....Yet your pre-match rhetoric would have been "We're screwed".
Like it has been at every slight bump or potential challenge since the season started(*).
People aren't blind to the challenges we've faced in recent weeks; nor those that lie ahead..... They're just not inclined to take fatalistic, prophecies of doom from someone seriously when those projections incessant.
Think of it as the 'cry wolf' phenomena.
(*You insisted all summer that you were a calm, non-emotive, level-headed individual.... You've since proven to be anything but.)
Perhaps I can go overboard with the doomerism at times, and that's something I can own and admit.
However, have you stopped to consider that maybe the cool, level-headed response
is to predict a rough patch after such a barn-burning start? We were brilliant to begin the season but also quite lucky in a few matches to nick the victory - Liverpool obviously, Sheffield, I remember the likes of Luton, United, and Scum missing absolutely gilt-edged chances as well at important moments. The league was always going to adjust to Ange, managers were going to start asking tougher questions as more film and data was amassed on our players and style. Remember, Ange is famous for being a very slow starter, so the first 3 months have arguably been an anomaly.
While the new players in the XI have gelled fantastically well and we are moving in the right direction, no one can forget the past 4 years of utter pants-wetting once in a leading position from this football club. From an uncharacteristically flat Poch season in fall '19 to COVID football under Mou when we set a record for most points dropped post-80th minute, to the Conte capitulation against Southampton, I have never once felt comfortable watching my club protect a 1 goal lead in the last few minutes.
Now with our injury/suspension situation, it is now the same players being trusted to play. Hojbjerg. Royal. Davies. It sends a shiver up my spine to even say the name Eric Dier.
Ange is a brilliant motivator and interlocuter with a fine set of ideas, but he is not going to change the DNA of this lot overnight. Every fan knows in their deepest of hearts that we are at a high risk of capitulating with the open style and poor defensive prowess of the names listed above.
So now, yes, forgive me for not brimming with confidence. It is not a comment on Ange or Levy or anyone specifically, I just fucking hate the feeling of walking into a match feeling second best and not trusting my players. And I do not trust #5, #12, #33, or #15, especially not in such an open system that asks opponents to test us on the counter with pace.
To me, unless you are a massive optimist, I don't see how people can have any confidence seeing Manchester City and Erling Haaland at the Etihad next. Surely he and Alvarez won’t cause our CB pairing of two reserve fullbacks any issues. And of course West Ham and Newcastle (who would be hellish matches even with our full starting XI) are proper pushovers as well, right? We should be in the clear vs them. No worries whatsoever.
I'd argue that expecting short term success is the delusional, non-rational response. I expect the next few weeks will go rather poorly. All evidence so far points to it.
