Why do we have this god defined right to expect to roll over every single team we play before we have even kicked off, it's something I've noticed with this fanbase that before games fans will predict 'we're gonna win 5-0', that doesn't happen then fans starting whinging and moaning. How many teams have actually battered Luton this season for example? So why do you think we 'laboured' to a result against them?
If Ange was having no impact on this side say next time this season I'd understand your concerns but I think it's absolutely ridiculous that you have the questions you do about where we are currently.
Why does time in a job have an impact?
Isn't it a coincidence that the three best teams in the league currently have three of the longest serving managers. Guardiola finished 4th in his first season, getting battered 4-0 at Everton. Klopp finished 8th? Arteta 8th too I think. We're 5th this season, where do you think we would finish at the start of the season?
The start of the season form was the worst thing that could have happened because it's messed up fans expectations.
I've actually enjoyed this season, I've enjoyed watching a much more likeable set of players, the football is much better even if parts of it can be worked on, the atmosphere around the club is much better and the manager we have isn't moaning about things and making excuses in every interview.
We don't, doesn't mean you still shouldn't be rolling over sides with vastly fewer resources and inferior players though...
The fact that we rarely do
should be annoying to manager, players and fans, that's how you stay motivated to strive to improve.
It's nothing to do with god given rights, it's an absolute fact that we have better players, facilities etc than most clubs. Align that with the right attitude and you should be comfortably beating many of the sides in this league most of the time, particularly at home.
If you play the lower 14 sides at home in the league, any one of those sides can give you a tough game on any given day, maybe they get really fortunate and frustrate you enough to nick 3 points. That doesn't mean that every game should be a grind! People seem to cling to this notion that top sides get the 3 points without playing well... The top sides don't grind out a hard fought win in all of those games, they beat those teams comfortably most of the time, give out a hiding or two even, and then when they do have the occasional 1 in 10 off day, they grind out the win anyway.
That is not what we have done, we have been grinding without playing all that well for much of the season now.
Something seems off, if you'd have told me during the first 10 games of the season that this is what we'd be serving up 7 months later I'd be baffled.
I'm personally never one of those that claims a game will be easy and we'll smash the next opponent, there's certainly games where I think we
should, but I
know we won't, because of all of the actual evidence to suggest we won't.
Ultimately, I'm rambling on to say that in isolation, a laboured win against Luton is fine, when the majority of your games are going like that though, it's irritating.
You can enjoy the things you listed, they are enjoyable, Ange seems a good bloke, it's nice that the players are having a good time Monday to Friday at work, vibes are on point... but it's all pretty irrelevant compared to what happens on the pitch, and right now it's not enjoyable at all for the most part.
We've lost all the dynamism we seemed to have early on, incisive passing and constant movement into dangerous spaces has given way to constant recycling of the ball between our defenders and dm, often feeling the need to give Vicario a good amount of possession before bothering to mount a slow march upon the opposition defence. Pretty sure Zouma was having a fag break off camera at points last night whilst we faffed about with the ball at the other end of the pitch.
For the record, I'm not saying Ange out, I don't get this need to be so precious about that whenever a criticism of the side is made. I very much hope things improve under him, but I'm also not utterly convinced that time will change anything either, we seem to need a lot of external factors to come together for us to show our "best", we need to be taking charge and forcing the issue ourselves and I'm not seeing much sign of that.
Even the supposed aggressive winner types (ie Romero) just slowly and passively plod about whilst opponents are sitting deep, it's the likes of him that you'd hope would be providing the urgency and oomph to break down these sides.
I just can't marry up the squad we have on paper with what we're seeing on the pitch, like I said before, I have a bias towards our players but look at the following and tell me if you disagree:
- Our keeper is class
- Our two starting centre backs are class, and provide all the attributes you'd ask for in a top pairing
- Our two starting fullbacks are class, defensively competent enough and provide a real attacking threat for differing reasons
- Our pool of central midfielders is very strong, and pretty well rounded. In theory we can put out a range of combinations depending on the opposition and what we feel would be best suited to taking control of the game against 90% of the opposition we face in the PL.
- Our forwards are the main point most feel that could do with improvement, however, Richi and Son have both scored a respectable number so far this season, Johnson is putting up good numbers, they are a perfectly capable unit in this league, they just don't have that x factor that puts them in the top bracket.
Yet, we concede loads, we don't particularly control games, we score a lot but don't often win comfortably, we don't really create all that much...
I can't put my finger on what exactly is the problem, but I'd be inclined to feel that it's something to do with attitude if pressed, I don't know what needs to happen for it to be rectified...
But it's frustrating.
