs wide.
 
It was a bad day, but we have to give credit to Fulham who were really good and made it a bad day for us.

I've seen them do this previously to other teams. They were tactically good, aggressive, herded us into traps and sprung them. Normally that should/coul suit us, but it was like we'd come off two or three bus parks and it just seemed to catch us out.

Klusevski and Son lost the ball between them twice as much as the rest of the team put together, including subs. Of the players that started, Sarr (67% Worst), Porro, Kulusevski and Udogie gave the ball away between 20-33% of their passes, and this was a constant theme from the get go and something some of us were commenting on from the start of the game. Some of this was Fulham's aggression and energy in the press but some was just carelessness that seemed to infect us collectively.

We have got find some forwards who are technically better under pressure in game play than Son, Kulusevski and Johnson (who was third for losing possession behind those two only because he generally treats the ball like a hot potato even more than those two).

I posted some tweets a few posts ago that tactically analysed some flaws in our system shape at times that are exposing our 6/CB's. These were causing us problems earlier in the season and I thought we were improving but Fulham's tactics seemed to expose them again.

Not all teams are good enough/luck enough to expose them, and our own tactical strengths have sometimes managed to outscore the tactical weaknesses. Saturday they didn't. We created as much as Fulham, but parity of XG has often been the case with us this season and not always in a good way, but we've often just outgunned the opposition - Saturday they outgunned us.
 
It was a bad day, but we have to give credit to Fulham who were really good and made it a bad day for us.

I've seen them do this previously to other teams. They were tactically good, aggressive, herded us into traps and sprung them. Normally that should/coul suit us, but it was like we'd come off two or three bus parks and it just seemed to catch us out.

Klusevski and Son lost the ball between them twice as much as the rest of the team put together, including subs. Of the players that started, Sarr (67% Worst), Porro, Kulusevski and Udogie gave the ball away between 20-33% of their passes, and this was a constant theme from the get go and something some of us were commenting on from the start of the game. Some of this was Fulham's aggression and energy in the press but some was just carelessness that seemed to infect us collectively.

We have got find some forwards who are technically better under pressure in game play than Son, Kulusevski and Johnson (who was third for losing possession behind those two only because he generally treats the ball like a hot potato even more than those two).

I posted some tweets a few posts ago that tactically analysed some flaws in our system shape at times that are exposing our 6/CB's. These were causing us problems earlier in the season and I thought we were improving but Fulham's tactics seemed to expose them again.

Not all teams are good enough/luck enough to expose them, and our own tactical strengths have sometimes managed to outscore the tactical weaknesses. Saturday they didn't. We created as much as Fulham, but parity of XG has often been the case with us this season and not always in a good way, but we've often just outgunned the opposition - Saturday they outgunned us.

Must be noted a lot of the xG we created came whilst 3-0 down with the game in a very unique place. Including the Werner miss which would’ve been a huge chunk of it.
 
Sarr just had a bad game. It happens. More than enough credit in the bank.

But Biss' form is a concern.

I like both these guys, so I'm not trying to big one up at the expense of the other, but I honestly think the Sarr praise has been a bit over the top and Bissouma "out of form" narrative a bit over the top too.

Bissouma is never going to bank the kind of credit Sarr has banked by being seen bombing into the box and scoring or assisting etc. I think he's been fine since coming back. I think he was largely fine before.

IMO, this is the downside of Ange's high risk football, it asks a fuck of a lot of the single pivot 6. And he's not going bank credit for shiny things like scoring and assisting like the 8's.
 
they can use this -but it depends on the opposition.
Ange only have 1 plan/strategy & that's who-we-are.

Not only is it High risk but the backs needs to do more work at a faster rate - hence hammies are regularly tested to the extreme.
* Our backs are faster than your forwards
* Our attackers will score more goals than yours

Evidence= we make average mid table teams like Wolves and Fulham look like World Beaters
Do you think the players are conscious about hamstring injuries and therefore not applying 100%?
 
January windows are always difficult. Teams don't want to sell, takes 4 to tango - buyer, seller, player, and agent.

I think we did good for January, but we have to have more in the summer.
I disagree.

Just take the top 10 from this article. Players are available if you willing to pay. Levy isnt.

 
Ange describing terrible defeats and awful performances as "part of our growth " is starting to wear thin and its getting on my tits to be honest

Today was disgraceful and unacceptable and he should have the balls to acknowledge it
How can that be any sort of growth . His had 28 games and we still play shit I’m almost every match first half. We get exposed time and again in the FB area, we have no width , everything goes down the middle which is congested. Lot to grow !
 
Of course we can, be in denial all you want.

Go see the Sonny interview, more looking mirrors, more sob stories from inside the dressing room and more room for improvement needed he thinks.

PS

Don't forget to drop your six percent season ticket increase cheque by Levy's office door, so that he can award these very players a big fat increase in the Summer.

Rinse and repeat.
How mirrors is that now?
 
Not deluded at all. I realise that there's a massive gulf in class between the two leagues.
However there is also a massive gulf in resources, and I thought that even though Levy is a tight cunt, there would still be enough spending to enable Ange to make an impact this season.

It seams I was wrong, so what now? Change the manager, or give him another window or two.
I would go with the latter.
We have spent though just look at that team most were not playing a year ago.
 
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